I think you'll agree that what most media and entertainment fail to do well is evoke a real feeling in the reader/watcher, well Steph Bowe does this so well with her 2010 YA debut novel, Girl Saves Boy.
Forget the fact that the author is a 16 year old Australian home schooler, this book needs no cliché or marketable points, it is worth gushing over and I recommend you pick it up right now! I am even regretting that one star stopping it from being a full mark but it felt right the moment I finished it.
Girl Saves Boy is all about Sacha and Jewel, who have both gone through some pretty terrible things in their young lives (death of family members, leukemia) but when one saves the other from drowning they form an almighty bond.
The only slight issue I had with this book, which is tiny and me being super picky is that the romance between Sacha and Jewel seemed to escalate in about a week, I think a more realistic approach would've been to extend the time from first date to total devotion over at least a few weeks or even a month. I also wondered how Jewel managed to keep herself away when she found out about the Leukemia, you wouldn't want to waste a single second in this situation.
I have to say I was also a little bit worried in the first few chapters as I wasn't connecting well with the book but then an almighty whoosh hits you in the face and you just can't stop reading. I think I had it read in under 2 days which is a little unusual for me. It is heart-wrenching, captivating and uplifting. The characters are so believable and I actually preferred some of the sub-characters to the main ones, it even had me forming tears and then a few chapters later laughing out loud. I wouldn't let the Leukemia deter you from picking up this book up as it normally would for me because it isn't so horrible to read about that it'll affect your every day life.
And the ending, what do I say? Perfect, leaving it up to the readers imagination. I couldn't have dreamt of a better ending myself.
Now, I know I usually say I can't wait for the authors next release but this time I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for tidbits of information on the next Steph Bowe novel. GO GET ME SOME :)
OUT OF FIVE STARS
