Review - Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

Release Date: February 1st 2010
Buy it: Amazon
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A beautifully written and deeply moving middle-grade novel with characters to cherish and a story that deals with tragedy and loss in a fresh way. Aubrey has suffered an unbelievable loss, and goes to live with her grandmother in Vermont in order to heal. There she makes new friends, learns to cope with what has happened, and begins to figure out how to move on. Readers will fall in love with Aubrey from page one, and hold their breath until the very end, when she has to make one of the biggest decisions of her life.

The book focuses on eleven year old Aubrey, who recently lost her father and younger sister, Savannah, in a car accident and now her mum whose grief stricken has abandoned her.

Aubrey decides that it is best to ignore the phone because she didn’t want people to be aware that her mother had left and put a sign on the front door saying that they were away. One afternoon there was a repeated ringing of the doorbell and when Aubrey finally opens the door, she is greeted by her grandmother standing on the porch, her grandmother is then aware of her daughter’s abandonment and Aubrey’s fragile emotional state, Aubrey’s grandmother takes her to Vermont to provide Aubrey with the stability she needs.

Aubrey is resistant to leave her home in Virginia and move up to Vermont with her grandma they ride the train from Virginia to the grandmother’s house in Vermont. Aubrey recalls the times she used to visits on holidays, and feel as though it is strange to be moving in with her grandmother, but she is happy to have someone looking after her again.

Even though Aubrey doesn't want to leave her home in Virginia and move to Vermont it’s the move that helps Aubrey to begin her journey of dealing with not just the loss of her father and sister, but with her mother abandonment and eventually Aubrey opens up to her grandmother and they work to amend the huge changes in both their lives. Even with grandmother’s care, a her new friend living next door, and a helpful counsellor at her new school, Aubrey finds the most relief when she writes letters to the loved ones now missing from her life. There are happy moments of the book filled with the friends Aubrey meets, her new school and more. 

LOVE, AUBREY is the first novel by Suzanne LaFleur and it is about getting freed from the terrible times in your life and moving forward even if it's agonizing. The story is filled with emotion. The heart-wrenching sorrow that Aubrey experiences as old the memories begin to resurface are sure to bring tears to the eyes.

The reason I gave this 2 stars was because I couldn't really get into the book but I kept going and read the whole thing.