Review #49: Circle of Friends: Book 5- Heather by L. Diane Wolfe (BLOG TOUR)

Title: Heather- The Circle of Friends Book V

Author: L. Diane Wolfe

Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press

Format: Review Copy for Blog Tour

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult

Series: The Circle of Friends

ISBN: 978-0-9816210-5-0

Price/Pages: $19.95/275

My Review and Description:

I was asked to participate on this blog tour quite some time ago when I was pretty fresh to the blog world. (not that I'm an old hat by any means) I was honored to review a book by a blogger that I had come to know and follow and respect.

That blogger buddy/author/inspirational speaker is L. Diane Wolfe. The Circle of Friends series are five different stories of young adults navigating life's choices with humor, spirit, faith and inspiration. I have only read the latest installment Book 5, Heather.

Heather's story begins with a new position at Clemson, coaching basketball. She is enthusiastic and ready for the challenge however her personal life is far from stable. Her father, her constant supporter, is dying. Her best friend and former crush, Matt is married with new babies. Her little sister, Dawn, lacks ambition and responsibility towards life.

Through this all she reunites with Mark, Matt's older brother and they begin a unexpected relationship.

I had no idea what to expect when I read this. Like I said, I have not read the others and I was worried that they would be some how connected and I would be at a loss for back story. But really the history of the characters is explained quite well and the character's themselves are created quite nicely. You really are given solid personalities with each character.

This book had strong themes which I enjoyed. I haven't read much faith based fiction and though I would not entirely categorize this as that, I felt that the pace of this book was based on making smart decisions. This is not something you find in a lot of novels. Heather was extremely devoted to her family, in supporting her mother and in caring for her father. She was motivated in her career and demanded the best out of her athletes. When faced with a possible serious relationship her and Mark were both up front and honest, sometimes to an annoying fault, about who they were and what they wanted.

Though in the beginning I struggled with Heather, I did end of warming to her in the end. She had a transformation throughout this book, rightfully so, due to some serious life changes. I reacted to her reactions quite strongly at times and would try to struggle through some of her actions, especially towards her little sister. Heather could, quite frankly, be a bitch sometimes. :)

In the end, what L.Diane Wolfe created here was a realistic story of a professional, hard-working woman, close to her friends and family, and working her way through her life being as honest and true to herself as possible. It is worth reading for young adults and old adults. We could all learn from the importance of valuing ourselves and those around us.

Rating: 5 stars/6 stars

Thought-provoking, heart-warming, humorous and spirited. I recommend it.

I will be interviewing L. Diane Wolfe on March 19 so please stop back.

If you would like more info on her now, check out her website Circle of Friends or her blog Spunk on a Stick.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Reading.

red headed book child