Damaged

Amy Reed is one of my favorite YA authors. Her books are smart, honest, and real, and her writing is terrific.

Students requested and can't seem to keep it in the library. Thanks again

Another excellent book from Amy Reed. The story was intriguing and well told. I really liked the interesting supporting characters and her take on the Midwest. Parts of the book were absolutely chilling. I highly recommend it.

Amazing. One of my favorites of Amy Reed's.

3.5 stars =Liked it a lot I wanted to read Damaged because I have devoured her other novels. This one skirts into the paranormal side with the ghost aspect, which is good to see her branch out some, but still give flawed and hurting characters and getting to see them on their journey to healing and growth as a person. I immediately connected with Kinsey. She handles her grief over losing her best friend and the fact that she was driving when she died. But she puts on a strong front and doesn't cry or break down in front of others. But she is riddled with nightmares, and the depressed mom and the mean mom, and the I am there for you and so sorry mom cycles through. Kinsey is a person of order and she likes to have a plan. Working out the steps on how to get what she is aiming for helps keep her focused on task at hand rather than the pain. The ghostly elements were pretty creepy, especially when they morphed out of her dreams and into the waking hours. She sees her best friend and at times what she sees/imagines Camille blaming her, or they are in the car. Making her think that she is the one who should be dead. And things get even more intense when Hunter, Camille's boyfriend runs into Kinsey and they end up finally leaning on each other for support, when they weren't before. They go on a road trip, and at times Hunter is a jerk, and he drinks too much, but then is a different person in the afternoons when his hangovers start to fade away. But Kinsey tries to see beyond this mess of a boy to what Camille saw in him. Kinsey starts to see those softer spots, and she finds herself attracted to him as their roadtrip goes on. Hunter challenges her, knowing that she is normally quiet, reserved and afraid of going off schedule, and trying things new. What some people just see as the quiet girl or snobby because she doesn't talk to many people, they don't see the lonely girl beneath, who feels different because she doesn't care about the drama, and she loves to study and not much will get in her way. She is quiet a lot because she's had to take on a job and at times its like the roles are reversed with her and her mom, Kinsey doing it because otherwise won't get down in her most down times. The ending was fitting for the story and I felt pretty satisfied. It tied up things pretty well, and showed their character growth. It was the perfect balance because I can imagine what things could look like for them since some of their issues were resolved or on the way to healing for their futures.Bottom Line: Emotional story about Kinsey trying to figure out life after the death of her best friend. She unexpectedly agreed to a road trip with best friend's boyfriend who was also in the car crash.

Kinsey Cole knows people can only bear to hear so much bad fortune. That's why everyone in the small town of Wellspring, Michigan knows that Kinsey's best friend Camille died in a car accident when Kinsey was driving. It's easier for people to see the straight A student with a full athletic scholarship.Kinsey is struggling to stick to her own plan for the future now that Camille is dead. She is going to go to college and get away from her small town and her mentally unstable mother once and for all. She is going to succeed the way everyone always expected she would.The only problem is that Kinsey is quietly falling apart.When Camille's boyfriend, Hunter, invites Kinsey on a road trip to San Francisco, Kinsey jumps at the chance to get away from all the memories and start her real life. But with Hunter's heavy drinking and Kinsey's own demons, it will take more than a fresh start for either of them to accept everything that has been lost in Damaged (2014) by Amy Reed.Kinsey and Hunter travel across a largely barren landscape on their way to California in this haunting and well-done novel. An unflinching focus on Kinsey and Hunter makes this character driven road trip story even stronger.Nightmares that may or may not be her dead best friend plague Kinsey throughout the novel adding a surreal quality to the plot. Reed offers a well-plotted and excellently written meditation on grief, loss and the power of new beginnings in this striking novel about two wretched characters trying to make themselves whole.Possible Pairings: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson, Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley, Stealing Henry by Carolyn MacCullough, Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson, Fracture by Megan Miranda, Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff*A more condensed version of this review appeared in the September 2014 issue of School Library Journal from which it can be seen in various sites online*

Kinsey Cole has just lost her best friend, Camille, and she doesn't feel anything. She just wants to escape her home in Michigan and start her new life. But when she and Camille's boyfriend, Hunter, recklessly decide to run away together, she realizes that while being unfeeling may 'help' her, hiding from the pain isn't doing her any good. This book was brutal, in that it was emotional, but it was so tender, and so beautiful. It perfectly captured the scary feeling of being young, and starting your life. Both characters were damaged, very much so, but I loved the way that they were able to work through their issues. A great read highly recommended for fans of Sarah Dessen.