Fingerprints of You by Kristen-Paige Madonia

Feb 19, 2012 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-lit, simon-and-schuster, received-via-book-swap, contemporary-fiction, realistic-fiction, august-2012-release, female-pov, cover-love, i-have-a-copy, road-trip

Fingerprints of You is Kristen-Paige Madonia’s debut novel. Set in South Virginia, the story centres on seventeen year old Lemon Raine Williams, and her mother, Stella. Stella and Lemon never stay in one place too long as Stella is usually trying to escape an abusive boyfriend, and soon they are on the road again. But this time is different, Lemon is leaving behind the father of her unborn child. In a new town Lemon is befriended by Emmy and her boyfriend, Dylan. Soon Lemon and Emmy are planning Fingerprints of You is Kristen-Paige Madonia’s debut novel. Set in South Virginia, the story centres on seventeen year old Lemon Raine Williams, and her mother, Stella. Stella and Lemon never stay in one place too long as Stella is usually trying to escape an abusive boyfriend, and soon they are on the road again. But this time is different, Lemon is leaving behind the father of her unborn child. In a new town Lemon is befriended by Emmy and her boyfriend, Dylan. Soon Lemon and Emmy are planning a holiday road trip and Lemon has her heart set on San Francisco as she believes it’s where her father still lives, a father she’s never met.

Fingerprints of You is a beautiful story. I have to admit the reason I first wanted to read it was because of the amazing cover, which was designed by the publisher and then finished off by a tattoo artist. And I am so glad this cover is eye catching because I think every YA fan should read it.

From the beginning Lemon is a very real and honest character. It’s her seventeenth birthday and Stella has gone to the local tattoo parlour to get a new tattoo, a hummingbird, and to flirt with one the artists, Johnny. But Lemon has her eye on him too, and after they hook up, she finds herself pregnant. Stella takes the news surprisingly well and moves them to a new town, enrolling Lemon in a new high school where she meets Emmy, who turns out to be a fantastic friend. Stella soon finds herself a new boyfriend, Simon, and he’s different to all the rest.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between mother and daughter. Lemon is quite independent and has had to watch her mother go through shitty relationships and because of that she’s never quite felt at home anywhere because they’re always moving. I liked that Stella, while still being a mum, was able to give Lemon space and know when she should let her make decisions and that she was proactive in her daughter’s pregnancy. She’s also tried to make the best of any situation and given Lemon a good life.

The road trip was one of my favourite scenes in the book, I felt as if I was with Lemon and Emmy as they made their cross country trip, and in a recent twitter chat, I was able to ask Kristen-Paige if it’s a trip she’s made and it is one she has made several times, which I think is what made it so realistic.

Lemon’s time in San Francisco was just what she needed. I could feel her anxiety about meeting her dad for the first time, and her need to find someone to blame was understandable. I loved that things didn't turn out as I expected, and there wasn't any unnecessary drama in this book, every reaction and scene felt real and well thought out. I kept waiting for typical YA scenes or characters to appear but they never did, making this book compelling and heartfelt instead of angsty and drama-ridden. I also adored Aiden, a local boy she meets while there, and the way he never pressured her for anything.

There was also a lot of character progression, particularly for Lemon and Stella. Stella is realising that Lemon is at an age where she wants to see the world and make her own decisions, and Lemon is learning that she might feel like she’s an adult but she’s still allowed to miss her mother but she doesn't have to feel responsible for her mother’s happiness.

Fingerprints of You is a unique and beautifully written story of a teenage girl and is much more than a book about teenage pregnancy. It’s about finding your family in not only relatives but in friends, and figuring out where you belong.
...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Nina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-realistic, 4-star, read-in-2014

For starters, I'd like to mention the cover - which, seriously, isn't it gorgeous? It is. And it's also related to the novel itself, which makes for a refreshing change, considering most female-centric YA books now just have a random girl splashed on the cover, and that's the extent of the work.

This novel is quite... weird. Which, in turn, is a weird way to put it, but no less true because of that.
The narration is stripped bare and refreshingly essential, free of long-winded descriptions and ful For starters, I'd like to mention the cover - which, seriously, isn't it gorgeous? It is. And it's also related to the novel itself, which makes for a refreshing change, considering most female-centric YA books now just have a random girl splashed on the cover, and that's the extent of the work.

This novel is quite... weird. Which, in turn, is a weird way to put it, but no less true because of that.
The narration is stripped bare and refreshingly essential, free of long-winded descriptions and full of little summaries and ellipses. However, that doesn't translate into a lack of atmophere. The scene is sort of hazy at times, but at the same time incredibly colourful and visual, and there's a starkness to Lemon's feelings, due to her remarkable self-awareness, that makes them, by contrast, feel that much more concrete, and gives the story an interesting potential to satisfy the reader, depending on what they're looking for.

Lemon reminds me of Mandy, from Sara Zarr's How To Save A Life, and that is a definite plus. Not because they are both pregnant teenagers, but because Lemon is, just like Mandy, a bit of a kook. And I mean that in a totally endearing, intriguing way.
Like Mandy, she's silent but with a head full of interesting thoughts and impressions that she doesn't hesitate to put on paper, as much as she hates to voice them; and like Mandy, she has a mother who is not quite what we expect mothers to be like.
Lemon's mother, however, is not the neglectful, borderline abusive bitch I was expecting from the blurb and the first pages of the novel, yet a complicated but essentially loving woman. I loved seeing the relationship between Stella and Lemon unfold before my eyes, showing new sides everytime I thought I'd seen both the best and the worst, just as much as I loved seeing Lemon get to know and appreciate all the other people in her life - people who will stay, and people who won't. The parallelisms and fundamental differences between Stella's life and Lemon's are masterfully thought out, giving the mixed feeling that Stella and Lemon are almost disturbingly similar, yet completely different from each other.

