ISBN: 1507200692
Published by Merit Press on January 18th 2017
Pages: 265
Goodreads
ABOUT SNOWBIRDS:
Every year, Lucy waits eagerly for the arrival of the “snowbirds,” the Old Order Amish who come trundling into Florida on buses from the north, bringing Lucy’s best friend Alice, with whom she’s spent every winter she can remember. This winter is different. At sixteen, Alice is in the middle of “Rumspringa,” a season in which Amish teens try out forbidden temptations, in order to get them out of their system. Lucy is part of a different sect, in which teens aren’t allowed such bold experimentation, and she’s fighting to keep up as Alice races from one wild party to the next. Then, one night after just such a party, Alice vanishes. Wracked by guilt, Lucy knows that she should have been watching out for Alice, but instead, she was kissing Faron, an Older Order boy shunned by his society. Now, Lucy plunges into a search for her best friend–while also hiding her own secret, which could put her in even more danger.
ABOUT CRISSA JEAN CHAPPELL:
CRISSA-JEAN CHAPPELL (crissajeanchappell.com) was born in Miami and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her debut young adult novel,Total Constant Order, is a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age and a VOYA Perfect Ten. Chappell’s second novel, Narc, is currently optioned for film. More Than Good Enough is her most recent novel, which Kirkus calls “compelling and emotionally nuanced.” Chappell holds a PhD and MFA from the University of Miami. She has taught creative writing and cinema studies for more than ten years.
LINKS: Website | Twitter | Instagram
MY THOUGHTS
This is my first book by this author and with her captivating writing style, it won’t be my last. Chappell’s story takes on the Amish and their unique society. Lucy lives as a Mennonite, a less strict set of the Amish in Florida. When her friend Alice from Maine visits Lucy during her Rumspringa and explains she wants to run away with her boyfriend, the pair argue at a party. Alice turns up missing and Lucy is left wondering if it was somewhat her fault.
All this drama leaves Lucy on a quest to find Alice even though everyone else has given up. At least Lucy does manage to find a bit of romance with Faron, a boy who is also from her sect. He also helps her discover the truth about Alice’s disappearance. That ends up in a twist I did not see coming! Overall, this is a nice, clean read that has a bit of romance and some mystery.
Tour Schedule:
1/16: The Fake Steph – Looks from Books
1/17: Owl Always Be Reading – Review
1/18: Who RU Blog – Novel Secrets
1/19: Pretty Deadly Reviews – Review
1/20: The Irish Banana Review – Fast 5
1/21: Bookhounds YA – Review
Giveaway:
1 Finished Copy of SNOWBIRDS with Crissa’s notes & Doodles (US Only)
I’m excited to read this book after your review. I love this culture and it sounds like this author got it right. Plus you mentioned a twist that surprised you and I love when authors can do that for me.
Thanks for this captivating and very interesting feature and giveaway which I would enjoy.
This sounds like a story that I would enjoy.
My sister went to a Mennonite college and I’ve always been interested in the Amish culture add in the romance/mystery and this sounds like a really good book.
I never realized that they were part of the same religion until this book. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is a great memoir of that sect.
This book sounds really intersting, and original, especially for the YA genre (at least I haven’t read any books like this).