Book Review: Hit

Book Jacket:  After receiving a full-ride scholarship to Mills College for Girls, it appears Sarah's future is all laid out before her that is until she walks into a poetry class led by Mr. Haddings, a student teacher from the nearby University of Washington. Suddenly, life on the UW campus seems very appealing, and Sarah finds herself using her poetry journal to subtly declare her feelings for Haddings. Convinced Mr. Haddings is flirting back, she sets off for school in the rain with a poem in her back pocket one that will declare her feelings once and for all.

Mr. Haddings has noticed Sarah's attention; the fallout from any perceived relationship with a student is too great a risk, and he has decided to end all speculation that morning.

But everything changes when Mr. Haddings feels a thud on his front bumper when he glances away from the road, and finds Sarah in the street with blood pooling beneath her."

My Review:    After seeing the book jacket for this book, and seeing it was inspired by a real life story,  I was literally salivating when my ARC book arrived in the mail!  I jumped right in and finished the book in a few hours as this is a rather quick read.  There are 52 chapters, based over the course of just 3 days from start to finish, packed into all of it's 215 pages.  However, some of the chapters are just a few sentences long ~ don't let the length scare you away.

The author, Lorie Ann Grover, has a new fan with me as her writing style not only clinches this book together like a present with a bow on the top, but is creative enough to make you feel like you are there on each page.   This book will definitely leave you breathless, shaking your head and cheering for setting things right after they go so terribly wrong.

 

Sarah, or Sares, as she is lovingly called by her family, has her future planned out after meeting her teacher Mr. Haddings.  Suddenly, life turns on a dime and becomes more poetic.  She's drawn to him and his ability to put words to paper and make them flow, something she dabbles with and keeps journals of her poetry.  She feels a connection, and sets out to tell him so when she is hit by a car on a wet rainy morning ~ an accident, but one by sheer fate, lands two people with paths already crossing on shaky ground at school crossing yet again, this time with tragic consequences.  Fate brings Sares to that crosswalk that stormy morning, and in the second Mr. Haddings looks away just for a second, his car meets here there.  And not in a good way.

 

While this book plays on the emotions and tugs at the heartstrings, it's not that creepy teacher-student romance that so often we read about in the news.  Is Sarah infatuated with her teacher? Yes.  She writes him a poem to tell him so, which turns out to be a catalyst in the book.  That poem, found at the scene after he tries to help Sarah while waiting on 911,  drives Mr. Haddings to do the right thing.

 

Hit's message is very clear to me.  Life turns on a dime, and sometimes the unexpected turns out to be the path less chosen.  The life you plan, the journey you intend to take, and the road to becoming the person you are meant to be - teenagers and adults alike - can change in an instant.   It's up to you  regardless of those circumstances to come back stronger and bolder and ready to challenge the one person who can make a difference - yourself.

 

It behooves me to say that fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen will enjoy this book immensely.

*Disclosure: A copy of this book was  received for review purposes from Book Look. The opinions expressed in this review are purely my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.