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Girl Unmoored

by Jennifer Gooch Hummer (Goodreads Author)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 241 ratings · 90 reviews

Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. Fortunately, she's about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus--the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike, who's suddenly everywhere, until she's stuck in church with him one day. Then something happens--Apron's broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she's been adrift...more

ebook, 328 pages

Published March 2012 by The Fiction Studio

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Apr 02, 2013 Kristilyn (Reading In Winter & Winter Distractions) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, read-in-2013, review-books-completed

Thank you to SparkPoint Studio and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book for review!

I have to admit that I was very easygoing into this book. From the cover to the synopsis (that I lightly glossed over), I assumed that I was going to be taking a journey down a light and fluffy contemporary, perhaps a nice summertime read. I really didn’t expect the story to completely take me over and have so many issues in it. And this isn’t a bad thing at all — I’d say it was a pleasant surprise to g...more Thank you to SparkPoint Studio and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book for review!

I have to admit that I was very easygoing into this book. From the cover to the synopsis (that I lightly glossed over), I assumed that I was going to be taking a journey down a light and fluffy contemporary, perhaps a nice summertime read. I really didn’t expect the story to completely take me over and have so many issues in it. And this isn’t a bad thing at all — I’d say it was a pleasant surprise to get a book with so many wonderful things going on, a book that really tugged at my heartstrings.

Right off the bat, I was worried that I had gotten myself into an overly-religious-themed book, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, the way that it started out with Mike looking exactly like Jesus was kind of humorous. Not once was there a time where I thought religion was getting pushed down my throat because it wasn’t that kind of book, even if it touched on it slightly. It was more of a feel-good/coming-of-age kind of read. And it was set in the 80′s, which wasn’t totally obvious at first, but it really added something to the book. In fact, the time of the book was quite crucial to the story itself and growing up in that time and seeing the news at that time really hit home what was going on. The “secret” of the story was something that I could picture because I had read about it back in my days growing up.

The characters of this story were extremely well written. I felt so much for Apron — even a bit of humour towards her name and how she received it. Her life was not easy and I couldn’t believe some of the things that were thrown at her. I completely and utterly loved Mike and Chad — I thought they were wonderful characters and were really there to teach Apron a lesson about growing up and how things aren’t as easy as they seem, but that they can get so much worse. I have to say, my heart had so many feelings throughout this story and a lot of these feelings were because of the characters. They were just so moving and real!

Read the rest of this review on my blog ...

Read more reviews on my blog, Reading In Winter:

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Mar 29, 2012 LAURA KAY A Novel Review rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://anovelreview.blogspot.com/2012...

Apron Bramhall (yes that’s her name, Apron) is a girl unmoored. She recently suffered the loss of her mom, and now her father is preoccupied with his new girlfriend “M”, and her bff, Rennie has dumped her for a chance to be more popular. What Apron really wants is someone to save her…and who better than Jesus. More like Mike, an actor who plays Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. Mike and his boyfriend Chad show up in Apron’s life when she needs it the most....more

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Aug 31, 2012 Tima marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: tbr-kindle, around-the-nation-in-52-books

First Impression: I just need to showcase the fact that I was raised around boys, for a moment. I cannot get over how unfortunate this author's name is. GOOCH HUMMER!? I can't handle it.

That being said, I've heard great things about this book and look forward to continuing on passed the title page now that my juvenile giggling fit is over.

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Apr 27, 2013 Frishawn Rasheed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: printed-pretties, life-issues, hard-to-beat-heroines, 2013-read

This is a story that though peppered with a myriad of complex and often heartbreaking issues, never forgot that it was set in a world being experienced through the mind and heart of a young and for the most part, still very innocent girl.

Apron Bramhall has lost her mother to Cancer, her father to a Brazilian nurse's aide named 'M', and her bff has sailed off in search of the big fish in the popularity pond. So it is no wonder that Apron is having a few issues in the feeling loved and secure depa...more

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May 23, 2012 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 21-in-12

Fantastic! It's the perfect summer read.

