Sixteen-year-old Andi is
tired of being a second-class sibling to perfect sister Laina. The only thing
Andi’s sure she has going for her is her awesome hair. And even that is
eclipsed by Laina's perfect everything else.
When Andi’s crush
asks her to fix him up with Laina, Andi decides enough is enough, and devises a
twelve-step program to wrangle the spotlight away from Laina and get the guy.
Step 1: Admit she’s
powerless to change her perfect sister, and accept that her life really, really
sucks.
Step 4: Make a list
of her good qualities. She MUST have more than just great hair, right?
Step 7: Demand
attention for more than just the way she screws things up.
When a stolen kiss
from her crush ends in disaster, Andi realizes that her twelve-step program
isn’t working. Her prince isn’t as charming as she'd hoped, and the spotlight
she’s been trying to steal isn’t the one she wants.
As Laina’s flawless
façade begins to crumble, the sisters work together to find a spotlight big
enough for both to shine.
Review:
Having a sister myself, I was
immediately drawn to the blurb for Twelve Steps. Sibling rivalry is a powerful
motivator, throw in guys and all heck can break lose.
When I dived into this the fear existed that Andi would be
the kind of main character that is focused entirely on other people. That all
she would think about would be the evilness of her sister and the hotness of
the guy. That Andi would be a cliché.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. The relationship between the sisters is rich and complex and full of more love than hate! Andi really has her own life and strong friends; she’s not a tag-along to her perfect sister.
Andi may manipulate and spy (even peeking at sis’s diary) but she does it in a good-hearted way, without a spiteful attitude. She cares about her sister and not in buried, deep-down way.
And sister Laina is not exactly a model of perfection. Like Andi, she’s a very real person too, not a cardboard cutout. Behind the good looks, Laina battles esteem issues which face so many girls.
The progression of the plot as Andi comes to realize her own value and her sister’s humanity is also very well handled. It’s done in a gradual and natural way, allowed to evolve at its own pace and with setbacks along the way.
The romance is sweet without being full of sickening syrup. Guys
swirl around Andi, but she sorts through the confusion inside herself to find the one suited for her. And even gives
Liana the needed push to settle her own love life.
Plus you gotta love a girl who eats like Andi! Oreos with milk and tons of chili cheese fries. TWELVE STEPS is a fun read!
Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVeronicaBartles
Blog tour schedule
Plus you gotta love a girl who eats like Andi! Oreos with milk and tons of chili cheese fries. TWELVE STEPS is a fun read!
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About the Author:
As the second of eight children
and the mother of four, Veronica Bartles is no stranger to the ups and downs of
sibling relationships. (She was sandwiched between the
gorgeous-and-insanely-popular older sister and the too-adorable-for-words
younger sister.) She uses this insight to write stories about siblings who
mostly love each other, even while they’re driving one another
crazy. When she isn’t writing or getting lost in the pages of her
newest favorite book, Veronica enjoys knitting fabulous bags and jewelry out of
recycled plastic bags and old VHS tapes, sky diving (though she hasn’t actually
tried that yet), and inventing the world’s most delectable cookie recipes.
TWELVE STEPS is Veronica Bartles's first novel.
Author Links:
Blog tour schedule
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This sound great! Love the 12 steps idea. And yep, sibling rivalry, there's always a story in that!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting
ReplyDeleteI was drawn in by the sibling rivalry, too. I'm a middle child, and coincidentally, the younger one is named Andi! lol
ReplyDelete