#BookReview: The Thing with Feathers by @McCallHoyle @BlinkYABooks

 

Emilie Day believes in playing it safe: she’s homeschooled, her best friend is her seizure dog, and she’s probably the only girl on the Outer Banks of North Carolina who can’t swim.

Then Emilie’s mom enrolls her in public school, and Emilie goes from studying at home in her pj’s to halls full of strangers. To make matters worse, Emilie is paired with starting point guard Chatham York for a major research project on Emily Dickinson. She should be ecstatic when Chatham shows interest, but she has a problem. She hasn’t told anyone about her epilepsy.

Emilie lives in fear her recently adjusted meds will fail and she’ll seize at school. Eventually, the worst happens, and she must decide whether to withdraw to safety or follow a dead poet’s advice and “dwell in possibility.”

From Golden Heart award-winning author McCall Hoyle comes The Thing with Feathers, a story of overcoming fears, forging new friendships, and finding a first love, perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven, Robyn Schneider, and Sharon M. Draper.

McCall Hoyle writes honest YA novels about friendship, first love, and girls finding the strength to overcome great challenges. She is a high school English teacher. Her own less-than-perfect teenage experiences and those of the girls she teaches inspire many of the struggles in her books. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s spending time with her family and their odd assortment of pets—a food-obsessed beagle, a grumpy rescue cat, and a three-and-a-half-legged kitten. She has an English degree from Columbia College and a master’s degree from Georgia State University. She lives in a cottage in the woods in North Georgia where she reads and writes every day. Learn more at mcallhoyle.com.

I am very hit and miss when it comes to contemporary novels. This one I have to say was a successful hit out of the park! It started off so funny and held that until the very last chapters where this book will rip your heart out just to put it back in and caress it with love.  I am so overjoyed I had the opportunity to read this wonderful story!  This one has a girl Emilie who hides away from the world ever since her dad died of Cancer and she was diagnosed with Epilepsy she doesn't leave her room. She is homeschooled and pretty much had drawn away from the world.  I felt very sad for her. That she felt like she couldn't do anything because of her illness that she has no control over.  

Emilie grew so much in this book and I was surprised to love the one part in here where she attempts suicided and then decides she wants to live.  As a survivor of suicide that really touched my heart.  This story is so empowering that you shouldn't give up. You shouldn't let illnesses or anything take over your life and stop you from doing what you want to do. There is always hope! 

Book in a Pinch

Girl with epilepsy learns that she doesn't have to hide away from the world.

 Go Into This One Knowing 

Cancer, Epilepsy, Suicide (slight), Domestic Abuse (slight), Romance

Review in GIFS

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Posted in: 5 Stars, HarperCollins, Jessica P., Review, Young Adult