July 25, 2012

Review: Celia on the Run by Sarah Mandell { plus a Give@way}



Title: Celia on the Run

Author: Sarah Mandell

Source: ebook from publisher for review


goodreads...
Nick Novaczek is a cautious soul, a 17-year old with a boring life, a predictable future, and a quiet thirst for danger. On the eve of his beloved grandmother's funeral, danger finds him by the motel swimming pool. Her name is Celia and she's everything he's not. This foul-mouthed beauty is hitchhiking across the country to make amends with her estranged father and doesn't carry an ounce of fear or hesitation in her tattered suitcase. She's bad news all around, but for a rule-follower like Nick, she's intoxicating.


Twenty-four hours after speaking to Celia for the very first time, following one extremely lucky night, Nick is hopelessly hooked and "borrows" his parents' car to join her cross-country mission, even though her story is full of holes. It's the mistake he's been waiting his whole life to make. Together, they dodge a train, jump off a bridge, and scam everyone in their path. Nick is blossoming into a teenage fugitive, just like Celia, and he's never been happier. She may not be who she says she is, but she's got his vulnerable heart.



After weeks of detours, with hundreds of miles left to go, their wild adventure starts to unravel. The money dries up, Celia's dark secrets begin to surface, and it's clear they both want vastly different things out of this partnership. Celia is all about no strings attached and severing whatever they may have between them once they reach their destination, while Nick is head over heels in love and wanting a future with the girl in his passenger seat. They seem to reach a new low on a daily basis, but she won't turn back, no matter how desperate things get. After all, this is her trip and Nick is just the driver. Celia's got a charming smile to pay her way, a willing accomplice, a hidden agenda, and an endless supply of lies. Not to mention a gun.


My take...
Nick has just finished high school, about to attend a college he has never laid eyes on, and is about to bury his crazy, foul mouth grandmother. He is a straight laced kid and about as boring as they come. That is until he meets a beautiful, homeless girl who is doing whatever it takes to make it to New Jersey. Celia flips Nick's neat and tidy world upside down and makes him dream of being a little reckless.

The day his family lays his grandmother in the ground, Celia takes off. Nick does the most spontaneous (and possibly the most stupidest) thing in the world: he grabs his clothes from the motel, leaves his parents a note, and takes off with Celia on the road...with his parent's car I might add. If he thought the crazy night he spent in her arms was great…he hasn’t seen anything yet. As soon as the money starts drying up, Celia resorts to less than savory ways to get it. Can Nick handle this side of Celia? Will the secrets she is hiding deep within slowly leak out for Nick to see? But most of all…can Nick make her fall in love with him by the time they meet their destination?

Celia on the Run was powerful, heartbreaking, fun, raw, amazing, terrifying, and crazy. It was all that and more. So much emotion gets packed into this little book you sometimes need a breather to collect your thoughts. The author describes everything so well you feel as if you are sitting in the back seat; along with Nick and Celia on their crazy, zigzaggity road trip. But keep in mind, this book is anything but rainbows and butterflies the whole way through. There are some rough scenes that may be hard on some people. For instance there is a rape scene and lots of sexual talk. So please be considerate when deciding if this is a book for you or someone else. Is it raunchy? Not at all. In fact, I found a lot of the sexual banter quite funny.

Sarah gives us some really great characters…characters that will stay with you long after you are done. You watch Nick grow from a gangly teenager into a man in a matter of weeks. We see Celia soften her hard demeanor and slowly start letting Nick in more and more. These characters become a close friend to the reader…ones you truly care about what happens to them in the end. You will just want to hold them and tell them it will all be okay. At least that is the way I felt.

Celia on the Run is a wonderful coming of age story for Nick and a shocking in your face story of Celia. It is about two completely different souls that get intertwined together on the greatest road trip of their young lives. And what happens on that road trip will change the two of them forever. I hope you will give Celia on the Run a chance.

Here is your chance to win Celia on the Run. If you tweet or facebook the giveaway...leave the link and you get an extra point. 
This giveaway is International. Giveaway ends July 31st.

Giveaway over!




No comments:

Post a Comment