Welcome to my stop on “Gone Too Soon’s” Book tour. Here you will learn about the book, the author, where to find the other stops, and the giveaways. Let’s get started with my review.
My Thoughts:
“Gone Too Soon” is a Contemporary Christian Young Adult offering by author Melody Carlson. It was a difficult one for me. I am not sure what age “Young Adult” means, but this book tackled very mature topics. By the time I had finished reading it I was an emotional wreck. First off, I am far from a young adult having twin thirteen year old granddaughters. They were always in my mind while reading a book on teenagers. I would not suggest they read this because of their age.
Author Carlson has written many books, but this one seemed more on the edgy, darker side. The situations are real for today, and sometimes too brutal for me. There is death, rape, drugs, smoking, exhibition, lewd dressing, animal cruelty, and things that kids just should not do. Even the language is rough around the edges. Unfortunately that is what is happening in our world today with some teens.
This story is about a dysfunctional family dealing with grief after a daughter (sister) is killed. Using drugs, alcohol, and other things to cope divides the family rather than brings them closer together. It is about misguided teenagers.
There is inspiration sprinkled throughout this story. Some places it is heavier than others. The author includes praying, Bible reading, Bible study, and going to church. One place that bothered me was when a character cried out “Oh, God” as it is never clear if this is in vain or a prayer for help. There is absolutely no doubt this is a Christian novel.
Gone Too Soon has a nice easy to read pace. The author’s style is steady and grabs readers’ attention quickly. The characters are well thought and have many dimensions. I could imagine their emotions and wanted to mentor the teens. The tough subjects were handled in a way to allow learning.
I would recommend this book to certain people. Older teens, people in ministry, women, and a book club. This is definitely one to discuss. I would not recommend it to anyone 15 or under, possibly 17. I rated it a 4 out of 5 stars. A copy was provided by Celebrate Lit but I was under no obligation to write a review. These are my own, honest words.
About the Book
Book: Gone Too Soon
Author: Melody Carlson
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: November 15, 2018
An icy road. A car crash.
A family changed forever.
Hannah Josephson had always been the “perfect” daughter. Kiera couldn’t live up to her before, and she certainly can’t now that her older sister has died in a car accident. But the image she carried resentfully of Hannah is challenged when she finds her dead sister’s diary and begins to read. Apparently Hannah’s final year wasn’t as perfect as everyone thought.
Caught in a pattern of blaming each other, the Josephson family is falling apart. Their father has left, their mother is mixing opiates and alcohol, little sister Maddie has been shipped off to spend the whole summer with their grandmother, and Kiera feels utterly alone with her grief and anger. A summer job helping at a park in a poor section of town provides a friend and a purpose.
But it’s Hannah’s diary that fills her thoughts. For the first time in years, she feels close to the sister she’s lost. But can the knowledge she gleans about her possibly help her patch back together the family that seems determined to implode?
About the Author
Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, True Colors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita, and the Gold medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.
More from Melody
I think I’ve written about a hundred or more teen novels, but Gone Too Soon, a rather serious story, is a bit different. There’s no denying I’ve covered a bunch of gritty issues—everything from self-harm to suicide to murder—but I’ve never written a novel quite like this one. For starters, I wrote it from two viewpoints. Both the teenage daughter and her mother express themselves in this story. And because the premise involves an untimely death, the family is torn apart. As a result, there’s a lot of guilt and blame and confusion going around. They’re all in pain.
I’ve been asked several times what “inspired” this story. And I’m sad to say that it’s simply a case of “art imitating life.” I live in a small community where too many young people have died “too soon.” These untimely deaths—for a variety of random and unexplainable reasons—are devastating. I know more than a dozen families (some very close friends) who have tragically lost a child. So I’ve seen up close how it can tear a family apart. It’s truly heartbreaking, often leaving friends and family without words of comfort or explanation.
But that’s not the only reason I wrote this story. My hope is that teens (who often feel invincible) will be reminded that they are mortal and that this earthly life is temporary. Hard as it sounds, death is inevitable. And it’s not that I want everyone to be obsessed about dying, but we do live in a culture that practices denial about the end of a life. No one really wants to talk about it. My hope is that readers will take a hard, honest look, peel back some layers, and face death for what it is—a part of earthly life. And I hope readers will close the book with a little more understanding . . . and hope.
Blog Stops
The Avid Reader, April 25
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, April 25
Emily Yager, April 26
The Power of Words, April 26
Moments, April 26
Christian Bookaholic, April 27
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 27
Hallie Reads, April 27
Caffeinated Christian Raves – N – Reviews, April 28
Mary Hake, April 28
janicesbookreviews, April 28
Christian Bookshelf Reviews, April 29
SusanLovesBooks, April 29
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 29
All-of-a-kind Mom, April 30
Just the Write Escape, April 30
Carla Loves toRead, May 1
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 1
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, May 2
Blogging With Carol, May 2
Ashley’s Bookshelf, May 2
Through the Fire Blogs, May 3
Reading Themes, May 3
For The Love of Books, May 3
the Midnight Bookaholic, May 4
amandainpa, May 4
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 4
Bigreadersite, May 5
Texas Book-aholic, May 5
The Becca Files, May 6
Remembrancy, May 6
Inklings and notions, May 7
this chattanooga mommy saves, May 7
A Reader’s Brain, May 8
For Him and My Family, May 8
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Melody is giving away a grand prize of paperback copy of Gone Too Soon and a matching journal!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/dfa9/gone-too-soon-celebration-tour-giveaway
Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.
Tracie Peterson (
For the fictional show in my novels, I wanted to focus on three female characters who became a part of the Brookstone Wild West Extravaganza for varying reasons. Lizzy Brookstone is the heroine in book one, When You Are Near, and as the daughter of one of the show’s owners, she has enjoyed a starring role as a trick rider.
Ellie grew up in Branchville NJ, in a county with more cows than people. She attended Wheaton College in Illinois as a music major, then married a pastor/college professor/tree farmer/organist and writer. Together, they have three children and eight grandchildren.
Right after she marries in 1970, love carries Hannah Claire to Nigeria, following her husband David to the mission field—for only two years, she thinks. Miracle upon miracle brings five-year-old African orphan Adaolisa into the young wife’s life and she becomes a mother. Can the love for a child keep her where she doesn’t want to be? The children of wickedness threaten to make her a widow; they threaten everything, and danger abounds! Only by obedience can Hannah and her revivalist husband survive and prosper in a land torn by violence.
Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory which is what she lives to do. Her award-winning, best-selling novels enjoy a lion’s share of 5-Star ratings from Christian readers around the world. With forty titles, it’s obvious she loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs the Lord gives her—listen to a few at YouTube. She and high school sweetheart Ron celebrated fifty years of marriage June 22, 2018 and share four children and eighteen grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.
Abba's Prayer Warrior Princess 