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    Songbird
    Songbird
    Songbird
    Ebook270 pages3 hours

    Songbird

    By Angela Fristoe

    4/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    From USA Today Bestselling Author Angela Fristoe comes a beautiful young adult contemporary romance Songbird.

    There are defining moments in life when everything changes. For Dani Mays, it was the day she witnessed her brother's murder. Afterward, she bounced between her alcoholic mother and foster homes until she found a permanent place. And a reason to want to stay: Reece Tyler. He's her best friend, yet Dani wants more from him. Faced with losing Reece, Dani struggles to escape her memories, even as people from her past reappear.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAngela Fristoe
    Release dateJun 1, 2011
    ISBN9781519905222
    Songbird

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    Reviews for Songbird

    4/5

    37 ratings15 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This is a Reading Good Books Review.* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free.Songbird is about 17-yer-old Dani Mays and her struggles with her past and present. She had a turbulent childhood; going from one foster home to the next, dealing (or trying not to) with an alcoholic mother and a convict father. It all started when she witnessed her own father murder Jace, her beloved brother. She was six years old. Eventually, Dani settled in with the Thompsons and led a somewhat normal life. But it was her best friend, Reece Tyler who made it all better. Reece was good-looking, popular, but he chose to be Dani’s friend nonetheless. He had been there with her always. Sort of like, another brother to take the place of the one she lost. Her future was looking bright until her past comes back to haunt her.This is my second Young Adult book in a row. I must admit, I am still a reluctant reader. Let me tell you what I liked about it. It is well written. Easy to read, easy to understand. It is also very plot driven. Everything, from Jace’s death to Dani’s struggles with her friends melded together nicely in the end. I must say, the funeral for Jace, as told in a flashback, was very good. I teared up a little bit. It dealt with heavy emotions and situations – abuse, murder, family dysfunction – but it is balanced by happy thoughts such as love and friendship.The thing between Reece and Dani was so cute in the beginning. I was rooting for them. Even when Colin, the new kid in school, came around, I was still hoping they would end up together. But it became old so fast. Nothing happened for the first few chapters other than Dani pining for Reece, thinking he’s cute and he’ll never go after a girl like her, all that jazz. Colin comes into the picture and Reece goes all possessive. Then it becomes this constant “will they or won’t they” among the three characters. When one gives in, the other shies away… and vice versa. It eventually got so tedious that I found myself rolling my eyes, thinking, “not again”. I felt that the book could have used less of that and still would be an effective story.Then came the weird phone calls. That plot line, to me had so much potential. If developed earlier/better, it would have been a good B-story. But it was lost in the sea of the Reece-Dani-Colin drama that you could take that whole part out and it would not affect the ending very much.I could see the author’s struggle between keeping the mood light and fun (with all the teen romance aspects) and inserting a bit of a suspense/thriller aspect. I just wish she took the risk of developing the darker plot point further. I could have used more of that and less filler.Rating: 3/5.Recommendation: Teens would like this and find that they can somewhat relate to what Dani is experiencing in high school.
    • 3/5
      An enjoyable romantic novel for teens, with a fillip of suspense thrown in. I read the beginning, offered at Smashwords & Amazon, which drew me in. Had to buy it to read the rest (an ebook). Dani is a 17 year old teen with a rocky past, with an abusive father & alcoholic mother, and she was bounced around foster care. Finally in a stable foster family situation, Dani befriended Reece, who reminds her of the older brother she idolized who was killed by her father. As they age, Dani falls in love with handsome and popular Reece, but hides it to keep their friendship secure. The plot revolves around a love triangle, miscommunications, family dysfunction and growth, plus mysterious threatening phone calls that seem to relate back to Dani's foster care days. The suspense is pretty light and I would have liked a stronger sense of place, but the romantic elements and Dani's traumatic story held my attention and empathy.
    • 5/5
      Songbird is a very compelling book. Dani struggles with the death of her beloved brother who was shot by her father; her mother turns to drinking instead of caring for her only daughter. Dani is moved from foster home to foster home until she at last is placed in a home where she's secure. Her best friend is also her true love, until a boy from her past suddenly appears. Unnusual phone calls start and unveil a disturbing secret Dani had once forgotten. She must make a hard decision about who she truly loves, the boy who's been there all along or the new arrival who's brought up the past.
    • 4/5
      This story is told from the point of view a girl names Danni, who is struggling with her troubled past and confusing friendship with her best friend Reece. Initially I felt like it was one tragedy after the over drudged up from her past.However I thought the way theflashbacks are woven into the present was excellent. There was the typical YA romance love triangle foe awhile. However it wasn’t dragged out too much. There was an interesting slight twist at the end. The message of the book is to appreciate life and the appreciate loved ones. Overall I enjoyed reading this book.*** Reviewed for member giveaway ***
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed this young adult story. It is a very quick read. The book pulls you in with characters and the way it tells the story weaving through the present and the past. You feel for the main character and everything she has had to face in her young life - abuse, death of her brother, loss of her family, life through the foster care system, and yet more abuse. The impact her past has on her current relationships is evident, and how she works through that to overcome it comes through. The story deals with some very serious issues and yet is at the same time a love story. I look forward to reading more from this author.*** Reviewed for member giveaway ***
    • 3/5