In four words: creative, touching, sharp and charming.
Also, I want to go to San Francisco. ...more

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Sep 24, 2016 Ashley Daviau rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I absolutely freaking adored this book! It was such a powerful, beautiful story about an all too relevant issue these days. I don't usually relate to books about teenage pregnancy, having never been through it myself, but something about this story was different. Lemon is a very real character and I couldn't help but fall in love with her for it. I see a lot of myself in her as a character and I think that's why I related to her so much. I also loved the relationship between Lemon and her mom St ...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Lena ♫ ♪ rated it it was amazing

You guys know what a huge fan of contemporary YA I am, especially when it's a coming-of-age story. With that said, when I first heard about FINGERPRINTS OF YOU, I knew I had to read it. I mean, look at the cover. Look at the summary! It just has to be good, right? Well, it wasn't good...

It was fabulous!

The story focuses on Lemon and the dynamic relationship she has with her mother, Stella. Much to Lemon's dismay, she's traveling down the same path as Stella, and it's not necessarily the best ro You guys know what a huge fan of contemporary YA I am, especially when it's a coming-of-age story. With that said, when I first heard about FINGERPRINTS OF YOU, I knew I had to read it. I mean, look at the cover. Look at the summary! It just has to be good, right? Well, it wasn't good...

It was fabulous!

The story focuses on Lemon and the dynamic relationship she has with her mother, Stella. Much to Lemon's dismay, she's traveling down the same path as Stella, and it's not necessarily the best road to follow. From that very first moment in the tattoo parlor with Johnny Drinko, you knew what was going to happen.

Now, 17 and pregnant, Lemon begins to wonder about the father she never knew. With that said and a "gift" from her mother, she decides to travel in search of her long lost father in the hopes of finding answers and possibly more.

Though I knew I'd like this story, I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it. I'm telling you guys, it's the writing. Kristen Paige-Madonia just has this undeniable natural talent for story telling. I literally went from hating a character one minute and loving her the next. Oh, Lemon. I'm having the hardest time trying to fathom into words how incredible her story is. Honestly, it's something you'll have to experience for yourself.

One of the things I loved about this book is that it reminds readers that there are consequences to having unprotected sex, one of which being pregnancy. It's not this glorified adventure that MTV portrays. Teenage pregnancy is becoming more and more common in today's world, and it doesn't help when certain novels exalt having unprotected sex. With that said, I bow down to you, Kristen, for writing such a brilliant and realistic novel and teaching everyone a very valuable lesson.

Though the book mainly centers around Lemon, somewhere along the way I became particularly invested in Emmy's story. When Lemon and her mother move for the millionth time, Emmy is the first (and only) person to befriend Lemon. They're both practically opposites and yet they mesh well together. The story with Emmy and her father in Afghanistan completely moved me in so many different ways. These two girls definitely don't live an easy life and for this, it makes me love them even more.

A mixture between The Wonder Years and Juno, FINGERPRINTS OF YOU is a novel you won't want to miss. I highly recommend to everyone that you grab a copy as soon as possible. Is it an easy read? No, but it's a undoubtedly a worthwhile one. I'll be shocked if this book doesn't win any awards. SHOCKED. ...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Lori rated it it was amazing

With Fingerprints of You I knew I was reading something different very early on. I’ve never read anything like it. Not only is the subject something you don’t come across too often in Young Adult novels, but the writing is gorgeous. It was one of those ‘this is a debut author?’ cases. The book isn’t long, not even 300 pages, but Kristen-Paige Madonia fills it with so much story. I felt like these characters became a part of my life.

Lemon and Stella have been on their own for years. Stella moves ...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Anna (Literary Exploration) rated it it was amazing

More of my reviews can be found on my blog: Literary Exploration

If you've been following me for awhile, you know I'm not a big fan of contemporary fiction. There's just something lacking in most contemps for me. Whether it's the excitement of going on an adventure, the paranormal creatures, or some other difference, contemporary style never seems to grab me like everything else does. However, there are a few diamonds in the rough and Fingerprints of You is definitely one of them. Honestly, I nev More of my reviews can be found on my blog: Literary Exploration

If you've been following me for awhile, you know I'm not a big fan of contemporary fiction. There's just something lacking in most contemps for me. Whether it's the excitement of going on an adventure, the paranormal creatures, or some other difference, contemporary style never seems to grab me like everything else does. However, there are a few diamonds in the rough and Fingerprints of You is definitely one of them. Honestly, I never would have picked up this book if it wasn't just sent to me, but I have to admit I was completely drawn to the cover when I first saw it. It's gorgeous, and so Grateful Dead-esque. Fingerprints of You blew me away with it's honest, raw writing, and I am so surprised that this is a debut novel. Madonia did an amazing job at refusing to glance over the harsh realities that some teens face while still showcasing the beauty that life has to offer.

Lemon is really a remarkable character. Pregnant at seventeen, she treks off across the country to find her long lost dad. She manages to make it all the way to San Francisco and the beauty she finds there changes her forever. The way Lemon looks at the world and the people around her is somewhat black and white, but her willingness to grow and look at both sides of life is incredible. Her relationship with Stella is a lot like my relationship with my mother so it was easy for me to relate to Lemon in that sense. I loved looking at San Francisco through Lemon's eyes; she sees the beauty in all things, even the ones that aren't conventionally beautiful. Being from the Bay Area myself, it was easy for me to fall in love with this city all over again.

