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Title: Savannah Jade
Author: Sandra Cimadori
Rating: 4 Stars

This review was done as part of a Read2Review.

Amazon Summary: Trailer trash is what people in Port Regal, South Carolina call seventeen year old Savannah Jade Mason and her family. Savannah dreams of doing important, spectacular things, but it is unlikely she ever will given her spectacular ability for getting into trouble. When her mother dies, the family's circumstances sink further into the Lowcountry swamp. Adult responsibilities are thrust on Savannah overnight. She is the only one left to care for her elderly grandmother and little brother - Savannah's older sister is in jail and no good to anyone.
Who can Savannah turn to? Will it be Jonah her rocker boyfriend who she has loved for years, Derek who is anxious to escape his new wife and baby or steady and dependable Luca who she sees only as a friend? The revelation of a family secret will shake her identity to its core, lead her to question all her relationships and set her on the road to self reliance.
A Young Adult novel appropriate for mature teens. Contains mild sexual situations and language.

My Review
Firstly, I want to be clear that 4 stars means I DO recommend Savannah Jade, particularly because it is a short, enjoyable read. It is only $0.99 on Kindle and Smashwords, so definitely go check this one out if my review appeals. It's well worth it.

One of my main impressions of this story as I made my way through it was that it was sexy. I don't mean in an erotica sort of way, I mean in that heart-palpitating, hot-and-bothered, teen girl filled with longing and hormones kind of way. Savannah is reaching that age when the boys in her life start to look at her differently...ALL of the boys in her life and her head's in a bit of a whirl. It's a strange time for a girl, and for Savannah in particular because Savannah's life has been tough and she's terrified of making the same mistakes as her mother and grandmother.

The nice thing about the sexiness is that it is actually quite restrained. Almost the entire story, I felt the palpable longing the character has for some of the boys she knows, but at the same time the book is not actually filled with sex. Without giving any spoilers, I think that the author does a good job of creating the tension without ruining it.

Savannah Jade - I loved the character of Savannah Jade and found her to be the most compelling thing about the story. At first she felt a little foreign to me because her experience as a teen is so different from my own...but she really did ring true as you got to know her. At first you may think of her as a typical teen but you realize quickly that she is dealing with A LOT. What is interesting is that I think a lot more teens grow up with big obstacle's like Savannah's than we realize. But not all of them handle it as well. I liked getting to know this young girl and was rooting for her at every turn. At times you think, "No Savannah! Make a better choice!" And at other times you think, "Yes Savannah, you go girl!" (Sorry, I really did think this, however lame that makes me.)

The Environment - Again, this small southern town atmosphere was not familiar to me, but it must be to the author (or she's great at research), because it was described so well that I came to understand it. The way that social status in a small town affects every interaction you have...the way that you can't escape your history, or that of your relatives...and the way that 'breaking free' can be the main desire of many in town, however unlikely that is.

Deeper Topics - I liked the author's exploration of hard topics such as why mostly poor boys are the ones who go off to war. Despite Savannah's fear for the boys she knows who are headed to the military, she also respects that they don't have a lot of other choices. She understands what it means to have limited choices.

Also, the yellow rose (no spoilers) comes to represent many things to Savannah, but particularly, the impact of choices. I like the way the author used this symbol as an arc to show Savannah growing up.

The Family - I like that Savannah's family, despite being fairly poor and having a lot of issues, is not a complete wreck. There is some love, there is some respect, there is some structure. It's not all just desolation and loss. I think that is balanced and added realism to the complicated girl that is Savannah.

Why 4 Stars?
So why didn't I give this the full 5 stars that I think I otherwise would have? It wasn't the writing or typos or anything like that. I found this to be well and cleanly written though occasionally she used expressions I didn't totally get which I believe represent 'regional' dialogue.

The reason is because this is a short read and there were some important elements that felt like they were left unfinished. In particular, the relationship between Savannah and her sister, Kat. I don't wish to include spoilers, but this relationship wasn't developed or explained to the level that I would have liked.

This is also true with a few other major characters including Crystal, who was supposed to be her BFF, Becca who used to be her BFF and comes back, and Luca, the caring neighbor. I could have easily enjoyed another hundred pages of Savannah's funny viewpoint as she interacted with these characters.

Overall, for a book that has a lot of bleakness and strife, it also has a lot of sexiness, humor, and sweetness.