Monday, June 4, 2012

The Right & The Real by Joëlle Anthony

The Right & The Real
Joëlle Anthony
April 26th, 2012
288 pages (hardcover)
Putnam Juvenile
Source - Publisher (unsolicited)
Kicked out for refusing to join a cult, seventeen-year-old Jamie must find a way to survive on her own 

Jamie should have known something was off about the church of the Right and the Real from the start, especially when the Teacher claimed he wasn’t just an ordinary spiritual leader, but Jesus Christ, himself. But she was too taken by Josh, the eldest son of one of the church’s disciples, and his all-American good looks. Josh is the most popular boy at school too, and the first boy outside the drama geeks to give Jamie a second look. But getting her Dad involved in a cult was not part of the plan when she started dating Josh. Neither was her dad’s marriage to the fanatic Mira, or getting kicked out, or seeing Josh in secret because the church has deemed her persona non grata. 

Jamie’s life has completely fallen apart. Finding her way back won’t be easy, but when her Dad gets himself into serious trouble, will Jamie be ready to rescue him, and maybe even forgive him? 
Mini-Thoughts: Seventeen-year-old Jaime is blindsided by her father when he kicks her out of their home after he marries into a cult-like church that Jaime refused to join1. Joining would mean losing everything she loves – her acting, her education, her future – so she's far from interested. Jaime's strength in facing exile from her home and her normal life is admirable. I quickly became captivated by such an intriguing if slightly terrifying premise. Fortunately, Anthony balances out the more serious parts with wonderfully vibrant and alive characters. The Right & The Real is filled with convincing characters and a story that compels you to keep turning the pages. 

Highlights: By 25 pages in, I was emotionally invested in the story and in Jaime's character. The side characters were incredible – Kent, LaVon, Krista, and more. Even when it seems like everything is terrible, there's always someone who brightens up the story. This story was a surprise for me – Anthony's writing is powerful, and she managed to succeed with what could have been a difficult story to tell. 

Lowlights: I was surprised that Jaime didn't try harder to reach out to her dad when he initially kicked her out. I also really, really, really hated her boyfriend.  

Rating:  

1 If there was ever a book to make me grateful for the parents that I have, this is that book. 

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Image & Summary from Goodreads

7 comments:

  1. Sounds like the kind of book that's going to make me so mad I'm going to throw it against the wall. I think I'll love it. :)

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  2. So if I have kids in the future and they whine about me being an awful mother, I should hand them this book and be like...SEE!!! You could have it SO much worse!!! Lol.

    But still, I love that you were emotionally invested in the story. That's the best way to read a book! :)

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  3. Huh, I believe this is the first review I've read for this one so I really didn't know what to expect until now. Sounds pretty superb - I should add it to my tbr! And yeah, I've read my fair share of awful parents in books - these ones sound especially bad.

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  4. Sounds amazing! Great review Lea. I want this! x

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  5. Wow it sounds pretty good !! I wasn't planning to read this one but I definitely want to now! Great review Lea !

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  6. The Right and the Real sounds so intense! I'm so glad the characters are easy to invest in. They're usually the best part of a story! Great review, Lea. :)
    - Lauren

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  7. I wasn't familiar with this book but it sounds really good. I've read some other books that involve cults (The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix) and I'll have to add this to the TBR list. Thanks for your review!

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