Told in such a simplistic way, you'd almost miss how complicated and, at times, gut wrenching the experiences the heroine, Apron, faces are for her. But that's the beauty of Girl Unmoored. It's told from the perspective of Apron, a 13 year old girl who has recently lost her mother to cancer, a father trying to cope with loss and new circumstances, sees the confusion of AIDS in the 80s and the devastation of HIV, has a friend who turns against her, has an...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Angie Holtz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From Lilac Wolf and Stuff

Did you see that? The main character is named Apron. And the story behind that was hilarious. She was supposed to be named April but her father disagreed so her mother wrote it on the Birth Certificate so intelligibly that the powers that be thought it said Apron...you'd think someone would have asked!

Apron is a young teenage girl who is waiting to develop. Her mother is out of the picture and her father is shacking up with a nurse aide from Brazil who also hates Apron.....more

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Mar 07, 2012 cupcake rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Holy cannoli.

This book made me cry, faithful readers. I actually wept - more than once!

Girl Unmoored, by Jennifer Gooch Hummer, is a lovely little book that I quite highly recommend.

The story is set during a summer in mid-80s Maine, as Apron Bramhall (yes, that is her name, and, no, it is not a nickname) struggles to deal with her mother's recent death. The nurse who tended her mother, Margie, whom Apron refers to as M, has moved into Apron's house and, apparently, into Apron's father's heart....more Holy cannoli.

This book made me cry, faithful readers. I actually wept - more than once!

Girl Unmoored, by Jennifer Gooch Hummer, is a lovely little book that I quite highly recommend.

The story is set during a summer in mid-80s Maine, as Apron Bramhall (yes, that is her name, and, no, it is not a nickname) struggles to deal with her mother's recent death. The nurse who tended her mother, Margie, whom Apron refers to as M, has moved into Apron's house and, apparently, into Apron's father's heart. As if Apron isn't upset enough about her father's budding romance, M wants to kill Apron's guinea pig, The Boss (named after my spiritual fiancé, Bruce Springsteen, and, no, that's not the only reason I like this book). What Apron (or 'Aprons,' as M calls her) needs is a best friend; alas, Rennie, the person who should fill that slot, has dumped Apron for someone with more social cachet.

Apron befriends Mike, whom she first encountered when he played the titular role in Jesus Christ, Superstar. Mike and his partner, Chad, run a florist shop, and as Apron's friendship with them grows, she begins working for them occasionally. This being the mid-80s, Mike and Chad's relationship is not embraced by the locals, and Chad is ill. I'll let you figure out from what.

There are some heartbreaking scenes, but some that make you laugh out loud as well. To whit:
When I got to Scent Appeal, the door was open but the lights were off. Usually this meant Mike had gone out to get more flowers or something for Chad. Mike said today would be a busy one. We'd probably have to stay open late because people would be running in at the last minute to buy flowers for their Fourth of July parties, and if that happened, don't worry, he'd drive me home. Mike had even bought a bag of tiny American flags, which I stuck into all the vases yesterday even though Chad said he'd rather have his fingernails peeled off than celebrate Reagan's crusty right-winged America. The real Boss was mad at Reagan, too, for singing "Born in the USA" without permission. The story was on the cover of my dad's newspaper. Even when Bruce Springsteen looks mad, he's still a fox.
Apron's voice rings true to a girl between 7th and 8th grade, and her sadness, frustration and isolation do as well. Aside from her name - it's not even an interesting gimmick - she's utterly captivating. I wanted to hug her.

Please pick up Girl Unmoored. You will thank me later.(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Larry Hoffer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Darn you, Jennifer Gooch Hummer, for making me cry while marveling at your storytelling ability!!

Apron Bramhall is having a tough time of things. It's 1985, and things aren't going as well as she'd hoped—her best friend decided she'd rather be friends with a more popular girl, her mother died not too long ago, and her evil stepmother is pregnant. But luckily, Jesus saves her—or at least Mike, the actor who plays the lead in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar and bears more than a passing res...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Joana Hill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, lgbt-books

Read more reviews at my blog, Words and Tea Bottles.

