Drawing With Light by Julia Green

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Published: March 2010

Number of Pages: 256

Book: For Review From Bloomsbury*

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Coming of Age, Real-To-Life, YA

“I’m on the edge of something extraordinary, and I can’t wait for it to unfold...”

Everything is changing in Emily’s life.  Her older sister Kat is starting university, Dad and Cassy have bought an old house which will be their dream home one day... except that while it’s being done up, they’ve all got to live in a tiny caravan in the middle of a field.  Then a throwaway comment starts Emily thinking about her real mother, who left when Emily was a baby.  Who was she?  What was she like?  Why did she go?  Over the years, she has become the unmentionable secret in Emily’s family.

And as Emily pieces together a truer, fuller picture of her mother, she also embarks on a new relationship of her own with Seb, a beautiful boy with fine features and expressive dark eyes...

Review:

Normally I’m not into this kind of book; real-to-life girl problems, without a single supernatural thing in sight, but I absolutely loved this one.  It drew me in from the beginning, the small memory of Emily’s from when she was a little girl, the family dynamics, the missing mother, the handsome boy...  This story was just so beautiful, full of the wonders and horrors of life and the hard decisions that have to be made, the ones that change everything.

Emily was a wonderful lead girl, able to see all the beauty, but you can tell underneath all her strength she’s vulnerable and scared, especially when it comes to family and the feeling of abandonment.  I love all the references to photographs as well, as Emily is a aspiring photographer, and it was really smart of Julia Green to describe the way Emily sees through her photos.  All in all, a brilliant character who I found easy to love and I loved the way her story was told.

Seb is an incredible character, too, with his dislike of all tests, sweet, comforting nature and beautiful dark eyes.  He’s the one who convinces Emily to try to find her mother, and the way he cared for how she felt was really touching, although they could both be a little stubborn at times.  The relationship between the two of them is stunning and feels so real, so magical, and is one of my favourite both-human couples. 

All in all, a magical book, filled with love, hard choices and the dilemmas you face growing up when everything is changing around you.  I read this book so fast, it was mesmerising, and I recommend it.  Just so beautiful!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

 Read this book if you liked:

If I Stay by Gayle

Girl Missing by Sophie McKenzie

Breathing Underwater by Julia Green


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
British Book Challenge (Hosted by The Bookette)
Off The Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)

Happy Reading

Megan

*This book was recieved from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review