The Snowball Effect

Jul 14, 2010 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: wanderers

Shelves: 2010, realistic-fiction, sibilings

I'm having a hard time thinking of the right words to put down to describe my experience in reading this book, but I'm going to try...

Lainey is named after a soap opera character and the weirdness doesn't stop there. Her mother decided to kill herself just after she graduates, and the death isn't the first she has had to deal with. At first Lainey doesn't deal with the death as most people would expect. She carries a strong resentment towards her mother. Since the news of her mother's death her...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this copy forever ago, and thus needed to reread it before writing this review. It took me a little while longer to read it this time. Almost always, I pay more attention to detail and how things fit together the second time, whereas the first time I'm racing along because I must know what happens next.

What I really admire about Holly Nicole Hoxter is the way she makes Lainey Pike's grief so true while still making Lainey an appealing character. Lainey's goals in life are quite different t...more I won this copy forever ago, and thus needed to reread it before writing this review. It took me a little while longer to read it this time. Almost always, I pay more attention to detail and how things fit together the second time, whereas the first time I'm racing along because I must know what happens next.

What I really admire about Holly Nicole Hoxter is the way she makes Lainey Pike's grief so true while still making Lainey an appealing character. Lainey's goals in life are quite different than mine, which sometimes puts me off. She's just graduated high school, but she already knows she's marrying her boyfriend Riley as well as attending community college with him. But things in life always happen unexpectedly, and her stepfather, grandmother, and mother died in short order. Now she's parenting her troubled brother Collin with her estranged sister Vallery.

It's lucky for Lainey in this difficult time that she has Riley, who understands her moods and doesn't mind keeping an eye on Collin. Unfortunately, Lainey wants to hurt. Though she sometimes seems callous to the deaths, she's still processing them, especially her mother's suicide. Riley is too good at comforting her. Being around him makes her feel better, and she can't have that. What she can have is the new guy in town, Eric. He's a nice guy - if not Riley - and interested. He doesn't know what's going on, which gives Lainey a comfortable space.

But I find the family sections as compelling as the romance. Vallery and Lainey want to do well by Collin, but at the same time neither of them are close to being responsible parents, especially to a boy who had behavior problems even before he lost both of his adoptive parents in short order. It's interesting to see them try to act as siblings and parents at the same time - they accept their new responsibility, but it's a grudging acceptance. While much YA seems to happen in a shiny world where money is endless, Vallery and Lainey are quite aware that their jobs are not enough to support a family of three, which is an extra burden on top of all the messy emotions.

Things progress wonderfully, as the small things finally allow Lainey to grieve for each of the people she lost. The things that cause her transformation are logical yet illogical, which is very true. You never know what will finally push you over the edge - or if it will push you over in a good or a bad way.

In some ways, THE SNOWBALL EFFECT is a difficult book. There are no action scenes. A romance is central, but it isn't a sweet and giddy or angsty and forbidden. It's part and parcel of a small, meditative world, where a teen girl is simply trying to moving on when she's become an adult too quickly. THE SNOWBALL EFFECT will definitely attract readers who are interested in character driven novels. Lainey's voice is appealing even as she tries to push away from everything she's known. (In a sideways manner, she reminds me of Parker from Courtney Summer's CRACKED UP TO BE, except I like her far more.) (less)

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May 09, 2011 Jodi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Well, about 2 pages into the Snowball Effect, I felt pretty depressed. It seemed as if the author was going to kill off everybody in the first chapter.

The main character, Lainey, had a pretty crappy thing going for her - and she wasn't afraid to let the world know it. That got pretty annoying. Her little brother and older sister were characters that I found super-annoying and thought of them as having little to no substance - just kind of thrown into the story to help it along. Ugh.

The charact...more

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Oct 07, 2010 Jodi Papazian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-reads

Well, about 2 pages into the Snowball Effect, I felt pretty depressed. It seemed as if the author was going to kill off everybody in the first chapter.