I was a bit hesitant about this book at first. The first hundred pages just don't seem to match up to the rest. The story itself is there and goes at a good pace (although the summary on this kind of sucks and doesn't really tell what the book is actually about) but there are quirks in this writing that make it seem a bit amateur. There are typos and such sprinkled through that should've been picked up in editing, for instance.

Also this book ta...more Read more reviews at my blog, Words and Tea Bottles.

I was a bit hesitant about this book at first. The first hundred pages just don't seem to match up to the rest. The story itself is there and goes at a good pace (although the summary on this kind of sucks and doesn't really tell what the book is actually about) but there are quirks in this writing that make it seem a bit amateur. There are typos and such sprinkled through that should've been picked up in editing, for instance.

Also this book takes place in Maine, and for a lot of the book, the narration is DETERMINED to make sure the reader knows this. There aren't many books that take place in Maine, especially for young adults, so it is a point towards it as far as I'm concerned (especially since I'm from Maine). But it seems to be a habit of books that do take place in Maine, or any other state that's uncommon for settings in books.

The part of the book where Apron works for Scent Appeal in an official capacity instead of just helping out when she runs into them is rather brief for having a part in the summary, but again, I think the summary just kind of sucks, and commercially published authors don't really have a say in the back of the book blurb, so I won't call Hummer herself out on that.

There are a lot of things to like about this, though. It actually takes place in 1985, another thing the summary fails to tell that would be of interest to certain types of readers. The summary doesn't, however, fail to say that a gay couple is prominent in the novel, the one thing that it doesn't fail at, I suppose. And the characters themselves are quirky and realistic, from Apron right down to M, the physical antagonist of the novel. Apron hates her, but there are times when they get along, and while M really is a mean person, she's not put in an evil light. As Apron says near the end, some people are born gay, some people are born with freckles, and some people are just born mean.

For the shortcomings it has in the beginning, it does manage to tug at your heartstrings when all is said and done. I found myself putting the book down after finishing it and getting choked up. So as long as you're not bothered by some typos and gratuitous setting mentions, this is definitely a book to pick up.(less)

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Apr 11, 2012 Kristi (Books and Needlepoint) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

Apron is just finishing up the seventh grade and has had a pretty rough year. Her mom passed away and her dad has started a relationship with Margie (or M, as Apron calls her). Margie is from Brazil and had been her mom's nurse, but now lives with Margie and her dad. She is on a work visa in the United States and Apron believes is looking for Mr. Right so that she will not have to leave. Meanwhile, that is all that Apron wants her to do -- leave.

To top it off, her best friend Rennie has decided...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Chrissy (The Every Free Chance Reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-on-blog

Did I enjoy this book: I really did. In fact, the first thing I said to my husband when I finished this book was "that was a really good book." Plain and simply put. I read this book every free chance I had...I put off household chores in order to read this book. I could not put it down. When I had to put it down, all I wanted to do was pick it back up again.

Girl Unmoored is told from the perspective of 13 year old Apron Bramhall. To have gone through everything that Apron has gone through in he...more

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May 06, 2013 Kathy Cowie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, ya

I have mixed feelings about this book. Part of me understands that the teenage me would have loved the drama of this book. When I read young adult books as a young adult, I was particularly fond of books that made me cry, and books that made me realize how easy I had it in comparison.
At the time, I don’t think I could have said a plot felt contrived, or a character wasn’t fully developed.

In this book, the author sets the story in the 1980s, so that we have an instant remove from the events. Fo...more I have mixed feelings about this book. Part of me understands that the teenage me would have loved the drama of this book. When I read young adult books as a young adult, I was particularly fond of books that made me cry, and books that made me realize how easy I had it in comparison.
At the time, I don’t think I could have said a plot felt contrived, or a character wasn’t fully developed.

In this book, the author sets the story in the 1980s, so that we have an instant remove from the events. For me, it was like yesterday — but I’m not so sure how an actual teen reading would understand the political and emotional climate. A large part of this book deals with the young protagonist’s friendship with a gay couple, one or both of whom has AIDs. This was not a proud time in our past, and many people’s behavior toward gay people was based on ignorance and fear. But the reality of this is presented in an offhand manner — as if a few mean people in town don’t like them. I found it incredible that the 13 year-old girl’s father basically asks a few questions, then lets her hang out with a grown man dying of AIDS. We are supposed to believe that because her mother has recently died of cancer, she can handle this as well.

