Nothing to Lose

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: Alex Flinn once again weaves an intricate and intriguing story. From the first page, you are drawn into Michael Daye's world and as his story unfolds, you are with him all the way. The details about carnival life are fascinating. A murder, a mystery, a little romance. It just doesn't get better than this!

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: Alex Flinn once again weaves an intricate and intriguing story. From the first page, you are drawn into Michael Daye's world and as his story unfolds, you are with him all the way. The details about carnival life are fascinating. A murder, a mystery, a little romance. It just doesn't get better than this!

Rating:
Summary: Intense
Review: An interesting and fast-paced novel about a boy on the run -- you know from the beginning that there are secrets to uncover, and it's fascinating to try to figure out what and why this kid is in the situation he's in. Strong recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but Predictable
Review: I am a teen girl who read this book because I liked Ms. Flinn's other books. I don't think this one is as good because it is very predictable. Only a few chapters into the book I already figured out what Michael did, and I was wondering if Ms. Flinn wanted me to figure it out that way and then she would surprise me at the end of the mystery. But there was no surprise at all. I liked all the stuff about the life in the carnaval, but I didn't actually understand why Michael's mom married the bad guy in the first place and then stayed with him for two years because he was so bad. Was it just because he was rich?

Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Alex Flinn
Review: Just when you think you have this cliffhanger sorted out, Alex Flinn brings out a new element that changes your whole perspective. This book is a fascinating exploration of guilt, blame and the motivations that push people past their limits.

Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Alex Flinn
Review: Just when you think you have this cliffhanger sorted out, Alex Flinn brings out a new element that changes your whole perspective. This book is a fascinating exploration of guilt, blame and the motivations that push people past their limits.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific use of format
Review: Nothing to Lose alternates between Then and Now using past and present tense in the narratives to tell the story. It works seamlessly and and isn't just a device. It drives the story and helps establish the confusion in the main character's mind. The carnival backdrop is fresh and interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended Destiny
Review: Set in modern day Florida, Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn follows a teenage boy whose mother has been accused of killing her abusive husband. For two years, Michael attempted to protect his mother and repeatedly tried to get her to leave his stepfather. She refused to leave, even as her husband's temper flared and their home situation worsened. Finally, Michael ran away to work at a traveling carnival; shortly thereafter, his stepfather was dead and his mother was imprisoned.

A year after he left, Michael comes back to Florida with the carnival and finds out that the jury selection is beginning for his mother's trial. She has confessed to the murder, and her attorney is discussing battered spouse syndrome. Michael must decide whether or not to speak up in his mother's defense and tell the truth about what happened in his stepfather's home.

Michael's downward spiral is explained well without ever being heavy-handed. He had decent grades, football, friends and a social life, but as the abuse at home increased, he quit football so that he would have more time at home to look after his mom. After losing his jock friends, he reluctantly starts hanging out with a kid who is now known as a bit of a geek - but used to be his best friend in middle school. When Michael meets Kirstie, a dark-haired beauty a few years his senior, at the carnival, he discovers that he can have his own life - but at what expense? When he returns to Miami a year later, he again must weigh his choices and decide what and who are the most important things in life.

Nothing to Lose is a well-written book that deftly weaves in the protagonist's past and present, with each chapter simply labelled "Last Year" or "This Year." It moves along at a steady pace, never breaking form nor dragging its feet. It is a compelling story that will keep the reader on edge until the very end.

Alex Flinn has written three books thus far, the other two being Breaking Point, about peer pressure and popularity, and Breathing Underwater, about teenage dating and abuse. Though I liked all three of Flinn's books, I think her writing has greatly improved with the passage of time. Her first novel, Breathing Underwater, gets two and a half stars from me; Breaking Point snags three stars; and Nothing to Lose deserves four stars. Also, while you should never judge a book by its cover, I have to give two thumbs up to the cover art for Nothing to Lose - the wheel of destiny.

Rating:
Summary: Teen-friendly crime novel
Review: Terrific, teen-friendly crime novel. Moving between the past and present, Flinn shows the secondhand effects that witnessing his mother's abuse has had on sixteen year old Michael Daye. The legal information is woven skillfully into the story and the carnival life to which Michael escapes is richly depicted.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This book caught my eye with the promise of a murder mystery and a romance story in one book. However, i was very disappointed . One major drawback in "Nothing to Lose" was there was not alot of action, in fact, the same thing happens over and over again .The first 200 pages basically show the distress, and pain of the main character, Micheal,over his abusive stepfather, and how he deals with this situation.
Finally the plot gets interesting I start thinking ok maybe this will all work out HowEvER it doesn't. The mystery is solved, but then when he finds the girl he fell in love with and trys to go visit her, they just don't love each other. THE END.
Wow! If you are looking for a realistic book that deals with abuse, this is your book. However, if you are looking for a good romance story and a nice mystery that is interesting this is not the book for you.