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Milledgeville Misfit

by T.L. Gray (Goodreads Author)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 16 ratings · 11 reviews

*Nominated for a 2013 (GAYA) Georgia Author of the Year Award

Fourteen-year old Juniper "Junebug" Summerville loses her parents and her ability to talk in a car accident. Against her silent protests, she is sent to live in a remote swampland infamous for its ghosts, federal prison and insane asylum.

As Junebug struggles with her emotional scars, she begins to heal with help...more

Paperback, First, 178 pages

Published January 31st 2012 by Vabella Publishing (first published January 30th 2012)

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Dec 13, 2012 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: light-reading

Summary:

14 year old Juniper Summerville has lost both her parents in a terrible car accident, which has also caused her to go mute around adults. She is being placed in the care of her Aunt and Uncle in their Milledgeville home, Dearborn.

When she arrives at the home is surprised to see that is a very old home and decrepit, and at one time it was an orphanage. Her first impression is that this place looks haunted. Juniper or June Bug, quickly finds that she is making friends with the other child...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Norma-jean Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okay, I’ve read, my latest must read, Milledgeville Misfit, and this is what I think…

Milledgeville, GA, is this town is recognized for Ghost tours and ghost walks, even recent ghost siting’s… an absolute perfect setting for a dark story.

Great plot! So many disorders/illnesses stem from traumatic childhood incidences, and this story shadows the trauma that Junebug faces throughout her life.

At the tender age of thirteen, a young girl is traumatized by the loss of her parents and left unable to sp...more

1 like · like · see review

May 14, 2012 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Damnit! How am I ever going to give this book the justice it deserves?! Milledgeville Misfit, put quite simply, is amazing. Beautifully written, emotional, thought-provoking... to be perfectly honest, I think I need to install a whole new rating system just for this book!

Please excuse me if I sound a bit gushy, but it's just that I absolutely loved this book! It was so unbelievably sweet how all of the orphans had such a connection with each other. I felt like I was experiencing something even m...more Damnit! How am I ever going to give this book the justice it deserves?! Milledgeville Misfit, put quite simply, is amazing. Beautifully written, emotional, thought-provoking... to be perfectly honest, I think I need to install a whole new rating system just for this book!

Please excuse me if I sound a bit gushy, but it's just that I absolutely loved this book! It was so unbelievably sweet how all of the orphans had such a connection with each other. I felt like I was experiencing something even more powerful than the love of a real family - something deeper that only a group of children can form in the absence of parents. I'm really not kidding when I say that this book will tug at your heartstrings.

Since, unintentionally, I've already got straight into the characters, I suppose I will tell you a little bit more about Junebug and her "family" as she puts it. First, Junebug. Ever since the car crash that left her parents dead and her without a voice, Junebug has felt like a part of her died along with them. That is, until she finds friendship in a group of orphans at Dearborn. I really don't want to go into too much because I'll probably end up revealing spoilers but I'll definitely tell you that this book is one of a kind and not to be missed. Anyway, back to Junebug. To me, I could never have thought of a more perfect main character. I felt almost privileged to watch her recovery and the development she goes through. I seriously don't think I can pick a main character, I just loved all of the six orphans and Junebug the same! I'd love to do nothing more than to talk about each of them but for now I will agree to talking about just the one. Abby. Little Abby is the youngest of them all and she practically had me hugging her through the pages. She was just so sweet and I could picture her so clearly. Well, come to think of it, I could picture them all so clearly.

Let me just leave it at the characters were all wonderful. Now on to other things. Gray has an absolutely beautiful writing style and she portrayed everything perfectly through Junebug's eyes - I really felt that involved in the story! I also loved how she managed to wrap up everything. The ending was spot-on, not to mention emotional! She also has a great way of threading mystery and keeping the reader hanging by a thread.

Overall I absolutely adored Milledgeville Misfit. I feel like the book really spoke to me and I think I will remember it for years to come. It has very rightfully found a spot on my favourite-books-of-all-time bookshelf! With a beautiful writing style, great characters, an unusual mystery and a story that will have you smiling sweetly and then almost in tears, this book is definitely one I recommend to all!(less)

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Apr 04, 2012 Jessica (Booked Up!) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Never in my entire life have I read a book that has been even similar to this, and I feel like I have experienced something amazing by reading Milledgeville Misfit. You need to have an open mind to read this, and at first you may be sceptical, but stick with it and you will be incredibly impressed.
The beginning was quite slow and hard to get in to at first, but soon it starts to pick up the pace and only gets better and better. You just have to give this some time and read on. Junebug was a br...more Never in my entire life have I read a book that has been even similar to this, and I feel like I have experienced something amazing by reading Milledgeville Misfit. You need to have an open mind to read this, and at first you may be sceptical, but stick with it and you will be incredibly impressed.
The beginning was quite slow and hard to get in to at first, but soon it starts to pick up the pace and only gets better and better. You just have to give this some time and read on. Junebug was a brilliant main character, and what she went through was awful. I got to watch her go from a child to a young woman, all in 168 magical pages. I feel like I went through it all by her side, feeling what she felt, thinking what she thought and choosing what she chose. But if I had actually been Junebug, I don't know how I could of handled her situation.
I felt for every single orphan, especially little Abby with her golden locks and poorly stitched teddy bear. I also loved Daniel, the handsome older boy, Susan, the motherly young woman, Eddie, forever watching TV, Alex, the pink haired animal lover and finally Michael, the boy in a red baseball cap. I physically cared for each and every child. Every orphan had a background story and whilst reading them, I found that my mouth was hanging open in shock!
Something that I wasn't so keen on was the front cover, which just came across as sort of dreary and boring-looking, but apart from that, I can hardly find faults. Oh, and one quick warning: Do not read this book at night, it gets quite eerie!
Throughout this entire novel, I was forever asking myself whether all of this was real or fantasy, and because of this T.L. Gray is a very clever author. I love also how the author has even managed to include a little love interest in this book too! It's that extra touch that makes this novel so great.
At times I wondered whether this was simply a horror story, and I couldn't have been more fooled. This is a tale of grieving, family, love, and what you believe in.
I'm just surprised that I hadn't heard of T.L. Gray sooner, she is already one of the best authors I know, after reading just one of her books. I highly recommend this to everyone I know, and already have a queue of friends that are begging to borrow this from me! So thank you so much T.L. Gray and her publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this masterpiece.
I give Milledgeville Misfit a 4/5, with just one star lost because of the dreary front cover and slow beginning. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and my mind has pretty much be blown! (less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