The main character, Lainey, had a pretty crappy thing going for her - and she wasn't afraid to let the world know it. That got pretty annoying. Her little brother and older sister were characters that I found super-annoying and thought of them as having little to no substance - just kind of thrown into the story to help it along. Ugh.

The characte...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Precious rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read the complete review here.

Hoxter presented a different angle with which to view life. All the flavours of life are mixed together to come up with this perfect recipe. Sad and tragic, Lainey had the attention her sister desired and lost the love and caring that her little brother had. Her imperfection and her troubled state led her to pour all her anger on Riley, the perfect boyfriend. I guess, when you are perfect, your own imperfection is your own perfection. The inability to do nothing wro...more

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Jul 29, 2010 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

A complex novel about family and death.

Lainey's family is unconventional - she hardly knows her older sister, Vallery, as she spent most of her life living with her dad. Her younger brother, Collin, is adopted and has behavioral issues ranging from being on the autism spectrum to ADHD. The three are thrust together to make a new family after their mother kills herself in the basement laundry room.

Lainey is angry and confused - about lots of things. How to feel about her mother and her siblings....more

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Apr 29, 2010 Arya rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter 2 of 5 stars.

Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to know about the people in her family just by letting you know how they died. Her reckless stepfather drove his motorcycle off the highway and caused the biggest traffic jam in years. Her long-suffering grandmother lived through cancer and a heart attack before finally succumbing to a stroke. And Lainey's mother--well, Lainey's mother hanged herself in the basement just days after Lainey's high...more The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter 2 of 5 stars.

Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to know about the people in her family just by letting you know how they died. Her reckless stepfather drove his motorcycle off the highway and caused the biggest traffic jam in years. Her long-suffering grandmother lived through cancer and a heart attack before finally succumbing to a stroke. And Lainey's mother--well, Lainey's mother hanged herself in the basement just days after Lainey's high school graduation.

Now Lainey's fine-year-old brother is an orphan and her estranged older sister is moving back home to be his gaurdian. Meanwhile, Lainey's boyfriend is thinking about having a family of their own, and her best friends are always asking the wrong sorts of questions and giving advice Lainey doesn't want to hear. As she tries to pull away from everything familiar, Lainey meets an intriguing new guy who, through a series of Slurpees, burgers, and snowballs, helps her to make peace with a parent she never understood. (Book blurb)

Despite the fact that this is twenty thousand miles away from the books I generally love, I thought this would be a good read. By the time I made it to the middle I was hating it, then in the end... it surprised me.

Hoxter's prose isn't lyric or spectacular, but she does have a very consistent voice for Lainey that makes you really want to like her. Unfortunately, I was a bit annoyed with her throughout the book. Her attitude and irritaiton with her family was a bit tiring, and her treatment of the boyfriend who would quite obviously jump off a cliff for her was far from understandable. The characters were well pieced together, though, even if Lainey was severely lacking something throughout the majority of the book.

As far as whether I would suggest this book to someone... probably not. I'm sure there are going to be people who enjoy it immensely but I just don't think you would be missing out on anything by not reading it. But that's my opinion.

Review by Arya @ A Sea of Pages (http://seaofpages.blogspot.com) <(less)

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Dec 04, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter is one of the few books I have read this year that fits the teens I serve almost to a T. I live in a socioeconomically poor area, a city with a high teenage pregnancy rate, and a fairly high rate of teens of drop out of high school or never go to college. They will find that this book fits their lives much better than many of the books I have enjoyed this year.

Synopsis: Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to know about the people in her family...more The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter is one of the few books I have read this year that fits the teens I serve almost to a T. I live in a socioeconomically poor area, a city with a high teenage pregnancy rate, and a fairly high rate of teens of drop out of high school or never go to college. They will find that this book fits their lives much better than many of the books I have enjoyed this year.

