Thursday 26 July 2012

Blog Tour and review: Knee Deep by Jolene Perry

Today I have another great opportunity to take part in a blog tour hosted by Tribute Books Blog Tours of Jolene Perry's Knee Deep


  Title: Knee Deep
  Author: Jolene Perry
  Publisher: Tribute Books
  Publication date: 1st May 2012
  My rating: 3 stars

 

Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.

Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.

Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both.
                  Kindle | Nook | Smashwords 


I’m never keen on picking up books dealing with sensitive subject matters such as abuse, I usually have a tough time stomaching them but also the last one I read which focused on this subject didn’t work out for me. So you’re probably wondering why did I decide to pick another one up so soon? When I first came across Knee Deep I actually didn’t look at what it was about I completely fell for the cover, also my last book by Jolene Perry I’d surprisingly enjoyed so I’d really wanted to read more of her books soon.

Shawn and Ronnie have been childhood friends, Ronnie’s always felt something between her and Shawn, even when he moves away they promise to keep in touch, she knows he’s the one so when Shawn moves back, they’re immediately drawn to one another, it’s as though Shawn wasn’t even away in the first place. But then all of a sudden Shawn starts getting tense, he loses his rag quickly and his temper changes in an instant. Ronnie knows it’s because of the pressure his dad is putting on him so she tries to please him any way she can, she knows what Shawn’s wanted for a long time but she’s never been quite ready. So maybe Ronnie will have to change things quite a bit to make things alright between them.

I really feel for the individuals that find themselves in these sorts of situations. Ronnie was quite lucky as she had a strong support network, her dad was a therapist and so quite quick to pick up on the fact that something was not quite right, even though Ronnie’s mum thought the sun shone out of Shawn. Also Luke, Ronnie’s friend was awesome, he was also Shawn’s friend, but was good as he also recognised that there was something wrong with Shawn.

I also I think I preferred this book a lot more than the other book which dealt with physical abuse because, the signs of the abuse were picked up quickly early on. Ronnie tried her best to cover them all the time by wearing long sleeved tops and acting as if everything was okay, but when her friends and family soon became to realise what was happening, they tried to bring a stop to it and convince Ronnie about what the right thing was to do. Also the fact that everything came out in the open earlier on, we were able to see Ronnie dealing with the aftermath of it months afterwards. Yes it was an especially tough time, but Perry goes to show that individuals suffering from any sort of abuse shouldn’t give up, yes there’s a tough uphill struggle battle afterwards trying to get your life back on track and it’s difficult with everyone constantly gawking at you. But with the right support and direction it is possible.

I hate how abuse of any kind makes the abusee feel as if they are in the wrong. Ronnie did absolutely nothing wrong but she constantly felt paranoid, she had to over analyse everything all the time, should she wear her heels even though it made her look taller than Shawn and he hated it? She also had to pick up on Shawn’s mood changes so she wouldn’t say the wrong thing and make him even more mad. It is truly horrible to find yourself in that position. But hopefully by reading Knee Deep individuals who find themselves in similar situations will come to realise that there is always a way out.


16 comments:

Eunice said...

I usually steered clear to books with the subject of abuse too. But I'm glad that it was handled very well in this book. I'll have to check this out someday! Wonderful review, Jasprit! :)

Anonymous said...

Lovely review, Jasprit. I don't like reading too many books dealing with touchy subjects either, but there was something very appealing about this book.
I think Jolene Perry tackled the issue of abuse in a beautiful way. Ronnie was indeed very lucky to have so many supportive people around her. I agree with most your points. :)
I'm glad you liked it, Jasprit!

Crystal said...

Amazing review! I was on the fence about this one, but I think I might give it a go now =) I have a hard time with abuse in stories also so I completely understand.

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

This is a great, well-written review! I agree with your points, Jasprit. Ronnie was so quick to blame herself for Shawn's actions... and it drove me insane. I'm glad it ended the way it did though. I though Perry handled it very well. :)

Jenny said...

These books are always a challenge for me as well Jasprit, it's so hard to sit back and be completely unable to do anything to help the person being abused. I think that's what's hardest for me. I just want to reach in and tell someone what's happening to them so they can get help:) Love that Ronnie has a really strong support network, that would make reading this one less tense for me!

Keertana said...

I've had my eye on this book for awhile, so I'm thrilled you for the opportunity to review it Jasprit! I love your review and I have to agree with so many of the points you made, especially about abuse. Everything you wrote was so well-written and provocative, so I really want to read this one now, even though I tend to avoid books with such serious subject matter. I definitely think abuse novels are some of the hardest to read and really connect with because often times, the cruelty of the situation is simply too evil to even imagine and I always feel an immense amount of sympathy, but never true empathy as I always feel so disheartened while reading these types of books, but your review has compelled me to give this one a try. Brilliant review, Jasprit! :D

~Keertana
Ivy Book Bindings

Unknown said...

I love your last line in this review, Jasprit! <3 Like you, I hope by reading this book, anyone who's in abusive relationship would realize their mistake! I always have hard time reading books about abusive relationships too - they're always suffocating! I'm glad that you gave this book a go though! :)

Beautiful review as always, darling! <3

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

I just love how much you took away from this reading experience. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit of a wuss and that I tend to shy away from heavy subjects these days and I'm not quite sure I could handle this right now, but I'll certainly keep it in mind.
Such a wonderful, insightful review, Jasprit!

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

I reviewed this on Monday and I also tend to steer away from heavy subject matter,but I was surprised at how much I liked this one. It carries such an important message and I liked that it exposed the victim's sense that the abuse stemmed from their own wrong doing. I am glad it ended up being a good read for you as well, Jasprit!

Tribute Books said...

Jasprit, thanks for the review!

-Ria xo said...

I'm not a big fan of books covering abuse either, for the same reasons as you, Jasprit. LOL, the cover IS very pretty!

Wow, Shawn sounds TOTALLY swoon-worthy. Not! Ergh, I hate him already! But Ronnie sounds amazingly brave and wonderful.<3

Great review, Jasprit!!

Katja Weinert said...

Yes, I'll say what's been said already, I'm also not a major fan of books about abuse, but I downloaded this one a couple of weeks ago and haven't got round to reading it yet. This sort of sounds like what I imagined it would be like, thanks for sharing :-)

Anonymous said...

Very nice review!! I loved loved loved this book. But I agree with you abuse is a hard topic and is a hard thing to read about.

Anonymous said...

Wow... your last sentence is so very powerful, Jasprit. I love your review, and I admire your depth, insight, and sensitivity very much. :) Indeed, it's difficult to read books about abuse, but I think you analyzed this novels and later articulated your thoughts so eloquently and perfectly.

On the other hand, I think I'm the opposite in regards to novels about touchy subject matter. I am fascinated by books that explore tough topics (I'll go as far as to say- "taboo" subjects) so the fact that abuse was handled well in this book gives me hope that I'll enjoy it. :)

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

Great review Jaspirit. I have this one on my blog today. I agree, this book would be great for girls who find themselves in this situation, to help them see the way out and that there can be life/love afterwards.

Beverley said...

I've been interested in this book ever since I first heard about it and to be honest, the reason I want to read it is because I want to see how the author deals with such a sensitive issue. I already admire Ronnie and I want her to have her happy ending whereas I'm already angry at Shawn!

Fab review as always, Jasprit <3

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