Madonia's writing is just spectacular. Her ability to capture emotions and images so vividly is just remarkable. I found myself immersed in Lemon's world, wanting to be with her at all times. I wanted to live in Lemon's visions of San Francisco and experience the city in the same ways she was. Madonia sparked a new passion for life inside of me, something I wasn't even aware was missing. Despite Lemon's situation, she doesn't let life pass her by. She enjoys everything that's thrown at her and her willingness to just live life is contagious. The world that Madonia created is so real and her ability to spark such intense emotions in me while reading Fingerprints of You is an amazing skill.

I loved everything about Kristen-Paige Madonia's Fingerprints of You. If all contemporary novels were written with the same emotion and vivid imagery I would be a contemporary convert in a heartbeat. San Francisco is teaming with life and Madonia managed to capture that essence perfectly. Lemon's willingness to be a part of a life that has let her down so far is inspiring and remarkable. I laughed, I cried, I became inspired. If you're looking for an amazing read that will change the way you look at your surroundings then Fingerprints of You is one you do not want to miss! ...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Books & Sensibility rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012-books-reviewed

Kristen-Paige Madonia just happens to be a Virginia author and I was fortunate enough to meet her at Fountain Bookstore in August. While there, Madonia discussed was how she did not write this book to be a YA, she just wrote a novel with a teenage protagonist and it was decided it would sell best as a YA. I love this idea, because by not being written as a YA, Fingerprints of You avoids a lot of the tropes and cliches associated with the genre.

17-year-old Lemon's whole life has been her and her Kristen-Paige Madonia just happens to be a Virginia author and I was fortunate enough to meet her at Fountain Bookstore in August. While there, Madonia discussed was how she did not write this book to be a YA, she just wrote a novel with a teenage protagonist and it was decided it would sell best as a YA. I love this idea, because by not being written as a YA, Fingerprints of You avoids a lot of the tropes and cliches associated with the genre.

17-year-old Lemon's whole life has been her and her mother, Stella, against the world. Living in suitcases and moving every few years, Lemon describes her mother as a

"...restless woman who yanked us from town to town, an impulsive mother bound by bitterness, a woman boarded in by secrets and regrets."

When Lemon discovers she is pregnant, by a man forgotten in another state, she decides to take a journey of her own. With her friend, Emmy she travels west to San Francisco to find her father and possibly roots of her own.

The style of this book reminded me a lot of the dirty realism movement in the 80's. I only think of this because I had to read a lot of it my last year of college. Dirty realism is defined in a 1983 edition of the literary magazine Granta as fiction about " the belly-side of contemporary life – a deserted husband, an unwed mother, a car thief, a pickpocket, a drug addict – but they write about it with a disturbing detachment, at times verging on comedy. Understated, ironic, sometimes savage, but insistently compassionate... "

I think this sums up the books best parts very well. Lemon and Stella are both flawed in their own way, but the love each other fiercely. Stella is a little flighty in the book, she drinks a lot, falls in love to easily, but she never lets that compromise Lemon's life too much.

Madonia is an excellent writer, her word choice is well crafted through the story. Lemon's voice is so honest and compelling. I loved how while Emmy and Lemon are on their 4 day Greyhound ride from West Virginia to California, she alludes that a boy on the bus is reading Looking for Alaska by John Green. This is probably one of the first times I've seen a YA novel mentioned in another novel.

However, Lemons' detachment from her baby was a little weird. I mean, she is only a month or two pregnant, but she is so nonchalant about it. She doesn't seem to care about going to the doctor or doing what she needs to do. The pregnancy seems more like an inconvenience than an actual issues in the book.

I think this book is a great journey and coming of age about letting go of all the blame and fault that consumes life. ...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Autumn rated it really liked it

Shelves: general-fiction, library, wishlist, ya

I really dont know where to start. I really love Fingerprints of You.. And to be honest i really wanted to befriend Lemon.. Let me explain why..

At 17 years old Lemon is more of an adult than her mother Stella.. Stella is a single mother and not the worlds best role model, shes damaged Stella relies on men to establish her self worth and moves after every break up.. So when Lemon is caught with a guy her mom has been eyeing and not like in a sexual way Stella is ready to hightail it but not befo I really dont know where to start. I really love Fingerprints of You.. And to be honest i really wanted to befriend Lemon.. Let me explain why..

At 17 years old Lemon is more of an adult than her mother Stella.. Stella is a single mother and not the worlds best role model, shes damaged Stella relies on men to establish her self worth and moves after every break up.. So when Lemon is caught with a guy her mom has been eyeing and not like in a sexual way Stella is ready to hightail it but not before Lemon is impregnated with said guys baby.. i wasnt surprised mainly because i read the synopsis.. Lemon is pretty mature for her age and she matures more throughout the book..

Being a teen mom isnt exactly what she had in mind but she'll go with it.. I really wondered will she keep the baby or will she give it up.. I wont tell you because you really should read it for yourself..

Anyways they end up in West Virginia.. Where Lemon finds an amazing partner in crime in Emmy.. Emmys father has just been set to Afghanistan along with many of the other townsmen and all she can think about is her father.. which leads Lemon to do the same.. shes always wondered about her father.. who he was and why he never looked for her .. so she and Emmy decide a road trip is in order.. Now Lemon knows her parents met in San Fransisco so she convinces Emmy to make that their destination without telling her the connection.. So they buy tickets then tell their parents lets just say it didnt go over well.. Stella gives Lemon a parting gift.. Lemon assumes its money so when she finds the piece of paper with her fathers name and last known address she relieved she assumed it was going to take ages to track him down.. Pretty quickly they hunt them down and meet a boy.. Great timing for Lemon huh.. Soon Emmy receives devastating news and goes back home only Lemon isnt ready..

