Heartrending in parts but a happy ending for those who like happy endings. ( )

A Brief Chapter of my Life by Dana Reinhardt is a young adult about the life of a teenaged girl named Simone Turner Bloom. Simone Turner Bloom is a girl who was left by her parents to be adopted at a young age. Throughout her life she knew she was adopted. She has a few great friends, and is living a pretty good life.
The main problem with the book was that I could not connect with the characters. In the first part of the book, there is underage drug use, which I am highly against as a whole, partying, and drinking. The use and talk of it all threw me off, and discouraged me from reading the story further.
From what I did read, the Dana Reinhardt went into good detail about Simone. She talked about what she was going in school, gave backstory and information on her and her friends, and described details on the people around her. It allowed me to envision what was going on, even if I didn’t like what was happening in the story. Even when Simone is puking in a bush, Dana Reinhardt tries to write it in a way so the reader can understand everything that is happening.
Overall, though the there is good in A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, the bad shines over it, and takes away from the book. ( )

I've been reading many YA books these days and, while I've enjoyed a good many of them, few have really inspired me. A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt changed that pattern, and left me feeling truly happy and fulfilled...I would even go so far as to say that it filled me with a kind of peace. It's a simple story about a Simone, teenage girl whose life is interrupted when she is given the opportunity to meet the woman who gave her up for adoption, 16 years earlier. As a liberal, avowed atheist, Simone is surprised to learn that her mother came from an orthodox Jewish family. The two meet and forge a quick bond, prompting Simone to re-examine what she thought she knew about herself, her family, and the idea of a spiritual life.
Reinhardt managed to write a truly feel good story without being preachy or sentimental, and she writes Simone's voice with such a familiar, warm quality. I wanted the story to go on and on. ( )

Achingly realistic, beautifully told story of a young woman who meets her birthmother under difficult circumstances. A very promising debut novel from Reinhardt. Deft characterization, tight plotting, and an interesting, multi-layered story about love, adoption, religion and family. ( )

I loved the book with all my heart. The CD is nearly as good. Whichever way you prefer, I recommend this one. ( )