Winner, Review, Giveaway 20

The winner of last week's giveaway of

THE SUMMER BEFORE BOYS

is...

Marsha Sigman!!!

Congrats, Marsha!

Today's giveaway is OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal.



In a literary world filled with 23-oz steaks, cherry-red Corvettes and Main Street USA parades, OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE is a night curled up with your favourite movie and a cup of hot chocolate. It's simplicity is both it's beauty and it's curse. I've had this book on my Kindle since it was released in January, but have only just got around to reading it.

It's about a girl's first love, but it is so much more. Maybe it wasn't meant to be, but the name drew my eye to all the different types of love in the book- and there were a whole battalion of them.

The Boyfriend: Ari doesn't think herself worthy of the boy she's crushing on. He's almost too good to be true. But he does have a major flaw, something that cripples him and pushes him towards bad decisions. (I actually loved this. Some books/movies would have you think that perfect, nice guys don't have issues. Everybody has issues.)

The brother-in-law: When the book opens, Ari has a major crush on her brother-in-law. She's jealous of her sister's relationship, and even though she'd never dream of doing anything, a rabbit can dream, right? (Another winner. People do things they're not supposed to all the time. Having a crush on a sweet, off-limits guy? Who could resist?)

The best friend: Ari's bff is a bit of a twat, to be frank. She's the type who wins a crown by climbing over the other contestants. But Ari loves her to pieces.

The new friend: When Ari switches schools, she make a new friend, Leigh. It's hard to explain their dynamic without giving away too much of the plot, but it's another thought-invoking one.

The sister: Ari spends a lot of her spare time helping out her boisterous, but easily-depressed, never-thankful sister.

The mother: Was your mother the type that always knew when you'd been out at the coffee shop with friends when you claimed you were studying? That's Ari's Mom. And she is one tough nut. She's constantly on Ari's "failed" sister's back, making Ari feel sorry for her sister and pressured not to be like her.

The father: Tough, but detached- not the hugging type. But Ari loves the way he steps up when it matters.

And that's just the beginning. The other characters all have complex relationships with each other and their own friends and family. It got me to thinking about all the things that are love.

DA RULEZ:
Comment by Wednesday, 1159 pm EST and answer this question: "What is love?"
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