But this was not even the part I found incredible… First, I must address the character’s name, which I really cannot forgive. Apron. Yes, you read that correctly. Oh, of course there is a cute little story behind it, but after that, once the supposed mistake was made, they just kept it? Who would do this to their child? Second, is the concept that the Latin professor father, who was so loving and kind, goes so far off the rails that he knocks up and marries a green-card seeking former nurse of his dying wife. Ok, I have really broken all my usual rules here (number one being I hate people who feel like they have to retell the story), but I am still trying to figure out what the hype is about this book. I guess the teenage me would give it a 3.5, the mom-me would give it a 2.5, so I’ll settle for a 3. I did love the latin phrases.
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Mar 07, 2012 Vicki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sometimes you just luck out and find a new author that blows you away. That's what Jennifer Gooch Hummer has done with Girl Unmoored! I felt just about every emotion a person can have while reading this book. It was funny, sad, and at times, even a little weird. But I loved every minute I spent reading it and will undoubtedly read it again.

Apron was a great character, as were Mike and Chad. I loved them all. I even liked "M" at different times throughout the book. In fact, all the characters wer...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Samantha Robey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received a copy of Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a few chapters to really find my flow with this book, but it ended up being really touching and a good story. This book is set in the 1980’s and touches on a variety of subjects - many of them sensitive - such as sexuality and AIDS, and proved to be a really intriguing read. I actually got emotional at the end of the story, so even though I felt a disconnect in the first third of the book, I c...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley

“I swallowed a piece of my heart that was now lodged in my throat.” There was a lot of that happening in Girl Unmoored.

Apron's story was both sweet and sad, but mostly sad. Consider her life: a daddy who’s not all there plus a horrible step mom to be. A friend who is not really a friend, and a memory of things that doesn’t paint the most accurate picture of the past. She’s a sad kid, but a brave one.

But it’s that last aspect I liked: her willingness to put herself out there.

That said, there...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, favorites, for-review, net-galley, rainy-day-reads, teen-ya

At First Sight: Apron's Mom has died recently and her life is nowhere near to getting back on track. Her father has started a relationship with M (Margie) - the Brazilian nurse aide that used to look after her mom at the hospital - and seems oblivious to the fact that M hates Apron.

As the school year ends and her father announces plans to marry M - right on the heels of M's announcing she's pregnant - Apron's life seems more out of control then ever.

This is when she meets Mike Weller - her nex...more At First Sight: Apron's Mom has died recently and her life is nowhere near to getting back on track. Her father has started a relationship with M (Margie) - the Brazilian nurse aide that used to look after her mom at the hospital - and seems oblivious to the fact that M hates Apron.

As the school year ends and her father announces plans to marry M - right on the heels of M's announcing she's pregnant - Apron's life seems more out of control then ever.

This is when she meets Mike Weller - her next-door neighbor's nephew, and star of the local production of Jesus Christ, Superstar! - a florist who is struggling with his business and the declining heath of his friend and partner Chad.

After helping him out a few times, Apron discovers she actually loves working with flowers and she grows closer to both Mike and Chad, and gladly accepts when they offer her a summer job.

While her home-life spirals a bit out of control each day - with M's true colors starting to show, and her father putting more and more distance between them, and the pregnancy progressing - Scent Appeal, the store Mike and Chad own, becomes a safe heaven for Apron, until real life starts intruding there too.

Second Glance: Girl Unmoored was nothing like I was expecting - and I'm not sure why the nautical theme in the cover, actually - but what it was, it was a joy to read.

The story is set in the mid or late 80's, I believe, and you can see a lot of the popular mind-frame when it comes to AIDS and homosexuality. And I actually loved that Apron's information on the subject rang true of what a lot of kids thought and knew about AIDS and homosexuality at the time the story takes place, and though a lot of it was wrong, it was believable.