What i loved about this book is its not glamorous its real.. it doesnt make teen pregnancy something amazing take it from me its just not.. This book felt so raw and real perhaps thats why i had to remind myself Lemon is fictional. i seriously recommend this read :D! ...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Aubrie rated it it was amazing

At 17 years old, a massive influx of thoughts and emotions often make it difficult to convey the depth and surprising strength of feelings and experiences. Paradoxically, by the time we are able to articulate ourselves genuinely, the distance of time makes it almost impossible truly recall and adequately express those same thoughts and emotions. In her debut novel, Fingerprints of You, author Kristen-Paige Madonia has managed to do just that – giving a realistic, accurate, and genuine voice to a ...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Sara - thelookingglassreads rated it really liked it

The cover is what first drew me into Fingerprints of You, especially when I learned that it was designed by a tattoo artist! Then, after reading the summary, I found out it was a road trip novel and that Judy Blume blurbed it! There was no stopping me from reading it after all that.

Fingerprints of You is a story of growing up, facing and moving on from your past, and embracing life for all it has to offer. I fell in instantly in love with Lemon’s story of love, loss, and life. I highly recommend ...more

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Jul 13, 2012 hope rated it really liked it

Lemon embarks on a journey that all of us long for at some point or another: to find what's true. For Lemon, it's about her past and her present. It's also about growing up and choosing her own path.

Of course, there are complications besides simply being a 17-year-old high school student on a cross-country Greyhound bus trip. Lemon is also pregnant.

Kristen-Paige writes with both compassion and an intensity that does not let the story—or its characters—off the hook for their choices. Love is comp ...more

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Nov 27, 2011 david rated it it was amazing

Coming soon to a bookstore near you! Thoughtful coming-of-age story for Young Adults, with fully realized characters and San Francisco as the perfect backdrop. Descriptions of family bonds are spot on. Well done KP!

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Nov 25, 2015 Alexa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016

Fingerprints of You is one of those quiet contemporary YA novels that packs an emotional punch if you're in just the right mood when you read it. I absolutely enjoyed reading Lemon's story, and thought it was interesting to see things unfold as they did.

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Sep 08, 2012 Rena rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Late teens, as well as adults

Shelves: library

~~One of~~ the best books I've read all year.

Review coming soon.

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Aug 08, 2012 Owen rated it liked it

Meet Lemon. She is an average girl, living with her young mother, Stella. Stella, however, isn't exactly normal. She is a struggling artist type that bounces between guys every few months. Stella moves Lemon to a new city at least once a year. By the time she is sixteen, Lemon is pretty much used to Stella's way of life and she knows what to expect. But she is less than pleased with it. The crappy apartments, the seedy guys, having to leave friends constantly. Fed up with not having her opinion Meet Lemon. She is an average girl, living with her young mother, Stella. Stella, however, isn't exactly normal. She is a struggling artist type that bounces between guys every few months. Stella moves Lemon to a new city at least once a year. By the time she is sixteen, Lemon is pretty much used to Stella's way of life and she knows what to expect. But she is less than pleased with it. The crappy apartments, the seedy guys, having to leave friends constantly. Fed up with not having her opinion matter and wanting to rebel, what does she do? She gets pregnant! By a guy that is ten years older than had been dumped by Stella after he, Lemon, and her sixteen year old friend had been drinking and started playing strip poker. By the way, Lemon and the guy (named Johnny Drinko) did it in on a chair in his tattoo parlor so...
Not exactly classy.

Once again, they leave behind everything they grew attached to and make a new start in a new state. Except this time, Lemon brings with her the only thing reminding her of her old home-the baby. Upon reaching her new destination, she befriends a girl named Emmy. They decide to go on a road trip to California. But what Lemon doesn't tell Emmy is that she bought a one-way ticket and is looking to finally meet her father, a man Stella had loved and then left, never to be heard from again. When Lemon gets to California, she discovers a lot about herself and her family.

This book started off very well. It was extremely well written and the author paid so much attention to detail and she created the perfect story to set up for the rest of the book. I was very interested. This was how it went until about halfway through Emmy and Lemon's trip. Then, I don't know.

It didn't get bad. No, I definitely didn't stop liking it. It's just, it felt kind of like it was losing its grip on me and I kind of stopped caring as much. Here's an analogy to help explain my feelings: It's as if a person was being filmed about her day to day activities and she was really into it, but then she kind of got more boring because she thought she was done being filmed, and then she was like "Oh wait, you're still filming?"
Does that make sense? It kind of got more about Lemon and less about the connection between the reader and the story.

Honestly, I think the author could have done without the pregnancy. If she had focused more on fitting the story to the fact that Lemon wanted to find her father, that would have been fine. Because the baby felt like something that was just kind of there and it didn't really matter. Lemon talked a little about the baby but not enough that I cared about it. I know it was supposed to represent similarities between Stella and Lemon, but there wasn't enough to make it seem like a fitting part of the story.
And at the end, it was kind of like, oh okay. That isn't how I feel about that type of thing in real life, I think it's sad, but in the book it kind of came across as "she brought it on herself. Does she really want the baby or not?" That's another thing. She didn't say much about if she wanted the baby or not.

The whole baby thing kind of reminded me of the show Make It or Break It. Lemon is exactly Emily and Stella is exactly Chloe. You know, the mom had a baby young and the daughter doesn't want that to happen but it does anyway. I don't think this type of pregnancy (from the book) is really like those you see on MTV, because it is almost as if the baby itself is decided in the end whether it will be born or just evaporate into the background in the story.

