EBR Guest Review: Awakening Foster Kelly by Cara Olsen (Emily-Ann Walsh)

EBR Guest Reviewer: Emily-Ann Walsh

Synopsis:
If only a pile of wayward curls and the inability to stay on her feet were seventeen year-old Foster Kelly’s most pressing concerns. Unfortunately, stubborn hair and clumsiness is just the tip of it. It was only a mistake, but when at the age of five Foster is told “You don’t belong here” the result is one broken heart. These four carelessly spoken words have shaped and shadowed Foster, and now—a senior at Shorecliffs High School—she seeks the wallflower’s existence, denying herself the most casual of friendships, much too afraid that someone will see what Foster believes is certain: she does not belong anywhere – or with anyone. This reality would continue to suit her just fine, however . . .

Love has a long-standing history of undoing broken hearts.

Like a comet, an unexpected arrival knocks Foster out of the crowded, starry sky, sending her directly into the limelight. Exposed and afraid, she will attempt to regain anonymity; but it isn’t so easy now that someone is watching. He pursues this shy enigma, confronting Foster’s deepest fears head-on, and in the process falls wholly and completely in love with her. But there is something he is not saying; a secret capable of certain ruin. There are two probable outcomes: either he will break her heart once and for all, or he will heal it.

In the end, though, it is Foster who must decide if she is worth mending.  (Taken from Goodreads)

Stars Given:★★★☆☆ (3 Stars)

Overall View:

***this book was given to me by the author through Ethereal Book Reviews (Guest Reviewer Program)***

I have to say this was a long book, an unnecessarily long book. I would be reading and my eyes would wonder off the page and then I would have my own daydreams. It kind of reminded me of how use to try and I mean try to study for biology when I was in high school (that was so long ago, oh how I don’t miss it). The same bloody thing would happen. I would read a whole page and not know what in flaming hell I just read. This wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t really all that good either.

Foster would explain every little thing. I couldn’t follow the dialog because she would analyze for like two pages and then I would forget what the hell was said in the first place. There was no proper flow for most of it; but, there is a but, at the times that there was some pretty good dialog, I actually get into the story, because it flowed.

 I’m not going to lie, I speed read a lot throughout this book, because frankly, I found it a bit boring. I just couldn’t get into it; there was just too much description. I’m pretty sure if you cut out all the filler (because come-on that’s what it was) you would have a very good book at about 300 pages.

When the love interest finally came a barging in, at about, I don’t know, almost half way into the book, (he’s a total asshat) it did get a tiny bit more interesting. It prompted me to actually finish the book and not skip to the end, (Believe me it crossed my mind on more than on occasion) and to me, when Dominic finally enters, it was like the story finally got underway, still remarkably slowly though.

The ending didn’t really throw me that much, I kind of had it figured out that she was either one of two things. I will not say them because it will spoil the ending. That ending did save the book for me, thus why I’m giving it a 3 star rating instead of a 2 star.

If you are going to read this book, note that you don’t have to read every single paragraph, you aren’t missing much of anything form the main story. It’s just filler and babble, which Foster spurts while trying to state the obvious. For this book it’s all about the ending, even if you’re going to have to push yourself to reach it. (This is actually a little ironic, read the book and you’ll know what I’m saying.)

My overall impression, I’m happy the book is over.