Synopsis: Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to know about the people in her family just by letting you know how they died. Her reckless stepfather drove his motorcycle off the highway and caused the biggest traffic jam in years. Her long-suffering grandmother lived through cancer and a heart attack before finally succumbing to a stroke. And Lainey's mother—well, Lainey's mother hanged herself in the basement just days after Lainey's high school graduation.
Now Lainey's five-year-old brother is an orphan and her estranged older sister is moving back home to be his guardian. Meanwhile, Lainey's boyfriend is thinking about having a family of their own, and her best friends are always asking the wrong sorts of questions and giving advice Lainey doesn't want to hear. As she tries to pull away from everything familiar, Lainey meets an intriguing new guy who, through a series of Slurpees, burgers, and snowballs, helps her to make peace with a parent she never understood.

First off, this is not a happy go lucky story. In fact, for the most part it is a realistic story, kind of depressing, kind of hard because Lainey's life is hard, and not filled with a lot of options for its characters. It was very authentic. Lainey is essentially parentless. Her father has had no role in her life for almost her entire life. Her mother recently committed suicide and her stepfather died by driving his motorcycle off a bridge, on accident. She is left alone with her younger adopted brother, Collin, who is a handful to put it lightly. Her older sister, Vallery, who she barely knows, suddenly shows up after their mother's death, assigned as Collin's guardian. This is a very dysfunctional family on so many levels.

Lainey has graduated high school and she is planning on attending the local community college with her boyfriend of four years, Riley, but somehow she is feeling dissatisfied with life lately. She is irritable, her car keeps breaking down, and her job at a mall kiosk is far from satisfactory. While reading this book, all I could think was how easily this scenario, or something so similar, fits many of the teens I serve. I am in teen central during the afternoons and I cannot tell you how many teens I see come into the area, being trailed by younger siblings, no parents at all in sight. How they even got to the library is often a mystery. This is the story of a girl with not many options for her future but that isn't the point. She isn't looking for options necessarily. She is just trying to get by.

Into her life enters a new guy who becomes the catalyst for some changes, not necessarily for the better. This new guy does not give her new options, he is not necessarily any better than her boyfriend of four years, he is just new, someone to have some type of hopes about. I'll be totally honest, for much of this book, Lainey was a bit of a bitch. But heck, she has had so many deaths in her life recently I could forgive her. She hadn't really grieved at all so it was hard to see her in so much pain but yet persevere because the family needed money, they needed food on their table. Lainey was the parent essentially for Collin, even if she did share those duties with Vallery, a person who is pretty much a total stranger to her. Lainey is still stuck with her high school crew. Yes, she is one of those people who I never envy, those people who never leave their hometown and twenty years down the road, you know they are still hanging out and drinking with the same crowd from high school. It's rather pathetic and sad and Lainey is in some ways headed down that path herself. But the thing is, she doesn't seem to mind too much. Yes, she wants something different but even by the story's end, she is not sure what.

This book is very different from many of the YA stories I have read this year, and that is to this book's benefit in my mind. I wish it wasn't quite so long because many of the teens in my area are more reluctant readers. And sadly, the length does not necessarily enhance the book, it just merely allows Lainey more time to whine and to dawdle.

I will say, I did feel hope for these characters by the end of the book. They seemed to have formed a more cohesive unit. And yeah, maybe their futures weren't all that much brighter but there was a sense of family and peace about them finally.

The Snowball Effect is a good down to earth read. This is unfortunately the kind of lives many teens are leading. I think they will find themselves on the pages of the story very easily and maybe it will motivate them to keep going with high school, not get pregnant, or maybe, and this is just as good, it will be a comfort to see themselves on the pages of a story.(less)

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Jul 31, 2009 Sara Grochowski rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, own

Title: The Snowball Effect
Author: Holly Nicole Hoxter
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: March 23, 2010
Genre: Young Adult
Main Themes: Death, Family, Love, Emotional Problems
Pages: 356
Plot (from back cover of ARC):
"Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to now about the people in her lfamily just by letting you know how they died. Her reckless stepfather drove his motorcycle off the highway and caused the biggest traffic jam in years. Her long-suffering grandmother lived through cancer...more

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May 30, 2010 Phoebe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lainey Pike is more adult than most YA protagonists I've met. On the cusp of eighteen, she works instead of going to school. She takes care of her behavior-issue-plagued adopted brother and doesn't expect a thing from her father. She helps friends (who are expecting a baby) dumpster-dive to find furniture for their new apartment. Her forever-boyfriend sleeps over and no one cares. When she finds out her mother hanged herself in the basement, the first thing she says is, "Well, this isn't exactly...more

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Nov 16, 2009 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-older-teens

(I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this from Holly.)