Plus, Apron does learn to look beyond that, she learns to love Mike and Chad because of the lovely people they are, and sees that the way they love each other is actually a lot more healthy than what she sees in her father and M's marriage, for example.

Also, for a book set in the 80's, the references to this time period aren't too heavy, in many ways the book doesn't feel dated at all.

My only complaint is that I felt the first half of the book went by a little slowly. I would read, and read, but advance little in the page count. But, after I hit the middle point, things progressed more quickly.

Bottom Line: Girl Unmoored was a pleasant surprise to me. In the theme and the quality of the content. Save for a few troubles with the pacing, it was a wonderful book that both represents a time and place in culture and, at the same time, shows just how powerful love is.

Favorite Quote: "You don't have to do anything for some people to hate you." - Mike(less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Elvina Barclay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's hard enough to be a girl between grade 7 and 8, but Apron (that's her real name) Bramhill has lost her mom, her best friend and her dad already has a new girlfriend, the mean and dreaded "M". Apron's summer is looking bleak as her dad marries M and she has to give up her pet, "The Boss". But when Apron meets Mike, an actor and flower shop owner (who has a striking resemblance to Jesus) and his boyfriend Chad she not only manages to find her calling as a flower arranger, but gets a part time...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Cyndy Aleo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In general, I am not a fan of "coming of age" stories. There's usually a life lesson to be learned, and it's usually beaten over the readers' heads.

Jennifer Gooch Hummer's Girl Unmoored is not that kind of coming-of-age book.

Taking place in the late '80s, the book is the story of Apron, a teen who's completely lost in a sea of change. Her mother is dead. Her best friend is hanging out with the popular people. Her father is marrying a woman who hates her. And no one seems to realize how miserab...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Katja aka Tink rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I so enjoyed Girl Unmoored, and my expectations were only moderate, cause the write up sounds kinda funny, sorta interesting, though it turns out this is anything but a kinda-sorta book.

Girl Unmoored is a coming of age story, with a main character younger than the teens I usually read about, yet this contemporary heroine has such pluck that she makes true the saying "age ain't nothing but a number". Thanks to the author, these characters formed in my mind as though I might be able to reach out a...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Lacey Crough rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-challenge, young-adult, favorites

In 2010, I read this incredible coming of age book called The Wednesday Wars. It’s one of those books that tugs at your heartstrings and when it’s over, you’re crying these happy tears because you just want the story to keep going. That’s what reading Girl Unmoored was like. I had to will myself to finish it because I didn’t want it to end.

Girl Unmoored is the beautiful and tragic story of Apron, her life post losing her mother to cancer. She has a father who has fallen under the spell of a horr...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel is by Jennifer Gooch Hummer,the same author that wrote the Milk Face blog post. But if you're expecting something like that in this book, don't be. This is a very serious book. Apron is in 7th grade and has lost everything. Her mother died six months ago, her best friend dumped her for a girl that hates Apron and she's lost her father to her pregnant stepmother, a woman whose name she won't say, she just calls her "M".

"M" is from Brazil and was Apron's mother's nurse while she was dyi...more This novel is by Jennifer Gooch Hummer,the same author that wrote the Milk Face blog post. But if you're expecting something like that in this book, don't be. This is a very serious book. Apron is in 7th grade and has lost everything. Her mother died six months ago, her best friend dumped her for a girl that hates Apron and she's lost her father to her pregnant stepmother, a woman whose name she won't say, she just calls her "M".

"M" is from Brazil and was Apron's mother's nurse while she was dying. To say that she is mean, is an understatement. To say that Apron hates her and is trying to show her Dad "M's" true colors is also an understatement. I instantly hated M. She was like poison and then the things she did while she was pregnant, oh, if you've ever been pregnant you will totally despise her. I didn't really connect with Apron, but I did feel sorry for her. She had a lot on her plate, I just wasn't emotionally connected to her.

The novel takes place in the Regan era, when AIDS is first coming to light and people are calling it a disease that only gay people get. But Apron, in an unfortunate mishap at her father's and M's wedding, ends up meeting two floral designers when she gets left behind at the church. She ends up helping them with the floral arrangements and making friends with them. She eventually finds out they are lovers and that one of them, Chad, has full blown AIDS. He's dying. Apron helps them and they help her and eventually she begins working at their shop. This is doubly good for Apron because she can be away from M who is increasingly meaner and demanding.