This is one of those books that almost felt like they could fit different eras, but then little details made that impossible. You could almost see Lemon being in modern times, or the 90s, maybe even the 80s. But then she talks about cell phones and John Green novels. That reminds me, I can see the author is well-read, but the constant inserts of books kind of was weird, almost as if Lemon was trying to show her mood by talking about a random book. It's usually okay in books to say like a Jane Austen book, or a mystery book, but because Lemon just liked to read it felt a bit odd with the constant mention of specific authors and book titles. Almost as if she asked "Okay, what are some cool books I can slip into this book?"

Sort of going along with this, the author has obviously spent a lot of time in San Francisco. She writes of very specific places and things that happen there, the people that visit those places,etc. But it seems as if she spent more time focusing on that then talking about Lemon's father and what she was finding there. I just think the author missed some of the important things by putting too much detail into the less important things.

Overall I thought it was a good book. I would recommend reading it because maybe you can relate to it better than I can. I'm hoping the author will over time come out with better books, because I really am looking forward to reading more of her work. Sadly, I was just a tiny bit disappointed with this one, because the cover is awesome and the synopsis sounded like it could have made for an excellent book. Maybe if it had gone through a revamp or had a bit more editing. It kind of felt like the author lost energy in the ending of the book, and felt inclined to finish it. I'm not trying to insult her, but I didn't see a whole lot of enthusiasm for this work later on.

If you are looking for a short contemporary book that could either be a bit more serious than your average love story or even just a fun book with subtle undertones of mature themes, read this. ...more

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Oct 29, 2012 David Hudnut rated it it was amazing

An amazing character driven book

I met the author at a publishing event and decided to read her book. I had no idea what it was about, but I thought it would be interesting to read her writing. It's always fun to read work by someone you either know or at least have met. It gives the work an immediacy and spice that you don't get from books by authors who are merely figments and fragments of a media persona. You wonder what inspired the author to write such a book. Did she live through experience An amazing character driven book

I met the author at a publishing event and decided to read her book. I had no idea what it was about, but I thought it would be interesting to read her writing. It's always fun to read work by someone you either know or at least have met. It gives the work an immediacy and spice that you don't get from books by authors who are merely figments and fragments of a media persona. You wonder what inspired the author to write such a book. Did she live through experiences akin to what the characters in the book lived? Does she know people like the characters in the book? Or is it wholly fabricated? What inspired her to write this particular book?

After reading the book, I have no definitive answers to those questions, but I know one thing: Kristen Paige Madonia can write.

Fingerprints of You is a finely honed literary masterpiece. It is smart, insightful and touching. The hand-made prose is beautiful, smooth, and fluid, the work of an experienced, practiced craftswoman. Ms. Madonia makes it look easy, but if you have done any writing, you know how good she really is at what she does, and that a mountain of hard work went into the creation of this book. I also know that there is too much quality, from beginning to end, for this to be an example of beginner's luck (this is her first novel that I'm aware of). She's put in a lot of time on her writing in general, probably well in excess of the requisite 10,000 hours to mastery that everyone talks about these days.

The story is the emotionally touching journey of a teenaged girl named Lemon who becomes pregnant at the beginning of the novel. Lemon is on course to duplicate the life of her impetuous mother Stella: taking a permanent detour around a normal young-adulthood to have a baby out of wedlock with no involvement by the father and no means of financial support other than her own mother. In the process, Lemon decides to go to San Francisco to track down her estranged father and find some answers to questions about the intricacies of love that have plagued her since childhood, and perhaps fill the void that pushed her into her pregnancy in the first place.

I was amazed throughout this book by the subtle observations Ms. Madonia made about human relationships. The dynamic between Lemon and her mom Stella, Stella's relationships with the men in her life after leaving Lemon's father, Lemon's relationship with her mother's boyfriends, and Lemon's fragile relationship with her own transient friends. I felt connected to Lemon's pain and confusion as if she were a real, palpable person struggling to carve out a place of her own in a life fraught with difficulty and hardship.

The attention to detail in the book was impeccable. It illuminated a very real world without smothering the plot in needless observations. Half of the novel takes place in San Francisco, which I know fairly well, especially the locations Lemon visits in the course of the story. Ms. Madonia has done her research. She nailed the ambience of the places and people. I imagined while reading that she must have visited every setting she wrote about and taken copious notes in a wrinkled notebook kept on hand at all times. This is in pleasant contrast to more mass-market books wherein I get the sense that the only thing the author has done for research is to look up a few street names on Google Maps.

I don't want to give any spoilers to this book, because despite it's literary nature, there is a definite plot arc in the book. Lemon goes on an amazing journey and changes significantly in the process. I will say that this change is a very believable, relatable human change, and I was impressed by how Ms Madonia presented it all. It was touching and fulfilling, and when I finished the book, I didn't want it to end. I doubt there will be sequels, this is literature after all, but the author has crafted some truly lovable, memorable characters who will continue to live in my imagination for a long time. ...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Sharon rated it really liked it

Shelves: pacific-u-mfa

Lemon, the seventeen-year-old protagonist of Madonia’s debut novel, has an unusual name. Her mother, Stella, explains it to the tattoo artist she is trying to bed this way: “She’s sharp and sour since the day she popped out.” But Lemon knows her name comes from the color. Stella is a painter and chooses a different paint every month, and the September when our heroine was born was the month of Lemon Yellow. By the end of the book, however, Stella says, “You know why I named you Lemon? . . . That Lemon, the seventeen-year-old protagonist of Madonia’s debut novel, has an unusual name. Her mother, Stella, explains it to the tattoo artist she is trying to bed this way: “She’s sharp and sour since the day she popped out.” But Lemon knows her name comes from the color. Stella is a painter and chooses a different paint every month, and the September when our heroine was born was the month of Lemon Yellow. By the end of the book, however, Stella says, “You know why I named you Lemon? . . . That yellow looked like hope to me.”

