REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Every Big & Little Wish
by E. C. Moore
Every Big & Little Wish by E. C. Moore is currently on tour with Xpresso Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
E. C. Moore’s young adult novel, Every Big & Little Wish, opens in late spring 1970. Sixteen-year-old Jacy Wilbert’s Mom got promoted, so her parents sold their Victorian home in California and moved to a townhouse in Oregon.
Torn away from the only home she’s ever known, forced to leave her beloved German shepherd behind, Jacy feels misplaced. Exacerbating an already terrible situation, her dad runs off with the bombshell real estate agent who sold them their townhouse. And, just when it seems things can’t get any worse, her mom loses the stupid job they left California for in the first place and begins to drown her sorrows with pink wine, night after night. Jacy’s caught in the middle, struggling to maintain a relationship with her AWOL dad while tolerating his annoying, much-younger girlfriend.
Missing old friends back in California, and feeling like an outsider, Jacy needs to build a new social life in a new school. Not the sort of girl to wait around for what she wants to come her way, she sets her sights on Neil Wilder, the best-looking boy around.
Everything changes when Jacy Wilbert knocks on the wrong door.
Excerpt
I took it all in. The reflection of the city lights on the surface of the river dazzled. The giant White Stag sign loomed across the way in all its neon glory. I dared not look down. “Pretty,” I squeaked.
Neil said, “No, beautiful,” and reached out and pulled me close. His mouth brushed my temple. His lips finally touched mine. Our first kiss on our first date. I willed my shaky knees to stay still. I tried to overlook my fear of heights and the deep water rushing below, to stay in the moment. I wanted to remember exactly how it felt when his lips met mine, how he smelled and how he tasted. I wanted to record every sensation into my brain matter so I could retrieve the memories later.
We kissed and we kissed and we kissed. Neil tasted like cherries and pure joy. We made up for all the lost time. I didn’t even notice how cold it was until he pulled away. “Do you want to go to the other side? Or back to the car?”
“What do you think?”
“The car.”
I ran so we could reach that parking garage as quickly as possible. Something always seemed to happen whenever we got anywhere close to getting together, and I vowed that this time, things would be different.
Praise for the Book
"What a fun book to read! This story took me back to my days as a teenager in Portland Oregon in the 1970's. No cell phones, no computers, just real relationships. E. C. Moore captured what it was like to be a teenager at that time perfectly. The characters are rich and full and quirky. The story pulls you along and you don't want to put it down. It is not only a teen story, but a really good mystery and suspenseful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who just wants to get lost in a good story." ~ Susan Watts
"Overall this is a crafty tale that details the triumphs of a couple of teenagers throughout their young lives. Despite the issues that each character is facing they are able to end up on top and live in a mature fashion. Teenagers alike may fall in love with this story as it is well written and very true to the age." ~ Pretty Little Book Reviews
"The author did such a great job on this book I never felt like I was reading Jacy's recount, but while it was happening so the end was really oh my gosh!!" ~ brandy r
"Overall a good read. The plot kept me turning pages to find out how everything worked out. The only thing I didn't like was that so much of the story was heavy and kind of a downer. It seemed to drag in a few places, and then towards the end of the book, the story became suspenseful all at once." ~ D. S. Lerew
"Jacy Wilbert finds her life turned upside down. First her family moves to Oregon, then her parents divorce, but the trouble really begins when she meets Neil Wilder. E.C. Moore has written a powerful story for older teens ... " ~ Arleen Williams
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
Jacy Wilbert is in her junior year of high school in Portland, Oregon. She has just moved there from California and already has a crush on Neil Wilder, who has also recently moved to town. One day Jacy gets up the courage to knock on Neil's door after he doesn't show up for school. Between dealing with her new love interest, her drunken mother, a father who ran away with a younger woman, a new friend, and a stalker, Jacy's got one hell of a year ahead of her. And then she learns the most shocking truth of all. Her life will never be the same again.
This is a fun look back at the 1970s - a time before cell phones, the Internet, and hair straighteners. There are numerous references to the fashions, hair styles, music, television shows, movies, books, and the Vietnam war. Jacy is a likable main character who has the cute habit of giving everyone nicknames (in her head). I like the romance and family aspects of the story, however the book, as a whole, is disjointed. It feels like the author is trying to do too much; it almost feels like this is three or four different books in one. Given the book description, the thriller angle is unexpected and feels slightly contrived and unrealistic. And, after everything that Jacy goes through, the resolution is a bit of a letdown. The whimsical cover doesn't suit the thriller/suspense genre either.
An interesting read, but a bit disappointing.
Fun fact: I, too, have a wishbone collection.
About the Author
When E. C. Moore is not writing feverishly, you will find her out walking or sightseeing. She’s crazy about coffee, books, cooking, good wine, cairn terriers, miniature ponies, historical houses, tapas, and witty people.
She resides in a fifties bungalow in Southern California, with her creative-director, hubba-hubba husband, a yappy blonde dog, and one feisty Chihuahua.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a paperback copy of Every Big & Little Wish by E. C. Moore (US/Canada only).
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