I fell hard for the characters of Mike and Chad the two lovers who owned the flower shop, Scent Appeal. They took care of Apron when she needed it the most, providing laughs and jokes and even love at a time when Apron was vulnerable and alone. Chad is dying. Apron chronicles it to us with his weight loss, the spots that show up on his skin, the loss of appetite and worse. But instead of being scared, she reads to him, she shows him greater kindness than anyone other than her parents ever showed to her and Chad and Mike become her world. They are the characters I connected with. They were funny, loving, philosophical about the hatred others showed them, and totally giving of themselves to anyone that needed them. They were so comfortable with who they were and what the love meant. I was bawling by the end. And not just because of Chad and Mike.

Something happens between M and Apron's father and the baby that isn't easy to accept. I had long suspected that Apron's father wasn't the father of the baby, but I was wrong. Still things go bad. And then, they are better. Apron definitely grows as a character, learning a lot in one summer. Love, loss, betrayal, and finally happiness. As much as a teen can be happy :)!

It's an emotional rollercoaster. You will cry. You will laugh at Apron's klutzyness and some of her quotes like "Always wear underwear". I think it's good advice! Funny things happen, sad heart wrenching things happen and great life changing things happen. This is a book for anyone that loves YA contemporary fiction.

Thank you to Fiction Studio and Jennifer Gooch Hummer for the review copy from Net Galley.
This in know way influenced my opinion of the novel.
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Nov 09, 2012 M.B. Mulhall rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A lot of people have gone through the awkward middle school years; gangly limbs, losing friends, confused about what's going on with their bodies, the world around them and life in general. Those aspects make Apron and the story in general very relatable.

The story is touching and will probably lend to some sniffles if not full out tears. It's a deep read dealing with heavy topics but there is some humor thrown in to keep things from getting too depressing and while it's not a typical happy endi...more

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May 25, 2012 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

'Girl Unmoored' by Jennifer Gooch Hummer really struck a chord with me. I found myself identifying with Apron Bramhill. Yes, Apron, not April, her father a professor at the local university didn't like the Latin translation of the word April, somehow the name on the birth certificate turned into Apron.

Apron wears her mother's ID band from the hospital, her mother having passes away with cancer. Apron, a middle school student whole world is coming down on her. There was “M” a nurse’s aide living...more 'Girl Unmoored' by Jennifer Gooch Hummer really struck a chord with me. I found myself identifying with Apron Bramhill. Yes, Apron, not April, her father a professor at the local university didn't like the Latin translation of the word April, somehow the name on the birth certificate turned into Apron.

Apron wears her mother's ID band from the hospital, her mother having passes away with cancer. Apron, a middle school student whole world is coming down on her. There was “M” a nurse’s aide living with them. M stood for Margie, her mother’s nurses aide from Brazil. Margie, although she sometimes seemed friendly is not the kind of mother in law that any kid would want. Even Apron’s pet guinea pig was in danger from “M”.

Also, Rennie, her old time girlfriend, who smells like gummy bears, drops her quickly for snobbish and mean excuse for a girl.

Apron also didn’t have the connection to her Grandmother Branhill anymore. Her grandmother was starting to see “little people” where others didn’t. Also grandmother’s boyfriend was getting ready to take her on a cruise. The cruise took all of Grnadmother’s focus.

So Apron is all alone at the worst time, at the time when a girl needs a friend the most. Before the girl friends split, she goes to a presentation of ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar with Rennie’s family.

Later, she met her neighbor’s nephew in a typical Apron way. She, like me, was constantly falling down, tripping on things and she sort of fell into the lives of Michael, who plays Jesus in the play and his best bud or more, Chad. That was a turning point in her desperate and hurtful life.

I love this coming of age book and what I loved the most was not even a coming of age experience. Apron finally had Michael and Chad mothering her, just what she needed.