This book reminded me of a darker version of a Sarah Dessen novel, and some parts of it were so painful to read that I had to take time away and read the novel in slow bites...but I am so glad I did.

Lainey Pike's family is truly broken. Her dad's out of the picture, her stepdad died recently, and her mother, who always suffered from depression, has just committed suicide in the family's basement, just after Lainey's high school graduation. N...more

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Apr 03, 2010 Jenny / Wondrous Reads rated it 4 of 5 stars

From just reading the above summary, The Snowball Effect probably sounds like quite a depressing book about death, suicide and other such depressing parts of life. While it does touch on the deaths of Lainey's immediate family members, it's more about surviving what life throws at you, and appreciating what, and who, you have left.

Hoxter's writing is engaging and easy to become engrossed in, though it's her characters that are the true stars of the story. After Lainey's mum dies, older sister Va...more From just reading the above summary, The Snowball Effect probably sounds like quite a depressing book about death, suicide and other such depressing parts of life. While it does touch on the deaths of Lainey's immediate family members, it's more about surviving what life throws at you, and appreciating what, and who, you have left.

Hoxter's writing is engaging and easy to become engrossed in, though it's her characters that are the true stars of the story. After Lainey's mum dies, older sister Vallery comes to live with Lainey and her younger brother Collin, who suffers from behavioural problems. Lainey's long-term boyfriend, Riley, is also in the mix, and he's the kind of guy I think anyone would be lucky to have. They end up forming a really tight family unit, and learning to trust and depend on each other. Hoxter writes each character with such care and precision that you're left feeling as if they could be your own family, friends and neighbours, rather than fictional people born from someone's imagination.

I don't have many problems with The Snowball Effect, besides the way Lainey treats Riley. As soon as new boy Eric comes into the picture, she seems to forget about the years she's spent with Riley, as well as everything he's done for her and her family, and treats him horribly. I know everyone makes mistakes, and the grieving process can affect people in different ways, but I just didn't understand why Lainey would be so rash with her strong, loving relationship. It didn't seem to fit with her overall personality - why build a life with someone to forget them because of a chance meeting with a stranger? It didn't make sense to me, but it does serve its purpose, as you'll find out later in the book.

I enjoyed The Snowball Effect; it's a good, solid debut to add to the list of 2010 releases. I'm not a fan of the cover at all, but that's besides the point. Don't let it put you off, though, because the content is so much better than what you might originally think, and Lainey is a character you'll definitely learn to love. (less)

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Jan 15, 2013 Joséphine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, adoption, death, family, fiction, friendship, grief, single-parenthood, reviewed

After I was done reading and thought about what I had gained from reading this book, I couldn't pin-point anything. A few days on, still, nothing. Maybe it's about how we should treasure the time we have with our loved ones because we never know what will happen next. Though for that, I felt Lainey was a little too flippant. She seemed detached when referring to the suicide of her mother. Perhaps the author meant to portray her stage of denial. It bothered me though that from the start to finish...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Czarina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-states-or-countries-of-ya

This was a pretty fun read. Well, except for the beginning, which was a bit sad and depressing. Lainey was also a bitch at the beginning, I mean, hey, she lost a lot of people in the span of one year, that was pretty understandable, but it got on my nerves sometimes. But at least she improved later on. She was pretty fun but a bit confusing with all her undecidedness. (is that even a word? Undecidedness. It seems weird.)

I liked Vallery. She's like the cool sister I always wanted but never had. M...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Cristina rated it 3 of 5 stars

If I could give it 3 1/2 stars I would. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this book at first. It starts on a horribly depressing note and and then is accompanied by the slightly aggravating personality of Lainey, the protagonist. Don't get me wrong, she's been through a lot of shit in a very short period of time, so some of her actions are understandable but after awhile she was just being a "bitch."

