An amazing YA debut!
Naked
by Stacey Trombley
Release Date: 07/07/15
Entangled Teen
305 pages
Summary:
A teenage prostitute looking for redemption must face her secrets before they destroy her…
When tough teenager Anna ran away to New York, she never knew how bad things would get. After surviving as a prostitute, a terrifying incident leaves her damaged inside and out, and she returns home to the parents she was sure wouldn’t want her anymore.
Now she has a chance to be normal again. Back in school, she meets a boy who seems too good to be true. Cute, kind, trusting. But what will he do when he finds out the truth about her past? And when a dark figure from New York comes looking for Anna, she realizes she must face her secrets…before they destroy her.
Review:
Wow. Just…wow.
Naked is one heck of a debut novel–it’s gritty and real and hard to read at times, yet it still manages to be nearly impossible to put down. I absolutely had to keep reading to find out if–no,how–Anna would manage to get her life back.
Short answer? With the love of family and friends, an amazing amount of inner strength and bravery, and the healing power of art.
Long answer? You’re gonna have to read it yourself to find out. But trust me, you won’t be sorry you did.
I really liked that the book in no way glamorized teenage prostitution or running away from home. It started just as Anna was (unbeknownst to her at the time) getting out of the life she’d been in for three years–from the age of 13 to 16. (And, yikes. I have a 16-year-old, so much of this book scared the daylights out of me.) High school is rough enough these days. Starting high school as the “new kid” after being on missing posters for three years and with the mother of all secrets to try and conceal? Takes it all to a whole new level.
My only real complaint with the book is Anna’s father–he begins as a rather flat and generic bad guy-type character, (the “unreasonable and unyielding parent” and “controlling spouse”) and he finishes the novel in pretty much the same way. We never find out for sure why he acts the way he does, and to our knowledge he never repents either.
For a debut novel, though, this was an amazing effort. I absolutely can’t wait to see what Ms. Trombley has in store for us next.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Buy Links:
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About the Author:
Stacey Trombley lives in Ohio with her husband and the sweetest Rottweiler you’ll ever meet. She thinks people are fascinating and any chance she has, she’s off doing or learning something new. She went on her first mission trip to Haiti at age twelve and is still dying to go back. Her “places to travel” list is almost as long as her “books to read” list.
She wants to bring something new to the world through her writing, but just giving a little piece of herself is more than enough.
Keep a look out for her debut novel NAKED, coming from Entangled Teen in 2015
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