I highly recommend this wonderful book to everyone who has had or is having a rough life growing up while they were or are in middle school. This is the kind of book that you want to hug.
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Aug 01, 2012 Amanda (sessionswedding) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had a difficult time getting into this book at first, though it did eventually pick up, and at the end I couldn't put it down. It's pretty depressing, but that's because of the subject matter. It's set in Maine in 1985. It's about a 13-year-old girl with a strange name who recently lost her mother to cancer and is dealing with her dad's new relationship with M, a nurse's aide who cared for her mother in the hospital. She and M do not get along, but her dad doesn't see that (or doesn't choose t...more

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May 25, 2012 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

GIRL UNMOORED is a coming of age story set in the 1980s. That alone earned my rapt attention. Then you have the first line: "Jesus was in his underwear."(pg.9) That line, of course, made me think "Wha...?", but I also laughed. I never expected, though, to be so personally moved by the story.

GIRL UNMOORED reminded me in a way of a movie, maybe My Girl. The story isn't the same, or even similar. It's more of a feeling portrayed, or brought back. This story is the summer of a young, impressionable...more GIRL UNMOORED is a coming of age story set in the 1980s. That alone earned my rapt attention. Then you have the first line: "Jesus was in his underwear."(pg.9) That line, of course, made me think "Wha...?", but I also laughed. I never expected, though, to be so personally moved by the story.

GIRL UNMOORED reminded me in a way of a movie, maybe My Girl. The story isn't the same, or even similar. It's more of a feeling portrayed, or brought back. This story is the summer of a young, impressionable girl whose world is shifted and who learns and teaches those around her about real love. This isn't a love story in the romantic sense. It is love in a human sense.

Apron (the name is explained, so don't panic, people) is thirteen. I immediately adored her and wanted to smother her in love. But she became a rock star to me because she is a devoted Laura Ingalls Wilder fan and reads the Little House on the Prairie series repeatedly. She is motherless, her father is distracted by her evil stepmother, her best friend has dumped her. Apron has lost her faith. She's drifting, until she meets Mike and Chad.

Mike and Chad are proof that love has no defining factors. It's 1985 and many are afraid of gay men, particularly the ones who are sick. They are subjected to homophobia, violence, discrimination. The love exhibited between them, the kindness, the devotion in the face of the toughest obstacle of all, is inspiring. I dare anyone to read this book and say that a love like Mike and Chad's is wrong. They become the anchor Apron needs. They take Apron in and embrace her in a way that causes her to blossom.

GIRL UNMOORED is a beautifully, bittersweet story of love; the most basic, human love. I could not put it down. I was captivated by Apron's voice. To see the world through her view was poignant. I giggled at Mike and Chad, I raged at Evil Stepmother, I rolled my eyes at the ex-bff. And I cried, so hard. I count myself lucky to have read GIRL UNMOORED.

Favorite Quotes:

My favorite quote is near the end of the story. To share it would give too much away. It made me sob.

"The church smelled like leftover tears. Sadness was tucked into corners and hidden under beams and pasted so thick on the walls that it was hard to breathe." (pg.55)

"Being this close to Mike made the cramp in my heart loosen up a bit, like the shingles were falling off of it." (pg.136)(less)

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Feb 20, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 52-books-in-52-weeks-2012

Author Interview and review!

http://www.thewindypages.com/2012/03/...

Review:
Things are not going well for Apron. Her mother has passed away and she is left with her good intentioned but absentee father. Her soon to be step mother is pregnant and her best friend has started hanging out with someone new.
But then she meets him- her new friend Mike who owns the local florist shop. And as this new world unfolds, Apron awakens.

