How to Save a Life

Title: How to Save a Life
Author: Sara Zarr
Published: October 18th 2011
Synopsis from GoodReads

Jill MacSweeney just wants everything to go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. You can't lose one family member and simply replace him with a new one, and when her mom decides to adopt a baby, that's exactly what it feels like she's trying to do. And that's decidedly not normal. With her world crumbling around her, can Jill come to embrace a new member of the family?

Mandy Kalinowski knows what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, she knows she wants a better life for her baby. But can giving up a child be as easy as it seems? And will she ever be able to find someone to care for her, too?

Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about what it means to be a family and the many roads we can take to become one.

This book was amazing!!

It was an emotional, heartbreaking, on the edge of my seat super roller coaster of super duper Loves!!

Have you ever read a book that you didn't want to end?

For me... THIS WAS ONE OF THEM!!

I wanted to savor every page, every word, ever punctuation mark... It was just so delicious that I could read it over and over again without feeling full.

The Plot:
Mandy is a simple 18 year old girl who is pregnant. She wants her baby to have a better life than what she has now. Going on an open-adoption website she finds a woman who seems just perfect to give her child the life it deserves. Anything that's better than Mandy's will do.

Jill is a well-to-do girl with a job at a book store, her own car, and a nice boyfriend... but since her Dad died she hasn't felt the same. Neither has her Mom. Especially her Mom. Because Mom just dropped a bomb on her. She wants to adopt a baby.

Throughout:
We learn Mandy's story and more and more about Jill opening up after she closed herself off from the world when her Dad died. You get a feeling for both girls. The story is told in both of their pov's and each one has their own voice. You know how some can sound the same? In this book you are actually able to distinguish one girl from the next. Even the fonts are different, which in my opinion, was really cool.

Greta's favorite Character:
My favorite girl would have to be Mandy. I felt for her so deeply. In a way she was so simple but when you got inside her head you find out the complexity thought that goes through the making of every one of her decisions. What looks like she's staring off into space is actually her calculating the right thing she feels will help her get through to the next day or the next minute.

I really related to her in several ways.

Who should read this book:
This is definitely a mother/daughter/best friend book. It's a girl/woman book. Young or old, it doesn't matter! It's just brilliant.

For the Moms and Dads:
Since this is a book about pregnancy then you should assume that sex is involved. There isn't any graphic detail sex and when there is anything sexual it all fades to black. I say if your child knows where babies come from then this book will be 'A OK' for them to read. Also, there aren't many cuss words but there are a few. It would not bother me at all if a 13 year old was to pick up this book. I wouldn't even think twice.

What made me fall in Love
Cinnamon flavored boys
Fairground Loves
A girl looking for a Mom
Told in 2 very different povs
The Ending.... enough said.....

Trust me kids... Go get this book.

And here's the reason why....

IT MADE ME CRY!!

That's right!! This book gets a TEARDROP AWARD from the never sobbing GRETA. It's that good!!

Want to know what makes me cry?

Then go get this book and find out!!

You'll be happy that you did!