Maria’s 5-Star Review of A Different Blue, by Amy Harmon

9/10

I loved this book!! LOVED it!! It was one of those books that had me turning pages late into the night and dragging myself into work with bleary eyes the next day, and posting quotes on my Facebook page, and Facebook stalking the author…always good signs! I don’t think the synopsis does this book justice – but I can’t give you much more information without giving away major plot points, so let’s just say that this book is about so much more than a student/teacher romance. So. Much. More. Mostly I think it’s about self-discovery…in a myriad of ways, but it’s also about family, and choices, and regret, and loss, and understanding. It’s a beautiful, alternately heart-wrenching and heart-warming, supremely entertaining book! Just fantastic! I usually evaluate the characters, the story, and the writing in my reviews, but my rating is based mostly on entertainment…and whether or not the book managed to make that nebulous “connection” with my heart. I want to FEEL when I read a book – but not feel like my emotions are being manipulated. It’s a difficult line to balance, and Amy Harmon does it perfectly!

Let’s talk characters. Blue is one of the most likeable, characters I have read in quite a while! She is intelligent, thoughtful, funny, and so very strong. It’s nearly impossible to read about a character this strong and still feel connected, feel empathy, believe they are real – but Amy Harmon’s writing makes that possible. She is a rare talent! Then there’s Wilson. *sigh* Nerdy, sexy, highly intelligent, super-sensitive, cello-playing Wilson. While reading this book I finally realized one reason why I connect so well with some book boyfriends and not others – I need to see LOTS of interaction between the main characters (outside of the bedroom!), I need to learn about him, listen to him, observe him…I need time to fall in love, and I got that here!! When the main characters are in “love” (lust) immediately, and we never see the build up, it often rings false for me, and I don’t understand what she sees in him! So I guess what I’m saying is – fabulous character development here!!

The story is just stunningly well put together! The information you need is given at just the right times, the surprises are totally believable, and the emotion is all utterly authentic! Start to finish, the plot flows beautifully, naturally, and perfectly paced. And the writing is impeccable! Beautiful words, strung together beautifully, and superbly edited.

This one is the real deal, folks! I highly recommend it!!

 

Synopsis:
Blue Echohawk doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know her real name or when she was born. Abandoned at two and raised by a drifter, she didn’t attend school until she was ten years old. At nineteen, when most kids her age are attending college or moving on with life, she is just a senior in high school. With no mother, no father, no faith, and no future, Blue Echohawk is a difficult student, to say the least. Tough, hard and overtly sexy, she is the complete opposite of the young British teacher who decides he is up for the challenge, and takes the troublemaker under his wing.

This is the story of a nobody who becomes somebody. It is the story of an unlikely friendship, where hope fosters healing and redemption becomes love. But falling in love can be hard when you don’t know who you are. Falling in love with someone who knows exactly who they are and exactly why they can’t love you back might be impossible.

 

Click the cover to purchase on Amazon!