Other than that, the story was actually enjoyable, with a few moments of boring narration. All...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, signed, blog

Originally reviewed on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.

The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter had a lot of potential. There was a lot to the story that I liked. I actually really loved reading about where the title came from, kind of the idea that you can't dwell on the past, can't try to go back to what it was, because your perception of the past is always changing and because you are always changing, you aren't going to be effected in the same way again.

But overall, this boo...more Originally reviewed on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.

The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter had a lot of potential. There was a lot to the story that I liked. I actually really loved reading about where the title came from, kind of the idea that you can't dwell on the past, can't try to go back to what it was, because your perception of the past is always changing and because you are always changing, you aren't going to be effected in the same way again.

But overall, this book was one big disappointment after another. Lainey has an awesome boyfriend who loves her and wants to start talking about marriage and starting a family, but she isn't ready for that. Which is fine. But instead of really talking to him about it, explaining how she feels, she pretty much ignores him, sorta maybe hooks up with a new guy and never actually breaks things off with old boyfriend. Not cool. If you are unhappy in a relationship, work it out or break it off. Don't start a new one without finishing off the old.

But what made me madder than anything else was the way that Lainey and her estranged older sister, Valerie treat her younger brother, five year old Colin who has an unspecified mental illness. Lainey's mom committed suicide after her husband's death leaving Lainey and Valerie to care for Colin, a boy she had taken in as a foster child and decided to adopt. I get that the sisters are pretty young (Lainey is 18, Valerie a few years older), especially to now be responsible for a 5 year old with mental health problems BUT that does not excuse the way they treated him, or the way the mom treated him. They are very harsh, often yelling and screaming at him for things he can't really control. And it's just did NOT sit well with me. I have a hard time enjoying a book when I am so angry about the treatment of a character. I know it wasn't the focal point of the story- Lainey's growth as a person is, but it was handled so abominably that I just couldn't really enjoy the book.

I never really connected with this one. It felt gimmicky and forced. There were things added that felt like drama-increasers, things that didn't really have a point or purpose other than to (blatantly) push the plot a certain direction, or give Lainey something else to dwell on. And, pretty much every character was super annoying, whether I liked them or not. I wouldn't want to ever meet any of these guys in real life. It was an overall fine book, just one that didn't really work for me.(less)

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Mar 15, 2011 Nick Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter, was an interesting novel. I was gifted this book way back during my birthday and it took me a month to get to it, and a month of slow reading to finish it. It’s not that long a novel, just the last couple of months got extraordinarily busy for me.

The novel follows the life of Lainey St James, a 17 year girl who recently lost her Mother, who had committed suicide, yeah I know charming premises but hang in there. Up to now, and the mostly through the fir...more The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter, was an interesting novel. I was gifted this book way back during my birthday and it took me a month to get to it, and a month of slow reading to finish it. It’s not that long a novel, just the last couple of months got extraordinarily busy for me.

The novel follows the life of Lainey St James, a 17 year girl who recently lost her Mother, who had committed suicide, yeah I know charming premises but hang in there. Up to now, and the mostly through the first part of the book her life is, as she views it, totally perfect. She never felt close to her Mother and feels nothing over her dying. Then slowly everything starts to fall apart.

Now the way that Holly does this is very interesting, at the beginning I really disliked Lainey, a 17 year old coming off as 40, and seemed to be channeling Juno. Everything she had was all so together, even the boyfriend Riley was too perfect. Then her Sister comes along to become the Guardian of Collin the adopted ADD baby, then bit by bit Lainey loses control of her life, as she finds out she is more like her mother than she realized. The tipping point is when she meets the Slurpie Guy Eric, and starts to learn there is much more to life.

The story is charming, with lots of humor injected into it. This is a story about ordinary people getting on by and living while life stuff happens to them, about taking small chances and the changes it can make to you as a person. It deals nicely with all the stages of grieving, and wraps up with Lainey going through a life changing journey.