This is Hummer's debut novel and it is all sweet, sad and funny in equal mea...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When first attacking this book I had no idea where it was going. As the story progressed and the characters developed, I began to really enjoy it. There were some plot holes in the subplots throughout the book but for the most part he end was wrapped up in a cute little package. I wish I knew a little bit more about Apron's mom and how she learned about flowers. That was my biggest pet peeve, it was never addressed in the book. Overall it was a good quick read. Great for a teen starting hs. Ther...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Set in 1985. Apron's mother has died and now her nurse is living with them and expecting a baby. Her father doesn't talk to her much and sides with his new wife in disputes. To top it off, her best friend ditches her. She is alone. She meets her neighbors son Mike and his boyfriend Chad. As she spends time helping them in thier flower shop she learns some hard lessons about how society treat her new friends. Aftr Chad dies and Mike leaves she will still feel thier impact on her life. And she is...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Mandee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, for-review, march2012release, netgalley, realistic-fiction, ya-lit

Apron Bramhall is thirteen years old and her mother passed away six months ago. She lives with her father, a Latin professor, and his new girlfriend, Margie, who April will only refer to as M. She's feeling lost and lonely until she meets Mike, who plays Jesus in the local production of Jesus Christ Super Star, and his boyfriend, Chad.

Girl Unmoored is a very sweet story about a young girl growing up in 1985. Apron's only thirteen when she loses her mum and now she has to deal with her dad's new...more Apron Bramhall is thirteen years old and her mother passed away six months ago. She lives with her father, a Latin professor, and his new girlfriend, Margie, who April will only refer to as M. She's feeling lost and lonely until she meets Mike, who plays Jesus in the local production of Jesus Christ Super Star, and his boyfriend, Chad.

Girl Unmoored is a very sweet story about a young girl growing up in 1985. Apron's only thirteen when she loses her mum and now she has to deal with her dad's new girlfriend living in their house and her one and only best friend, Rennie, ditching her for the meanest girl in their class.

Apron meets Mike after the play and then keeps bumping into him in their small town, eventually Mike offers her a part time job helping him and his boyfriend in their florist, a job Apron really takes to.

After spending time with Mike and Chad, Apron realises they're gay, something that is really looked down on by a lot of the people in her town and even her classmates who are obviously taking on their parents' opinions. I was happy that her dad allowed to work for them and spend time with them and I was really happy that Apron let go of anything she'd been told about being gay and just enjoyed getting to know Mike and Chad. It was so sad to read about how they were treated, it was horrible but then again there are so many people who still treat people who are gay in the same way and that's even sadder. We've come a long way but there is still so far to go.

I really liked Apron and I wanted to protect her and her guinea-pig, The Boss, from mean old Margie. Apron is loving, intelligent and so observant (I think we have a Ruby Oliver in the making). She could tell there was something up with Margie when her dad couldn't or wouldn't see it and I was annoyed with him for constantly ignoring her or telling her off. I did appreciate the ending, especially when they reconnected.

There's a slight religious aspect to Girl Unmoored, from the start of the book we have the reference to Jesus in the play and a few scenes are set in a church but I never felt that it overtook the story and it definitely don't think it was preachy.

Girl Unmoored is a very cute story of a young girl who is coming of age and learning about the world around her. I recommend it for all fans of contemporary YA fiction.
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Sep 16, 2012 Wesley rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: i-own, ya

Hard to believe this is Hummer's first novel. Girl Unmoored totally blew me away.*

Apron is only in 7th grade, but she's got adult-sized problems on her plate. I found myself completely enveloped in the story and totally connected with Apron's struggle to keep it together. You root for her from start to finish because she is so ridiculously lovable. Mike, Chad, Toby, Grandma Bramhall. This book is full of characters you wish you could know. It also has characters you hope to never meet in real li...more

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About Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Jennifer Gooch Hummer is the award-winning author of her debut novel, Girl Unmoored. A graduate of Kenyon College, Jennifer has worked as a script analyst for talent agencies and major film studios in Los Angeles. She has continued graduate studies in the Writer’s Program at UCLA, where she was nominated for the Kirkwood Prize in fiction. Currently, Jennifer lives in Southern California and Maine...more

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Quotes from Girl Unmoored

“Love doesn't always mean rings and veils and walks down the aisle.
Sometimes love means broken windows and broken hearts,
and not being able to fix either.
And sometimes love means telling you,
there's no such thing as time in Heaven so don't rush to meet me.
Stay a while, and pick, girl, the roses.” — 11 people liked it

“I sat there looking normal but thinking about how much I wished we were going to see the real Jesus. Everyone needed a miracle once in a while.” — 5 people liked it

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