14-year-old, Junebug, had absolutely everything taken away from her. Her parents, her home, all her friends, and even her ability to speak. After she's send to live in a former orphanage, the mystery and fantasy begins with the discovery of a group of new and unusual roommates.

T.L.Gray has created the fascinating story of how a young girl copes (or doesn't) with a variety of childhood traumas. She keeps you guessing throughout as you read and wonder what is true and what is fantasy.

Without giv...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Beverley (A Reading Daydreamer) rated it 3 of 5 stars

'Don't judge a book by its cover.' I think this definitely applies to Milledgeville Misfit. Most people would probably overlook it as it's not very eye-catching or intriguing. The cover is so grey and dull and it really doesn't do the content justice.

Now on to the book itself. The opening was very enticing, where the main character Juniper invites the reader to listen to her story. It was fairly promising and I hoped that the book would continue to captivate me in this way. However, I'm afraid...more 'Don't judge a book by its cover.' I think this definitely applies to Milledgeville Misfit. Most people would probably overlook it as it's not very eye-catching or intriguing. The cover is so grey and dull and it really doesn't do the content justice.

Now on to the book itself. The opening was very enticing, where the main character Juniper invites the reader to listen to her story. It was fairly promising and I hoped that the book would continue to captivate me in this way. However, I'm afraid I guessed the twist early on and felt it was pretty obvious - I'm wondering if the author made it easy to guess on purpose. This took away the suspense and I didn't find myself sitting at the edge of my seat. It was quite slow-paced as well and I was beginning to wonder if anything 'big' was going to happen. Thankfully I didn't give up on it and it picks up the pace in the last third of the book where it gets more exciting and thrilling. I would have preferred it if there were more twists and action toward the beginning and middle of the book to keep me interested.

The premise isn't entirely unique but the way the author dealt with it made it much more fascinating. The last two chapters were kind of out of the blue and quite ridiculously unbelievable, but this added to the lingering mystery element of the book.I'm still a little surprised by the ending, which is truly thought-provoking and like no other.

Maybe because I figured out the mystery so soon, I didn't really warm to Juniper or the other 'orphans' straight away. I pitied Juniper because no one deserves to suffer what she had to go through and I understood her frustration but I didn't feel that urge to reach over and give her a hug. She just didn't feel 'real' enough but she grew on me towards the end. I did like the other orphans, especially blue-eyed Daniel who was always so protective of Juniper. He was the love interest and the author touched lightly on romance but it doesn't feature heavily in the book. I adored little Abby too and her innocent playfulness and I liked pink-haired Alex's quirkiness and love for animals. There isn't a large cast of characters, making it easy to get to know each of them.

The last third of the book had me hooked unlike the preceding chapters. Despite knowing the 'truth', it still hit me hard in the face when the author revealed it and I loved the sense of urgency, which I was so hungry for since the start. It was thrilling and captivating and I just wish this had been more consistent.

Milledgeville Misfit is a worth-while read full of mystery and guessing. As much as it is a thriller, it also deals with family, loss and love. I particularly enjoyed these aspects of the book: watching Juniper flourish from a vulnerable teen into a successful young adult as she continued her journey to find where she belonged. Despite several flaws, T.L. Gray effectively intertwines these themes to create an intriguing, psychological novel with a hard-hitting ending.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Read for your future! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-mechele

Read Mechele's review here:
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...

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Aug 25, 2012 Mechele Raleigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read my review at readforyourfuture.blogspot.com :)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 20, 2012 Julie Rodriguez rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: won, first-reads

I won this book on goodreads. I loved the book and the way it made you think. I liked the way the story was written and look for to more books by T.L. Gray. Would highly recommend.

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Mar 25, 2013 Marie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to read this because my husband grew up in Milledgville, GA, and it had really high ratings on goodreads. I would probably give it a 2 1/2. I'm just not a huge fan of books that leave it up to you to decide what happens. It was also kind of short and I felt it could have been developed more.

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Feb 02, 2013 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sophomoric writing, repetitive phrasing with a story line that has been done with minor variations before..

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About T.L. Gray

Telling stories since before she could read, T.L. Gray has a huge imagination. However, being an author wasn't even on the radar until 2008. Before that, she climbed her way up the corporate ladder, started her own company from the ground up, and then walked away from it all to pursue her passion of writing full time in 2010.

Now she uses the skills, knowledge and experience she gained in business...more

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