Review: Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Title/Author: Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Publication Date: May 31, 2012

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Source: Public library

Rating: 4/5 sculptures



I ADORE Susane Colasanti! My first Colasanti book was "Waiting for You" and at the time I was reading it, all I could think was How did Susane Colasanti learn about my life? Ever since then, I've been addicted. I was beyond pleased when I discovered this baby on my local library's shelf, and I was even more excited when I cracked it open. I had no idea what it was about, I just noticed the byline and picked it up.

Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this book wasn't a romance, unlike every other Susane Colasanti book. Or, it was SUPPOSED to be, I think, but the main focus of this book was poverty and the shame it causes. Personally, I found this book unrelatable, as I'm fortunate enough to open the fridge door and see more than a bottle of mustard or mayonnaise, but I think it could be an eye opener for young adults out there that don't see the realities of the world. Mainly, I think this book was written for victims of bullying, and I'm very happy to see that, seeing as not a ton of books are written for that purpose.

Quite honestly (and in a rare turn of events) I don't have much to say about this book. It's so thin, and has so few main events that I'm terrified I'll say something to give the book away to someone, and I don't want to do that! This book was good. It was a book, it had a message, it had good characters. I might be a little biased in my giving it 4/5, simply because of my deep seeded love of Susane Colasanti. If this book doesn't do it for you, please read another one of her novels! She's such a talented writer, and this book felt a little like a risk. While it didn't exactly FLOP, it  didn't FLY either.

Happy Reading!
Liz