One of the remarkable things about this coming-of-age novel is that not only does the teenage protagonist learn about life, love, and loss, so do her parents. Stella and her father became parents when they were little more than children themselves, and they grow up during the course of the novel as much as their daughter does. And Lemon, who sets out on a cross-country road trip to find her father and determine whether he or her mother is to blame for the paternal vacuum in her childhood, ends the journey and the book with forgiveness and understanding.

The epiphanies accumulate organically and seamlessly, which reminded me of the way Cheryl Strayed portrays such deep life change in her memoir Wild. In MFA parlance, the lessons are “earned.”

Fingerprints of You is written for young adults and is a good fit for smart, impressionable teenagers. Madonia captures the vulnerable voice of youth, the verve, the lingo, the rhythm and angst perfectly. But the book also has the craft and elegance of a literary novel for adults, with beautiful sentences like this: “I slept all afternoon, dreaming of water too thick to swim through, and when I woke sweating and breathless, I called my mother on my Byzantine Ceiling Blue cell.”

The novel opens in rural Virginia, then quickly moves to West Virginia. Lemon is “sick of moving boxes and cheap motels and having to make friends every time [her] mother picked a new place for [them] to live.” She boards a Greyhound bus to find her father, but also the larger world beyond small-town life. Madonia’s wide-eyed descriptions of San Francisco make me wish I could be seventeen again and experience this eye-popping wonder, at a club on New Year’s Eve:
“Most of the crowd was masked or winged or adorned with sequined pants, furry leg warmers, feathered headbands, or intricate jewelry. . . One girl had tied red balloons to the ends of her pigtails, the helium pulling her hair into the air as if her head might float away. Another dressed as a flamingo . . . Men wore dresses or cowboy chaps and leather boots, furry vests and sunglasses in the shapes of fish, belts that worked as bottle openers and bright blue sweatbands around their heads. Camera flashed sparked and people yelled, and I smelled pot and booze and cherry-flavored lip gloss, sweat and cigarettes and spray paint. This was city life.”

For me, it was New York City and I was eighteen, but I remember the excitement and allure of the exotic, quirky, and urban, which Madonia captures so vividly. She also gives her characters a dose of wisdom that has been hard won for me: how motherhood makes you understand your own mother. Lemon’s pregnancy transforms not only her body, but her brain. She becomes an old soul in young skin, just like this wise and wonderful book itself.

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Aug 06, 2012 Michelle (FabBookReviews) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-young-adult

This beautiful debut novel by Kristen-Paige Madonia is an elegantly written coming-of-age story. Fingerprints of You is a character-driven, slow-burning novel, one that may take time to get acquainted with- with main character Lemon, with the author's writing rhythm, and the quick transitions between present and past. It's not showy, flashy, obvious, or loud, but it sure packs many emotional punches. For me, it's one of those reads that I think will stick with me for a long time- with passages I
This beautiful debut novel by Kristen-Paige Madonia is an elegantly written coming-of-age story. Fingerprints of You is a character-driven, slow-burning novel, one that may take time to get acquainted with- with main character Lemon, with the author's writing rhythm, and the quick transitions between present and past. It's not showy, flashy, obvious, or loud, but it sure packs many emotional punches. For me, it's one of those reads that I think will stick with me for a long time- with passages I will keep coming back to, characters I will consider and reconsider, and actions that I will debate and question...

In a sort of dream-like, poetic yet earthy style, we are taken on this incredible journey with Lemon Raine Williams, our protagonist and narrator. She has had what can be described as an unconventional upbringing: being moved around from place to place (and from crappy boyfriend to crappier boyfriend) by her larger-than-life mother Stella, never knowing much about her birth father. While not wanting to repeat the mistakes of her mother's life, Lemon still makes one irrevocable decision. When she becomes pregnant from a one-time encounter with a man named Johnny Drinko, Lemon begins to think more and more about her own father who she has never met. Is her child going to grow up the same as she did- with no birth father, no links to a paternal history?

With Stella settling into a new life and new town, and with a genuinely likable and kind man, Lemon becomes increasingly obsessed with moving out to San Fransisco- the one detail she has about where her mother met her father, and the place where her father still lives. With her best friend Emmy in tow and Stella's very, very hesitant okay, Lemon makes a road trip out to San Fransisco during winter break. What neither Stella nor Emmy know, however, is that Lemon has only purchased a one-way ticket, with no plans to come back to West Virginia.

In San Fransisco, Lemon- with Emmy's crazy boldness and encouragement- sets out to meet her father, Ryan, setting out to hate him, to blame him, to make him apologize- or to blame everything bad in her life on her mother. However, what-and who- Lemon finds changes what she thinks she knew about her mother and why Stella might have made some of the choices she made. As much as Stella has made some very questionable decisions in her life, we learn just how all-encompassing Stella's love for Lemon is, how much she needs and wants Lemon in her life- and how she would do anything to help her daughter. As Lemon's story carries on, we learn more about Stella as a person and as a mother, and I found myself growing fonder of her as a character (...and she's a tricky one to like, especially considering how we are introduced to her!).