      This is another one of those books that tells about what comes after. There are tons of stories that lead up to this monumental event describing how the character got to that point. This story isn't like that. This story starts after a tragic event, showing how the main character is coping, developing and how she is still plagued by the memories of her past. I felt mixed things with this novel. On one hand I felt that not much happened, that it wasn't exciting enough. But then I though, that's not really fair. This book isn't supposed to be exciting - it is supposed to be real, and it was. I appreciated Dani's struggles and the way flashbacks are tied into triggers in the present the way that memories often come about in real life. I like Dani's friendship/romance with Reece. I like how it was so many different things at once and how they both felt weary of it, afraid to ruin such a long friendship. I really liked how they both needed each other, and that they knew it - even when they wanted to kill each other. This may not necessarily be an "exciting book", but it didn't really need to be. There were many other emotions present and just enough suspense to keep me reading.
    • 5/5
      I received this novel as a part of the Member Giveaway and loved it. It is a simple story about a teenager Dani. Dani has had a touugh childhood and currently lives with her forster parents. She has been friends with Reece since sixth grade. She has feelings for him which he does not seem to reciprocate. At this point Colin enters her life. Colin cares for her too and wants them to be more than friends. This leaves Dani confused on who to choose. The story deals with various issues like neglectful parents and alcohol abuse.On the whole it was an engrossing read.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable young adult novel (Even though I'm not a young adult!) This novel was full of emotions traditional to any teenager today--so many will relate to Dani's turmoil of risking revealing feelings she has for her best friend, Reece. Can the "bad boy" Colin fill the shoes and can she force herself to love him instead? Delicate issues are nicely handled and do not overshadow the love story.
    • 3/5
      Dani’s life has been troubled from her childhood with an abusive father and alcoholic mother to her being shifted from foster home to foster home. She finally settles in with an older couple who give her the stability she has never had. But it is her best friend Reece who becomes her salvation. He’s always been by her side, and has been a substitute for the dead brother who always protected her. Over time, her feelings for Reece have grown from friendship to romantic inclinations but he only seems to see her as a friend. Threatening calls and a foster brother from the past move the action from romance to potential danger. Dani’s life has been filled with violence, tragedy and loss and one’s heart goes out to her for the strength and resilience she shows in handling the horrors of her young life. The story is plot driven and really holds your interest. Teens will be impressed with the romantic triangle aspect and the unrequited love story. Reluctant readers will find this an easy, compelling read that is fast paced and satisfying.
    • 5/5
      The emotions in this book had me laughing one minute and crying the next, As Dani struggles to forget the past, having watched her father an abusive parent and wife beater kill her older brother and the only stability in her life. Her mother's quick descent into alcoholism as well as defending Dani's father she quickly moves through to the adoption system. Some families were good occasionally getting back to her mother but still her mother refusing to ever fully stop having self pity on the situation her life had dealt her. Dani ends up back in the system and with the family she now knows and loves as her parents the Thompsons. They support her and help her through her life like parents should. Her best friend from the first time she came to live with her parents is secretly the love of her life and she writes songs filled from her love and pain. Reese is the one thing in life she can't live without or so she feels. But she is to scared to tell him that he's not really like a brother to her but her one love. It takes Collin a guy from her past from a bad foster home to help her realize that somethings aren't always best locked away and people aren't always what you picture or seem. That some emotions are reciprocated and that forgiveness, life, love and death all make us the person we are. In that she gets the courage to tell Reese how she feels, To find out that he feels the same and that Colin is one of the best friends she never thought she would have. It's a captivating and heartwrenching tale with a surprise twist at the end and the happiness that everyone longs for eventually as well as the strength to not dwell in the past but live for your future.
    • 5/5
      This is an excellent YA book but an adut can enjoy it too. The story line flowed well even with the past recollections.
    • 4/5
      I received this book for free through Library Thing's Giveaways.This was SUCH a good book. I found myself unable to put it down because I wanted to know what happened next.Dani is a foster kid whose dad is in jail for killing her brother and her mother is an alcoholic. It's rare to find books written on foster kids (or maybe I just haven't come across them much in my corner of the world), but it was interesting to read life from her perspective.Dani and Reece's friendship/relationship gets off to a rocky start near the beginning of the book and my heart went out to them as they went through the ups and downs of dealing with their lives and each other.The only part that bothered me about the book was Dani constantly going back to a memory. I understand why she was doing it, but all the same, I wanted to get on with the current events!
    • 4/5
      A nice quick summer read for Adults, I would recommend this book to the YA audience. Dani is very likable and the story follows her life as she learns to cope with the death of her brother among many other things.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed reading this book. The main character, Dani, must reconcile her feelings about the loss of her brother, and her love of her best friend. Overall, a quick enjoyable book.
    • 5/5
      A hauntingly heartbreaking and beautifully written novel about death, loss, friendship, love and moving on. A great short read that even with its undeniable sadness, in the end, gives every reader what they love...a happy ending.

    Book preview

    Songbird - Angela Fristoe

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