Can one act of bravery change your life? In The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone, the author creates an enchanting story of five young people meeting for the fist time and making the most surprising and exciting summer.
Sadie has no big plans for the summer before her senior year of high school. All her friends graduated and are gone for the summer, leaving her behind to work at the local farmer's stand. She enjoys her job but it's not the most exciting place for a teenage girl to spend her summer. Yet things take a drastic turn when a drunk man comes swerving into their parking lot. Sadie notices that the man has left a baby in his car and she tries to convince him to remove the baby and not drive while he is intoxicated. Unsurprisingly, the man is furious and tries to drive off but Sadie won't let him. She jumps into the car and tries to pull the child out while the man punches and hits her. When the police come and finally arrest the man, Sadie is unconscious and is left with serious injuries. After spending time in the hospital recovering, Sadie comes home to find that everyone in her small town is calling her a hero and pictures of her are all over the news. Sadie does not feel like a hero and says she just reacted without thinking. When an event called Homegrown Heroes calls her asking her to come a luncheon honoring her and four other young heroes, she immediately tries to get out of it. She keeps saying she does not see herself as a hero but her parents are thrilled and force her to go to the event. While there, she meets the four other Homegrown Heroes and quickly forms a bond with each and every one of them. They exchange numbers and begin meeting together to not only hang out but also do goodwill projects. Sadie soon realizes that this summer may not be as boring as she had originally planned.
This was a fun and fairly light Young Adult read. I loved the characters and the many chapters were very exciting. The plot is quite vast as it does take place over one entire summer, but it felt well connected and well paced. The characters go on many adventures together and some of these adventures are a bit heavy. There is a lot of teenage drinking and some language used throughout the novel. Drug abuse by other characters is described but it is put in a negative light by the author. I would recommend it for the older reader who can handle more mature themes.
~Abigail C.
Comments