For those readers that enjoy contemporary, coming-of-age literary YA and/or mother-daughter stories, I think Fingerprints of You is a great pick. If you've enjoyed books by John Green, A.S. King, Nina Lacour, Elizabeth Scott, Robin Stevenson, or Sara Zarr, then this may be right up your alley. I am really looking forward to read what Madonia writes next! ...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Mary (BookHounds) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012, from-publisher-author, young-adult

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Lemon was born to her single mother when Stella was only seventeen. The two have been a team since her birth, always drifting from one town to another when her mother decided she had enough with where they were living or a bad breakup with a current boyfriend. Her unusual name came about because of her mother's artistic inclinations and how she gets hooked on a new color each month. As Lemon drifts through life she decides that she needs to experience sex and her fi MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Lemon was born to her single mother when Stella was only seventeen. The two have been a team since her birth, always drifting from one town to another when her mother decided she had enough with where they were living or a bad breakup with a current boyfriend. Her unusual name came about because of her mother's artistic inclinations and how she gets hooked on a new color each month. As Lemon drifts through life she decides that she needs to experience sex and her first encounter is with the local stoner boy at her last school. She finds nothing life altering in the act and thinks maybe another encounter would make her "feel". As Lemon picks possibly the worst choice, a 27 year old tattoo artist that she meets when Stella wants new ink, she becomes pregnant.

Lemon and Stella move to a new town in West Virginia for her senior year and there Lemon at least makes a friend, Emmy, who will support and encourage her. For all of the hopelessness of Lemon's life, she never seems feel sorry for herself. Instead, she always has a book in her hand and finds the good in small things. She accepts responsibility for the pregnancy and tries to make realistic plans for her and the baby. This baby makes her think about her own father and she wants to make peace with him and that part of her life before moving forward with her own. Emmy and Lemon make plans to go to San Francisco on an adventure and Lemon has hope that she can find her father.

As Lemon pages through a maternity book from her mother, she finds a small note with her father's address and finds him once they arrive. Staying at a dive, Lemon also makes contact with Aiden, a boy who cares for her and treats her how she should be treated. The meeting with her father, Ryan, is a turning point for Lemon as she finds traits in herself that are directly from her father. Her love of reading has always been a mystery to her, since her mother never cared much for books. The moment when Lemon discovers books inscribed by her mother to her father is a turning point for her.

The growth in character and determination is just wonderful. Her relationship with her mother turns into respect when Lemon realizes that her mother isn't as flighty as she first thought. Even when Emmy must cut the trip short because her father is wounded in the Afghanistan war, the pair support each other. Lemon finding that she is indeed worthy of love and that her mother has always tried to do the best for her was a true revelation. This is just such a beautifully written story that most teens will enjoy. Parents: there is some drinking, language and discussions of sexual situations, but nothing graphic. ...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Hannah rated it really liked it

Shelves: own-finished-copy, 2012

From the first time I saw Fingerprints of You, I knew I'd love it, and I'll admit it was mainly because of the cover - this book is gorgeous! I am totally in love with the whole design; it's subtle but powerful and just so beautiful. And that's how I feel about the actual novel, too.

Lemon is not your average main character, and not just because of her unusual (and awesome!) name. She makes every possible bad decision, but there's an honesty about her voice that makes this a compelling instead of From the first time I saw Fingerprints of You, I knew I'd love it, and I'll admit it was mainly because of the cover - this book is gorgeous! I am totally in love with the whole design; it's subtle but powerful and just so beautiful. And that's how I feel about the actual novel, too.

Lemon is not your average main character, and not just because of her unusual (and awesome!) name. She makes every possible bad decision, but there's an honesty about her voice that makes this a compelling instead of frustrating quality to her character. It does seem at times like she's made it her goal to screw up her life in every possible way, but she's still a character I could relate to easily, and I kind of grew to love her. Lemon's character growth is tremendous but still realistic, and I loved being with her on her journey.

What made Lemon such a great character is the writing. I know this is such a cliched and overdone thing to say, but Kristen-Paige Madonia really does have a way with words. Her style is vivid and captivating; the kind of writing that makes it impossible to put a book down. Every word in Fingerprints of You is simply beautiful.

I think what I love most about this book, though, is the setting. Once they get to San Francisco, everything feels... alive. Fingerprints of You's atmosphere conveys a pulsing energy that made me feel like I was right there with Lemon. All the different secondary characters are fully developed, and I love how it feels like they're all somehow part of this distinct energy.

There is something that bugged me about this book, though, and I think it has to do with how much showing and how very little telling the author uses. In general, lots of showing is a good thing, but I wanted to know more about Lemon's direct thoughts and decisions. The biggest example would be the pregnancy. I wanted to know how Lemon felt when she found out, whether she ever considered anything but keeping the baby. But we don't get to know about her thoughts; we just get to see the consequences, i.e. wanting to find her father. I do see how this method is helpful in some cases, and it does fit the style, but I personally prefer to be closer to what the main character is thinking in the situations we're reading about.

But other than that, Fingerprints of You is a book I loved. Subtle but vivid and beautifully written, it has an energy that captivated me until I'd turned the last page. I can't wait to read more from this debut author!

Reviewed at http://www.paperbacktreasures.blogpso... ...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Molly rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-contemporary-or-realistic

Admittedly, I was drawn to the book because of the gorgeous tattoo cover art (I admit that I tend to judge books by their covers). After reading, I was pleased to discover that Kristen-Paige Madonia’s debut, Fingerprints of You, is an excellent example of the rare category of YA literary fiction.

Lemon is the only daughter of Stella, a woman who never quite grew up. Lemon and her artistic mother have bounced around small towns for most of her childhood, leaving when Stella’s relationship with her Admittedly, I was drawn to the book because of the gorgeous tattoo cover art (I admit that I tend to judge books by their covers). After reading, I was pleased to discover that Kristen-Paige Madonia’s debut, Fingerprints of You, is an excellent example of the rare category of YA literary fiction.