On the way she breaks up with Riley, dates Eric, has an alcohol fueled melt down, gets into an ice cream fight, goes on a surprise vacation to Florida, comes back again, finally grieves for her mother, learns some life lessons, becomes a little wiser and puts her life back together again.

While this isn’t really a book I would pick up, I am after all more of a Discworld irrelevant fantasy type person, it does make an engaging read and a fine dialog novel. I can actually seeing this being an indie movie just be the way it plays out – although Juno Lainey at the beginning would get to me a little bit. This is a gentle, fun, loving story about life and the people that are in it with you. Go pick it for your wife, girl, your daughter, or maybe even for yourself, it is good read.(less)

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Jan 13, 2011 Nina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a book that made you so sad you just want to put the book away for a couple of days and read it later. This book does that to me. It’s all about loss, grieving and coping.

Lainey is a character that I started to like, even care for and then she treats her boyfriend like crap and that totally pissed me off. I understood her sadness, her angriness and her abandonment issues, but the way she treated Riley was a bit harsh. I liked the supporting character, the sister. She was not r...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

How I loved this book! It was a really great story and a quick read. The story was so believable, despite all the crazy things that happened to poor Lainey. Despite the serious tone of parts of the book, it had a light feel to it and parts were filled with humor.

The Snowball Effect was fairly predictable, but that was part of its charm. I loved the basis of the plot. As tragic as it is, it provides for a wonderfully written story and how one girl copes with it. The first few pages, I wa...more

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Apr 13, 2010 Princess Bookie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read2010

My Thoughts: YES! YES! YES! Its been a little while that I read a book that I absolutely loved. I had seen a few buddies reading this a few months ago, and knew I had to give it a chance from their words on goodreads. I'm so happy I did. It was a great book. We meet Lainey who is 18 but has her whole life ahead of her. She gets thrown into a world of responsibility. Her mother takes her own life which leaves her 5 year old brother and a sister she never knew. We also meet her perfect boyfriend....more

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Mar 04, 2010 Samantha (Harlequin Twilight's Book Blog) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a story where it felt like you were actually part of the characters lives? The Snowball Effect is one of those kinds of stories, and Lainey Pike is one of those kinds of characters.

Eighteen year old Lainey is your somewhat typical jaded teenage girl, except she has bigger issues to deal with. Her stepfather died in a motorcycle crash, her grandmother died shortly after that, and her mother fully lost it and hanged herself in their basement…two days after her high school gradua...more Have you ever read a story where it felt like you were actually part of the characters lives? The Snowball Effect is one of those kinds of stories, and Lainey Pike is one of those kinds of characters.

Eighteen year old Lainey is your somewhat typical jaded teenage girl, except she has bigger issues to deal with. Her stepfather died in a motorcycle crash, her grandmother died shortly after that, and her mother fully lost it and hanged herself in their basement…two days after her high school graduation.

Sounds like a lot to deal with, right? Well, there’s more…Her mother left behind another child, Lainey’s brother, Collin, is five years old and has sever behavioral problems, and now there’s someone else to add to their dysfunctional family, Vallery, Lainey’s long gone older sister. Vallery hasn’t been in Lainey’s life since she was a very young child, and Vallery never even knew Collin existed, until now. And now, Vallery is back and in charge of Collin, but not willingly and definitely not patiently.

To add to everything else in Lainey’s already chaotic life, there’s Riley, her adorably sweet boyfriend, who wants them to move in together and start a life of their own. But now that Vallery is back and they’re sharing the responsibility of Collin and for everything else, Lainey has way more to deal with than she ever has.

Now, Lainey has to get to know Vallery all over again, and get Collin to not only behave, but behave for Vallery and come to trust her. Then there’s the task of trying to find a way to forgive her mother for being mentally absent and leaving her. But how easy can it be to make peace with a dead woman?

