Review: Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Title: Keep Holding On
Author(s): Susane Colasanti
Release Date: May 31, 2012
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 202
Format: Hardcover

Synopsis(Goodreads): A romantic and empowering book about bullying

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.

My Review: Don't let the cover fool you. This book is not a cute book about dating. This book is about bullying at its worst. I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up from my library. I hadn't read the synopsis or looked it up on Goodreads. I took one look at the cover and thought it looked like a cute summer read. Covers can be deceiving.

Noelle has it rough. She is being bullyied at school and her mother is neglecting her at home. She has one friend and all she wants to do is graduate from high school and move far away. I was instantly sympathetic for Noelle, because I knew what she was going through. I fell right into her voice as she told her story and I could feel the emotions she was going through. I kept wishing there was something I could do for her, but then I remembered that it was a book.

The writing of this book was good. Susane did a great job of creating characters and creating the world she set them in. I could really believe that this could actually be happening. It was great.

Rating: 4/5

This book told a realistic story about bullying that made my heart break for the characters.