I received a copy of Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike, who’s suddenly everywhere, until she’s stuck in church with him one day. Then something happens—Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift. Mike and his boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store, and Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, stormy seas return. Apron starts to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means, and who is paying too much for it. Apron has come unmoored, but now she’ll need to take the helm if she’s to get herself and those she loves to safe harbor.
Review:
It took me a few chapters to really find my flow with this book, but it ended up being really touching and a good story. This book is set in the 1980’s and touches on a variety of subjects – many of them sensitive – such as sexuality and AIDS, and proved to be a really intriguing read. I actually got emotional at the end of the story, so even though I felt a disconnect in the first third of the book, I clearly was connected to all of the characters, not just Apron, by the time I finished. Sometimes I had to remind myself that Apron was only in middle school, because she had a lot of crappy situations thrown her way and she was able to handle them relatively well. I could remember those awkward teenage times – the teenage angst, the shaky friendships, the interest in boys. I think this is a unique new voice in fiction, and I look forward to more.
