Lisa J. LawrenceReseñas

I read this a couple years ago for early reviewers, but didn't realize that I hadn't wrote a review. I remember not liking it. There was something about the characters that I just didn't relate to or find convincing. It just didn't quite work.

I received this book for free through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.

I'm really looking forward to reading this Hansel and Gretel modern-day retelling. I've heard mixed feelings about this book, mostly with how it handles some things and it sounds like it might be a bit depressing (at least at first, maybe?), but also uplifting and finally learning to stick up for yourself.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. While being a good story in the sense of teaching about not letting someone walk all over you, I just didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters or the story itself.

I really enjoyed this book - a story of growing up that I think many people can likely relate to - especially with a lot of the horrors of highschool - and the reckless stage of life that you are in at that time. I found the book a very engaging and easy read and didn't want to put it down. I really empathized with the characters in this book - especially Greta, Ash and Elgin. I think that the way that the sexual abuse and parental neglect was approached was extremely realistic and it makes these kinds of topics more approachable for discussion. The author has a very nice writing style, expresses emotion genuinely and the story moves along at a perfect pace. I would definitely recommend this book to all genders, especially young readers, and also to parents looking to have a bit of insight into some of the challenges that teenagers face.

This review and others posted over at my blog.

I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for my honest review.

For some reason, I thought this was a middle-grade read and while it’s not explicit, it is more suited for teen readers. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I absolutely loved another YA book!

When I put my name in to try for a copy of this book, all I knew was that it was a contemporary Hansel and Gretel retelling and I was under the impression it was middle-grade with some magical realism. Well, I was way off, but it worked in my favor! This is an excellent YA about what it means to stand up for yourself, support your loved ones and the importance of understanding that “an absence of no isn’t a yes.”

As I mentioned before, I don’t consider this novel to be graphic, but it does deal with underage drinking and sexual consent (or really, non-consent in this case) so keep that in mind if you’re wondering what age is appropriate for the reader.

Knowing next to nothing about this book going in, I got to watch a painful, relevant and beautiful story unfold. Brother and sister, orphaned out of the blue, are nothing but supportive of each other. Yes, they have their fights, but I found it refreshing and heartwarming that Ash and Greta stick together through thick and thin. Ash is unaware of what’s happened to Greta for most of the story, but he knows his sister needs his love and support, so he’s willing to give it.

The two are a great duo and maybe it’s because I read YA fantasy with catty, jealous heroines and bitchy friend groups, but Ash and Greta’s relationship was a wonderful surprise. I think it’s important to have siblings who are friends with each other in books for younger readers. Greta’s situation is one that her brother so easily could have judged her and shamed her for, like Greta’s “friends” did – I appreciate that Lawrence didn’t go there.

I especially loved this quote:

“…you didn’t consent to sleeping with him the first time. Also, what are you, a blow-up doll? You could’ve said yes a hundred times and still had a right to say no the hundred and first.”

Ash has his own troubles with school and Greta does what she can to stick by him, motivate him and help him plan for the future, all while they struggle to fend for themselves and deal with being abandoned. There’s a found family aspect to this story and it’s tied in with the struggles of dealing with abandonment and forgiving those who have done you wrong.

It’s not often I say this, but this is a very important book. It’s full of great characters, relevant experiences and messages that younger (and probably some older) readers need to hear. I think this very easily could have been a darker tale, but I appreciate that Lawrence gave a light at the end of the tunnel while still tackling difficult topics. And for those of you who aren’t a big fan of fairytale retellings, no need to worry, this one is light on the tale.

I want to gush about this book, but I’m at a loss for words because it was so good and I feel I can’t do it justice! This is a book I really hope gets some buzz!

I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a read with:
+ A found family and a good sibling relationship
+ Themes of consent, underage drinking and abandonment
+ Characters with a lot of heart

I really enjoyed this book. The book was well written and the characters were well developed and relatable. Imparts a great lesson to teens and young adults, just because you can't say no doesn't mean you are saying yes. Other take-aways from this book; don't prejudge people, stand up for yourself and forgiveness.

Contemporary YA isn’t my usual fare but I do have to say I enjoyed it. The characters seemed realistic for the most part (sometimes the secondary characters more so than the main ones.) And the story was entertaining enough that I finished the book in one sitting. My biggest beef was with the ending. While I rooted for Greta, I can’t imagine a girl confronting her attacker without a lot more thought and/or therapy. It was too quick a turn around without a lot of forethought. Even with that I give it 7/10 stars.½

This book is heavy, but I feel it would still be a welcome edition to a collection geared towards older teens. Friendships, family, hardship, healing, it’s all here.

Trail of Crumbs tells the story of twins Greta and Ash, who are attempting to piece their lives back together after Greta experiences a sexual assault, compounded by her father's abandonment of his children.
At first I thought this book was going to be rather depressing. The first few chapters are slow, and some of the tension between the twins and their father and stepmother is hard to buy into. The relationship between Greta and her parents lacks depth. However, the other relationships in the book, especially the one between Ash and Greta, are much better written. After the first third of the book, things really get going and the story becomes much more interesting and impactful. Despite the rocky start, I really enjoyed this book by the end. I was especially impressed by how the conversation around sexual assault is handled. I recommend this title for older teens.½

I really enjoyed Trail of crumbs, I believe the ending wrapped up well and left no loose ends. I loved the reading about Greta and how she eventually comes to terms with her assault, it made me cry a ton. The relationship between Greta and her brother was very sweet and nice to read about.

TW; Sexual assault.

