Title: Against All Odds
Autor: Patricia Vanasse
Pages: 313
Where to Buy: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble
Rate: 4,5 stars
Author’s Contact: Click Here
The author sent me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
Sometimes boy meets girl, and the stars align, and their future is laid out neatly before them. Together forever. Meant to be. But Max and Loren are not one of those couples.
Seventeen-year-old Max DuPont is on the verge of becoming a ward of the state and foster kid. When his dad lands himself in jail, Max has no choice but to accept an offer to live with his father’s do-gooder attorney, Mr. Larssi. The only contingency is that Max must stay far away from Larssi’s beautiful teenage daughter Loren.
Loren is aware that she’s had every opportunity in her young adult life—at least, that is, every opportunity her parents designed for her. She excels in academics at a competitive prep school, she never parties, she never dates, and she’s a budding ballerina and major hopeful for a Juilliard scholarship. But since her best friend Lily died tragically three months ago, Loren is lost. She knows just how precious life is.
Loren’s first step in living her own life might be to get Max to notice her. Max’s only chance at a solid future without foster care is to keep his distance from Loren. But their chemistry is undeniable. And they can’t fight the odds forever…
The first time I’ve read the synopsis it immediately caught my attention. I started reading almost two months later and Against All Odds surprised me.
Loren is a girl who recently suffered a big lost and every day she has to deal with it along with the expectations and pressure of her parents.
Max is a good boy. He has great notes at school, plays hockey and one day he sees his family fall apart.
The story focus on Laren thinking that she has to do everything her best friend, Lily, couldn’t do in life. Even if it’s something really stupid. In other side, we can see that Max blames himself for his mother’s abandonment. At the same time, he can’t forgive her for leaving when he most needed her. He suddenly needs to learn how to manage his house and take care of his drunk father.
I loved that it’s not just the attraction that united Max and Loren, but the problems and difficulties they both face. One supports the other without expecting something in return, simply by the fact that they both know how is to lose someone.
“Who did you lose?”
This girl is full of questions.
“Nobody.” Or everyone – depends how I look at it. People don’t really need to die to be gone.”
The characters are portrayed in a deep and thorough way. Details that describes perfectly an exat moment and what the main characters are passing through; all their hopes and pain.
They both are very independent. Loren, because she wants to be free to make her own decisions and Max, because is necessary since he is the only one who can take care of himself.
The book is told from the point of view of Loren and Max. I liked most of the Max’s POV. It was a more direct and short form, unlike Loren’s POV that was a bit longer.
I also loved all the other characters. They were well used and composed a good plot.
The main characters develop so much throughout the book. Loren goes through several changes until she reach acceptance and face her problems and losses; as the same time Max reluctantly try gradually forgive his parents. Both move on after a long and traumatic journey, together.
“Life is delicate, it’s fragile, it’s a precious thing. you never know when you’re going to lose it. Live life when you can because you never know which second will be your last.”
There are so many real elements in this story. Protective parents, friendship, loyalty, losses, decisions for the future, etc.
I was thrilled every time Loren and Max describes how they were feeling desperate.
The end of the book leaves ample room for the reader imagine about the future of the characters, which I enjoyed it.
At first, you’ll probably think this book is more of the same, as I thought, but it isn’t. I highly recommend Against All Odds. It’s a light story, complex and lovely.
Interview with the author:
When did you start writing books?
I’m not like most authors, as I did not grow up writing stories. My passion for writing came later in life after I had been through law school, culinary arts, and psychology. I finally found my true love in creative writing. Today, I have three published books: Resilient, Awakened, and Against All Odds.
What inspired you to write this novel?
I absolutely love contemporary novels, and after having two teenage Brazilian girls living with me for six months, I was inspired to write about over protective parents. And from that experience, came the idea for Against All Odds.
Are you working on anything new at the moment?
I just finished writing a character driven contemporary that dives into peer pressure, bad choices, and first love. Hopefully, I’ll be sharing more details soon.
Will your books be translated to Portuguese in the near future?
That is definitely a dream of mine. Although I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, I’m not confident enough to translate my books to Portuguese. Portuguese is a very rich and complex language, and I wouldn’t want to butcher it. But I would love to see my books translated to Portuguese.
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