There was so much about The Snowball Effect that I absolutely adored and it’s hard to know where to start! Lainey is one of those characters that is so easy to relate to. She’s frustrated with her siblings and her job, she has her friends and relationships to deal with, and it’s all complicated.

Holly Nicole Hoxter has an adorable hit on her hands. The story did tend to jump around a bit, but it made up for that with it’s realistic look at a teenager’s way of coping, while trying to move on and improve their life, plus dealing with whatever else life throws their way. Then there’s Riley, whom I absolutely adored! He’s kind and sweet and totally loves Lainey, no matter how she treats him. Talk about a fantastic boyfriend! There’s also the relationship that Lainey, Collin, and Vallery forge with one another, and I found it to be realistic and beautiful.

But there’s more to The Snowball Effect than the story itself. Hoxter’s writing flows so beautifully, and she has a talent that few writers have. There are few writers that have the ability to take an incredibly sad situation, such as the loss of a loved one, and make it so hilarious, yet moving. This is an author that I not only look forward to reading more from, but I also know will go far.

Watch out for Holly Nicole Hoxter, she’s a talented author and an awesome storyteller. The Snowball Effect actually reminded me somewhat of a Sarah Dessen novel, and that is always a good thing! I definitely recommended this to all teens, and adults, that enjoy a good, realistic, entertaining story.(less)

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Apr 12, 2010 Lenore Appelhans rated it 3 of 5 stars

18 year old Lainey Pike is reeling from three recent deaths in her family including her mother’s suicide. Unsure about what to do with her future, Lainey pushes away her long-term boyfriend and high school friends, immersing herself in the care of her troubled 5 year old brother with her estranged older sister and hanging out with "slurpee guy".

I think Lainey’s voice is done extraordinarily well. As someone who experienced a similar spate of deaths in the family when I was 19, I can vouch for th...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Samantha Clanton aka "Harlequin Twilight" for TeensReadToo.com

Have you ever read a story where it felt like you were actually part of the characters lives? THE SNOWBALL EFFECT is one of those kinds of stories, and Lainey Pike is one of those kinds of characters.

Eighteen-year-old Lainey is your somewhat typical jaded teenage girl, except she has bigger issues to deal with. Her stepfather died in a motorcycle crash, her grandmother died shortly after that, and her mother fully lost it...more Reviewed by Samantha Clanton aka "Harlequin Twilight" for TeensReadToo.com

Have you ever read a story where it felt like you were actually part of the characters lives? THE SNOWBALL EFFECT is one of those kinds of stories, and Lainey Pike is one of those kinds of characters.

Eighteen-year-old Lainey is your somewhat typical jaded teenage girl, except she has bigger issues to deal with. Her stepfather died in a motorcycle crash, her grandmother died shortly after that, and her mother fully lost it and hanged herself in their basement...two days after her high school graduation.

Sounds like a lot to deal with, right? Well, there's more. Her mother left behind another child, Lainey's brother, Collin, who is five years old and has severe behavioral problems, and now there's someone else to add to their dysfunctional family: Vallery, Lainey's long-gone older sister. Vallery hasn't been in Lainey's life since she was a very young child, and she never even knew Collin existed. And now, Vallery is back and in charge of Collin, but not willingly and definitely not patiently.

To add to everything else in Lainey's already chaotic life, there's Riley, her adorably sweet boyfriend, who wants them to move in together and start a life of their own. But now that Vallery is back and they're sharing the responsibility for Collin and everything else, Lainey has way more to deal with than she ever has.

Lainey has to get to know Vallery all over again, and get Collin to not only behave, but behave for Vallery and come to trust her. Then there's the task of trying to find a way to forgive her mother for being mentally absent and leaving her. But how easy can it be to make peace with a dead woman?

There was so much about THE SNOWBALL EFFECT that I absolutely adored and it's hard to know where to start! Lainey is one of those characters that is so easy to relate to. She's frustrated with her siblings and her job, she has her friends and relationships to deal with, and it's all complicated.