Trail of Crumbs is a hard hitting story about family and friendships of all kinds. I found the writing to be a bit slow at times but by the end of the book I felt that each storyline was wrapped up perfectly and there was nothing left for me to wonder about. This is an emotional story about what a family can go through and how someone suffering from sexual assault can keep it bottled up inside for so long feeling like it is their fault. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt like they were suffering in silence as it is an inspiring and motivating story for all ages. Trigger warnings: Sexual assault

This review contains minor spoilers.

This is the story of two almost-adults, Greta and Ash, who have, over the years, lost everything except each other. Their mother died from breast cancer, their father abandoned them for his (horrible) new wife after allowing her to degrade the family over a period of several years, and, to make matters worse, Greta is being forced to deal with the shame and self-doubt that frequently affects rape victims.

While I don't often shed a tear over books, I will admit to a drop or two when Greta actually moves forward in coming to terms with her assault. It was a very powerful moment, and lifted up the entire story.

Overall, I loved this book. I do agree with another reviewer that the best solution for Ash and Greta may have been to call CPS -- however, as a pair of almost-adults, this solution may seem less than ideal, since they would potentially be separated, and they're close enough to 18 that the amount of help they'd get is minimal (well, other than forcing the father to pay). Overall, I thought they did the best they good with a terrible situation.

I did have a bit of an issue with the very end. At the culmination of the book, their father has returned and has rented (with an option to buy) a home, after having left his evil second wife, and, after some serious resistance from Ash, the two central characters move back in with their father. Wrapped up nice and neat. My issue here is that, under the same circumstances, I would have lived on the street before moving back in with the person that left me for his wife. Perhaps I'm too harsh, but I simply couldn't forgive. Of course, the book never says that ASH forgave his father, so, perhaps, it's simply a matter of expediency.

In any case, this did little to detract from the overall story, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book.

Greta is 17 and lives with her brother Ash, along with her father and stepmother. This is supposed to be a modern Hansel and Gretel tale, and Greta's parents soon abandon her and Ash. As if that wasn't bad enough, Greta is trying to come to term with a party where she blacked out and woke up in bed with a basketball player.

If your parents abandon you and you are under 18, call CPS. Nail their butts to the wall. The ending was so ridiculous! I did like how Greta handled the high school kids, though.

I loved this book. I loved the sibling relationship between the twins, their support, their loyalty to each other.
I loved the kindness they were shown from people they never would have expected.

And then there is the trauma Greta had. It was handled so well by the author, the anxiety, the shame.

This is a really touching book, and I loved it.

A compelling and compassionate examination of trauma and grief. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and will definitely keep an eye out for any further releases from this author.

This YA novel deals with challenging issues, including parental neglect and rape, in a very honest and accessible manner. Unfortunately, I didn't feel very connected to the characters, I think that they could have been developed a bit further (i.e. we learn a bit about Ash enjoying cooking, but we learn less about Greta outside of the trauma that she is dealing with) and yet, the flow of the plot kept me engaged till the very end. I did appreciate the way in which the author dealt with the issue of date rape and slut-shaming without being overly graphic or exploitative... I would still recommend this book for teens (14+) since it's thought-provoking and challenging.

Thank you to Orca Books for sending along a copy for review.

Thanks to Library Things and Orca Books for an Advanced Reader's Copy of Trail of Crumbs by Lisa J Lawrence.
This novel is aimed at a youth audience, 12 and up.
I am well over 12 but enjoy reading the YA genre!
I liked that this book is set in Canada! The characters are very interesting - some quirky, some strong, some not very nice at all -- just like in real life.
I enjoyed the strong ties between the characters and their love for each other. I loved the strength of the main character, and her positive attitude, despite everything that happened to her.
I would definitely recommend this book to an older teen (16+). It was easy to read, and I found I couldn't put it down.

thank you!

I received this copy through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. It arrived on 14 January 2019. Disclaimer: I'm not in the target age range for the book, but I am an adult who also enjoys YA and realizes that I'm reading it from a different perspective.

I was pleasantly surprised by TRAIL OF CRUMBS. I worried that it might have the cloying tone of an old-fashioned after-school special, but Lawrence struck a good, if at times uneven, balance between imparting wisdom and spotlighting the often-bleak reality of a rape survivor.

Greta and Ash are both interesting enough to follow through the story. Patty, the requisite evil stepmother, isn't fleshed out much, and Roger's character is equally thin, but other secondary characters come to the fore in surprising ways, particularly Elgin and Nate. I thought Lawrence led up to Greta's revealing flashbacks quite well by peppering in small little details (e.g., Greta's reaction to an underwear display in the mall) rather than by going the "high school rumour mill" route of so many teen stories. There are many different type of hardships portrayed in the novel and while none are graphic, Lawrence also doesn't shy away from the grim realities of poverty, bullying, etc.

On the downside, I thought the flashbacks (while necessary) were often oddly placed, and the transitions to them were awkward. I'm not saying they had to be set in italics or anything so obvious, but Greta could be sitting in class and then suddenly we're in the midst of a flashback without much warning. There were also some odd fits in terms of chronology and continuity. The subtle Hansel and Gretel references were hit or miss for me: they didn't add much, but they also didn't take away. (I was more doubtful of a landlord who would simply offer a room to two teenagers, but maybe I'm just jaded. There are certainly kind people in the world, but Elgin's kindness sometimes felt a little too convenient to the plot.)

All in all, Lawrence tackled some hard topics in TRAIL OF CRUMBS and wisely offered no easy answers, because there rarely are any. Greta, like most survivors of sexual assault victims, will have a long, complicated road ahead of her, but Lawrence shows that there is a road and there are many ways to walk it, and it's up to each individual survivor how and when they do.½