Lemon is the only daughter of Stella, a woman who never quite grew up. Lemon and her artistic mother have bounced around small towns for most of her childhood, leaving when Stella’s relationship with her current boyfriend falls apart. To commemorate Lemon’s 17th birthday, Stella decides to get a tattoo of a navy hummingbird to symbolize Lemon’s “flight from childhood,” but Lemon knows it’s really because she has the hots for the tattoo artist, Johnny Drinko, never mind the fact that he’s ten years younger.

But it isn’t Stella that hooks up with Johnny Drinko. Lemon does, mostly to spite her mother. This time around they pack up and leave town because of Lemon’s indiscretion. When they arrive in their new home, Lemon discovers that she’s pregnant.

Lemon knows she’s better off without Johnny Drinko to help her raise her baby, and is resigned to becoming a single parent just like her mom. But being pregnant does raise questions for Lemon about her own father. All she knows about him is that her mother left him in San Francisco when she was pregnant with Lemon, and that he never went looking for them.

In an effort to find out who she is as much as who her father is, Lemon embarks on a cross-country road trip on a Greyhound bus to California in search of her father. Against the backdrop of San Francisco landmarks like Haight Street and the ruins of The Palace of Fine Arts, Lemon learns important lessons about forgiveness and love.
This novel is understated and unfussy. A true coming-of-age story, Lemon is a different person at the end of the book than she was at the beginning. There are not many dramatic, intense moments, but a series of experiences that seem true and believable, full of characters that are compelling and relatable. Kristen-Paige Madonia captures the voice of a generation, and I look forward to more from her. ...more

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Oct 12, 2013 Cassie Gutman (happybooklovers) rated it really liked it

Go see the full review at my blog at http://www.happybookloversblog.com/20...

I've had this just sitting on my shelf for about a year, and I picked it up on a whim because of another blogger's choice to put it in their top ten books they read this year. I must say, it's not what I normally would have picked up, but it was a phenomenal book.

Lemon (fantastic name) was such an interesting character. She began by telling the reader when she lost her virginity, and that she wanted to pursue this guy a ...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Shannon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2012

Oh, Lemon. You wonderful girl. I loved your story so much!

Lemon is the main character in Fingerprints of You by Kristen-Paige Madonia. She is a 17 year old girl who has lived a somewhat disjointed life with Stella, her mother, moving her around her whole life. I felt really connected to Lemon. My mom was not really much like Stella but I did move around a lot and I had the same situations she did with making friends and then moving away to try and make new friends. More than that though, she is ...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Jennika rated it really liked it

Shelves: stand-alone, cover-love, genre-contemporary

The cover is what originally intrigued me at the book store. I couldn't bring myself to buy a book that I had heard nothing about though. However, I was pleasantly surprised after reading a library copy.

The character development in this book was what made it so spectacular. There is so much growth, and it wasn't just for the main character, a young girl by the name of Lemon.

Lemon has a pretty unstable life set up with her single mother, who loves to grab the attention of men. They are packing up ...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: teens

This is an edgy novel of soul searching. Pregnant teen, Lemon Raine, embarks on a road trip to sort out her own family issues before beginning her own. Lemon is mature for her age, but makes a few mindless life-changing mistakes. The characters are flawed, multidimensional and believable. Teens who thrive on drama will love following Lemon's introspective narrative as she navigates her messed-up home life, as well as her journey to San Francisco and the revelations it provides. Definitely for ol ...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Leslie rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-to-read

Really like this book - it's been on my shelf for over a year, and glad I finally read it. It's young adult, with an emphasis on the adult part...definitely high school or higher. Lots of places where it could have turned predictable, and almost did in a few, but overall the story felt original and real. My main complaint is that I never felt I got a good feeling of how Lemon looks or talks. I was trying to fit her into the kinds of people I know, and she doesn't fit entirely with any one group. ...more

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Oct 26, 2014 Ashley rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen-pregnancy, ya

I started reading this after hearing the author talk at a conference. It took me a while to read it because I have had so much going on, but I just finished it and thoroughly enjoyed it!

I absolutely love the cover and chapter art for the book! I also enjoyed the characters and the plot. This was not an action-packed book, but I love how you get to know Lemon and get to accompany her on her journey to discover herself. It had a sweet, satisfying ending.

I look forward to more good books from this ...more

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Sep 10, 2012 A.K. Benninghofen rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: mothers and daughters

Shelves: books-by-friends-and-acquaintances

This is not your vampire/zombie/apocalypse fair that seems to be dominating the YA market lately. It's a heartfelt coming of age story, beautifully written. Very much about the complex relationships of mothers and daughters, themes of home and identity explored through memorable characters and the artfully rendered, ever-changing landscape of their lives. Subjects like sex, alcohol and drugs are dealt with honestly and without agenda. I will enjoy reading it again along with my daughter when she ...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Erika rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012, ya

I really loved this book. Although it was slow at times, I still wanted to find out what would happen to pregnant 17 year-old Lemon. The story of her journey across the country with her best friend in search of the father she has never met, isn't anything new, but in the process of "finding" herself, she learns what a family really is. It was as pretty on the inside as it was on the outside. So go ahead, judge the book by its cover.

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May 16, 2012 Carmen Rodrigues rated it really liked it

Shelves: can-t-wait

I read the opening chapter of F.O.Y. on Kristen-Paige's web site (http://kristenpaigemadonia.com/about-...), and it was phenomenal. The rest of the book is equally as lovely. A wonderful coming-of-age story!

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