Holly Nicole Hoxter has an enjoyable hit on her hands. The story did tend to jump around a bit, but it made up for that with its realistic look at a teenager's way of coping, while trying to move on and improve their life, plus dealing with whatever else gets thrown their way. Then there's Riley, whom I absolutely adored! He's kind and sweet and totally loves Lainey, no matter how she treats him. Talk about a fantastic boyfriend! There's also the relationship that Lainey, Collin, and Vallery forge with one another, and I found it to be realistic and beautiful.

But there's more to THE SNOWBALL EFFECT than the story itself. Hoxter's writing flows so beautifully, and she has a talent that few writers have: the ability to take an incredibly sad situation, such as the loss of a loved one, and make it so hilarious, yet moving. This is an author that I not only look forward to reading more from, but I also know will go far.

Watch out for Holly Nicole Hoxter; she's a talented author and an awesome storyteller. THE SNOWBALL EFFECT actually reminded me somewhat of a Sarah Dessen novel, and that is always a good thing! I definitely recommend this to all teens, and adults, who enjoy a good, realistic, entertaining story.(less)

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Mar 16, 2010 Steph Su rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: debs10

THE SNOWBALL EFFECT is an endearing debut novel that explores the different types of enduring—and finite—relationships that are necessary in life. Its wonderful characters are hindered by a plot that seems to move around in circles with no satisfying closure, but on the whole it is an enjoyable read with a unique moral.

Lainey is a relatable, though not always likable, protagonist. Her no-nonsense narration flows smoothly and never feels forced in the shadow of all the tragedy and hardships that...more

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Nov 01, 2009 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

I seriously just LOVED The Snowball Effect so much that I feel that there's not a good enough word out there to express just how much I enjoyed it.

I'm not exactly sure why I specifically liked it so much. Since, there was a few flaws to it such as how the story kind of jumped around a lot. Though, by the end all the flaws came together with the perfections and formed a fabulously told story.

One of my favorite parts of The Snowball Effect was how unique yet real it was. I mean who hasn't lost a...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Remi D. rated it 3 of 5 stars

meh
This book was ok. For, some reason i was compelled to write a review for it, so here it goes. The snowball Effect is about a girl whose mother just committed suicide and left her with a little brother and a sister that she hasn't talked to in years. An just like any novel worth reading, a love story. Maybe its just because i have a thing against love triangles, but the only thing that this love triangle did was frustrate me. I didn't like the main character either (and we all know that you ha...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Oksana *Bookaholic* rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: older girl teens

Recommended to Oksana by: library

Shelves: best-cover, shocking

At first, I was at disagreement with this novel. I mean, seriously?? Her mom hangs herself, her stepdad dies by driving his motorcycle, her grandma has a stroke, and it was all I can't believe this is happening! I mean, so much bad things happened to this girl - how can she keep it together?? Anyway, although I didn't agree with many things in this book, (i.e. hanging yourself, "doing it" before marriage), it was a very sweet and cute read. I adored the ending :)

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Nov 28, 2010 Georgiann Hennelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lainey Pike is more adult than most soon to be eighteen year olds. She works and takes care of her adopted brother. Lainey can tell you all you want to know about her family just by letting you know how they died.This story touched me emotionally in parts it was painful to readso that i had to take time away and read it in slow pieces. But i am glad i did finish reading it. Her mother kills herself which leaves Lainey with a five year old brother and an older siter she never knew. We also meet h...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Grant Trevarthen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Although entertaining to begin with, I found this book ultimately boring and lacking great depth. I'm sure though that Holly Hoxter will improve if she choses to pursue a writing career. I was interested in the character Collin, his story would be a novel in itself.

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Oct 14, 2010 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: debuts, real-life

I'll admit, half the reason this book caught my attention was because the author's name is the same as mine. That said, i still wanted to read it for its content. My life's never fallen apart, nor do I have a long-lost sister anywhere. But I like the fact that sometimes you have to change what you have in order to see if it's still what you want.

Lainey's mother committed suicide in their basement and that's only the beginning of the downfall of Lainey's life. Out of nowhere, her long-lost sister...more

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