Aimee: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: It Should be a Movie
Review: A Review by Tiffany

Best Friends with Aimee, Zoë did everything that they every wanted to do. They had the cutest boys in the world. The ones that are caring and won't go tell his best friend everything that they did the night before. But one night everyone's life comes to complete stop. Zoë ends up with charges against her and Aimee is dead by her own hand. After everything went wrong Zoë has been herself since. Her family life is torn apart and the one person she ever loved she can't even see him.

I like how this book keeps going back and forth to the past and present. It keeps me reading. It leads up to what she really has now. Her life is a mess. At least her love Chard is still by her side. And that nothing can put them in the way of seeing each other. I learned that every life is precious. That one fatal move can hurt some ones life forever. Mary Beth Miller is one of the best authors. Every page leaves you in a wondering mind. Like what is going to happen on the next page. For a while there I thought it was based on a true story. I think that it should be a movie.

I would recommend this to anyone. All ages should read this book in there life. It might make a big difference.

Rating:
Summary: Grabs you from the moment you see the cover.
Review: I was given this book for Christmas. I didn't expect it to be any good, but I was wrong. From the very first page, questions rose from my mind. But the most prominant question was - WHY didn't I read it sooner?
This is the story about a group of friends torn apart by one tragic night of poor decisions and a life time of anyting but happy endings.
Aimee was the victim of sexual child abuse.
Zoe was the victim of a friendship that couldn't win.
While reading, you're bound to form questions in your mind. Write them down, as see just how quickly they're answered. I garuntee it'll be quickly.
MaryBeth Miller has a style of writing I've been yearning for in the mix of boring young adult dramas. Her unique voice touches, GRABS you and rips you in to the world of Zoe.
One thing is for sure.
You won't forget Zoe or Aimee after you read.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, A Novel That Seems Non- fiction
Review: This engrossing novel accurately portrays the dynamics of teenage life. The plot is horrific yet spellbinding; it delves into the true feelings of Zoe. Ms. Miller gives the characters depth and meaning; she does not take the traditionally shallow rode in describing adolescents. Zoe has feelings some through the story with electrifying clarity; you feel as if you know her personally. So involved into the story you will no doubt become, that you will be mourning for Zoe in this stories climatic end.

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: Though I read this book more than four months ago now, clips of the author's gentle yet unyeildingly powerful words still flash before my mind.

The book is about a group of friends torn apart by a sequence of terrible events. Aimee, the best friend of lead character Zoe, commit suicide about a year ago when the book takes place. Zoe was charged with murder because she was sleeping over at Aimee's house that night. We get conflicts of viewpoint throughout, which makes for an incredibly moving storyline, but we also feel Zoe's shame and inability to forgive herself. Though she was proven not guilty at trial, she still feels responsible.

You also get a wonderfully emotional look at Zoe's life. The author speaks so genuinely, it's impossible to believe that she hasn't lived Zoe's life. The words flow easily and make the story both darkly wonderful and easier to relate to. Zoe feel entirely unloved by her parents, and feels that her group of friends from "there" were the only people who ever understood her. All the bad memories are covered by the wonderful memories.

It's a book that keeps you guessing. Will Zoe and Chard be able to make it as more than friends? Can her parents, in spite of their possible divorce/separation, become closer to her and show her she's cared for? And, most importantly, can Zoe ever overcome her traumatized adolescence?

Buy the book and find out!

Rating:
Summary: A Cry For Help
Review: To begin with, I cannot describe the excitement that suffused my body as I finished the first two pages of the book. I immediately knew the story was going to be a narrative that brilliantly told about the chronicles of a young, teenage girl who was struggling through adolescence because of the many misfortunate events that occurred in her life. This is a fictional story of friendship, loyalty, insanity, recovery and hope that can appeal to almost anyone who has ever lost someone or something special to them.
In the story, Mary Beth Miller tells a chilling account of a young girl named Zoe, who is charged with the murder and accused of assisting her best friend's suicide. Though proven innocent Zoe cannot let go of the thought of being tried for such an appalling crime. To get through the chaos Zoe was recommended to a psychiatrist, whom she does not enjoy sharing her thoughts and feelings with. Even though she does not like her psychiatrist, she is to recount in the journal what she went through with Aimee and her posse of friends before and after Aimee's death. One chilling fact that was brought to the surface was that Aimee admitted to Zoe and her friends that her stepmother was physically and mentally abusing her. By doing so little by little the events leading up the Aimee's suicide were revealed. This was only the beginning of Aimee's cry for help, but nobody heard her screams in time to help her. After writing her feelings and thoughts into her journal Zoe had come to terms with Aimee's death and was ready to start life over. Zoe changed her way of life and moved on from her past. She now is a scholar student and a state track champion.
I ended up finishing this book in less than two days because the book takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride that entices you into reading more and more until you read the book from front to back. I thought this book was excellent in every aspect. I was very impressed with Miller's uncanny ability to get into the character's head, while never even knowing the narrator's name, which was later found out at the very ending of the book. I believed the character's roles were very well developed and realistic. The only criticism that I had about the characters was about Zoe's parents. I felt as though they were not explained well enough and seemed to be one-dimensional at first, but later in the book, I got more insight as to their roles. Although fictional, I felt as though I was reading a true story from someone's journal by using the first person perspective to narrate the whole story. To add to this, the author was able to capture even the darkest emotions of the narrator that it made me feel as though the events were happening to me. Lastly, I think the best part about this book is that it brings up issues that plague teens today. Such as, depression, suicide, eating disorders, illegal drug and alcohol use, divorce, and love in a very realistic way.
Overall, I found the book to be an exceptionally good read for teenagers to young adults. For a fictional novel, it was terrific and profound, which made me enjoy it even more. It made me think about life more than usual and how similar events could one day occur in my life. I would highly recommend it for anyone, but I will prepare those who read it to have a box of tissues beside him or her. I say this because you will hear a girl recount her life after she lost her lifelong best friend.