Read it in one night... Cried like a baby... It's AMAZING and heartbreaking

Jersey has lived through a natural disaster and she's lost everything... literally everything. Her home, her town, her family. Now she's being taken in by relatives who don't really want her and who she really doesn't know. She's learning things about her mother's past that she never knew. And finding out hard truths about her future.

My Thoughts:
THIS BOOK!!! You know how there are some books that make you cry at the end? Well this is not one of those books. This is one of those books where you sob the entire way through. Okay well at least I did. I was a hot mess while I read this book. Luckily I read the entire thing in one night in the privacy of my own room... because if I would have taken this to read out in public, I would have severely embarrassed myself.

This book is about Jersey who lives in Missouri, and has just lived through a devastating tornado. It literally flattens a large portion of her town. And now she's all alone. Her mom and little sister were at dance class and they never made it home. It was so heartbreaking to read about this little 5 year-old girl dying before she ever got to really live a life. Then after that the book is permeated with ALONENESS. Jersey is left with no belongings and no one who even cares about her at all. I just wanted to crawl into this book and give her a big hug!!

This book weirdly made me feel a lot like how I felt when I read The Fault in Our Stars and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. It made me question humanity and wonder why we treat each other like this!! I know there are good people out there, but seriously there aren't enough! So many people let this girl down, it made me sick. I don't want to give too much away or ruin the surprise factor for you... but I was pissed off and sad at the same time for most of the book.

Jennifer Brown's books have all been favorites of mine. I especially loved The Hate List. Torn Away is giving that a run for it's money. It's much shorter, but it's super powerful. It's definitely one of my favorite books I've read this year!

OVERALL: A heartbreaking, sobfest about a girl who loses her family and her home in devastating tornado. I was looking forward to a new Jennifer Brown book, and this one did not disappoint. I cried like a baby and loved every second of it.

My Blog:

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omg, this was so sad... im still crying😭 ( )

3.5 Stars
Challenging Content: Death of loved ones, PTSD after tornado, biological father alcoholic, loss of everything in tornado. ( )

Received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Brown is an author who when I see her name attached to a book, I don't have to think hard before buying it. She tackles difficult topics facing teenagers in ways that are easy for anyone to relate to and potentially even start hard conversations about. Torn Away was no exception. Most of the book was uncomfortable to read. Jersey loses her entire family as the result of a tornado. What happens next changes her perspective on everything. Definitely made me want to hug my loved ones just a little tighter after finishing it and reminded me to be grateful for what I have rather than be angry at what I don't. ( )

Many teens in the midwest will connect to this story. The thought of a tornado hitting your town is very real where I live. Jersey, the main character, loses all that is important to her and has to find her way ("be my own hero") to find a way to cope with her losses. A page-turner that readers will find hard to put down. It's especially good for reluctant readers due to the few characters and explosive scenes. ( )