Emotional · Young adult

A Thousand Perfect Notes – C.G. Drews. ★★★★

Blurb; An emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope.

Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music – because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.

When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?

My Review; I read a previous book by this author and really enjoyed it so I decided to pick this one up. This was a hard read for me at 27 years old. So more for a mature reader. It does contain quite violent scenes and abuse within the home. This is a really emotional story and parts hurt me to read. No child should have to experience what Beck and his sister have. Breaks my heart.

But it’s also a story full of friendship, love, music and a happy ending. It really did make me tear up. The author has written this story carefully but also tackled some tough issues within the story perfectly. A tough read. Becks mum is high on my characters to hate list! I awarded this four stars.

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crime · suspense · Young adult

The Boy Who Steals Houses – C.G. Drews ★★★★

Blurb; Can two broken boys find their perfect home?

Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he’s ever known. Now Sam’s trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he’s caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing – each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie.

But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.

My Review; Oh wow. Another heartbreak of a read for me. Just two brothers one with autism who were let down by their family and the system, left to fend for themselves. The title says it all… They just wanted a home and family. They’re not proud of how they have had to survive but they did it to survive.

The bond between these two brothers is absolutely amazing but they still had their ups and downs. Sam one day enters a house that is far from deserted and find himself dragged into the big, different family. He was accepted and he liked that. But will they discover just how he really came into their lives by borrowing their house? Will they turn on him? He soon finds himself very friendly with one of the girls Moxie and he doesn’t want to loose any of it.

A story of hope, acceptance and love. But also a story full of abuse, fights, crime and abandonment. The story flicks between the boys present and past, the difference between the two is huge. Upsetting. I actually fell in love with both the brothers. Poor boys. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger and I would love to know what happened to Sam. Really enjoyed this one. Loved it. Highly recommend. A well deserved four stars from me.

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