Happy to be Alive, Because
June 10th, 2014. Filed under: Tuesday's Tempting Reads.Happy to be Alive, Because
By Chelsea Jacobs
Chelsea Jacobs’ debut novel is here just in time for summer! The perfect beach read, Happy to be Alive, Because (Nyree Press) will delight fans of YA authors such as Sarah Dessen and Krista McGee.
Avery is a seventeen-year-old girl whose reality has just been shattered by the death of her mother. Feeling a desperate need to flee from what has become her life, she follows a travel plan meant for her mom and her that leads her to the little beach town where her mom grew up. It’s there that she meets a group of three adventurous friends who adopt her into their circle, allowing her to experience a summer she never thought would be possible after suffering such a great loss. Unfortunately, her summer full of experiences threatens to end abruptly when she realizes that one of the three has a secret that causes her to question everything about the new life she has been building.
Avery must learn to balance her grief and her desire for a future in order to achieve her mother’s final wish for her: That she would be happy to be alive.
ISLAND BREEZES
A seventeen-year-old orphan. Avery as spent so long taking care of her mother and hoping, but life has let her down. She’s tired of everyone giving her looks of sympathy and wants to escape them all. When Avery discovers tickets and plans for a trip to her mother’s home town, she decides to go on her own.
Her mother also left her a journal so that she could continue what her mother had started – an “I’m happy because” journal.
Both the journal and Avery’s three new friends get her through her grief and to the point of happy to be alive. But one friend’s secret can either ruin the whole thing or make their friendship closer. Avery is hurt when she finds out. Now how will she react?
This book brings a new perspective to keeping a journal. It’s helped bring new meaning to my gratitude journal. I’m hoping we get a chance to read more about Glynn Springs. I want to know more about what the future holds for these four friends.
I’m also wondering if maybe some of this is a bit autobiographical, Ms Jacobs. Just a feeling from reading your book’s dedication.
***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***
Chelsea grew up with an immense love for words—both reading them and writing them. She obtained her degree in English and has spent the time since getting married to her high school sweetheart and chasing adventure so she’ll have something to write about.
When she’s not drinking copious amounts of coffee while writing, she spends her time reading, playing with her puppy named Gatsby, and dreaming, always dreaming.
To learn more about Chelsea visit her website and follow her via Twitter.