Embracing You, Embracing Me

by Michelle Bellon

Young Adult novel begins in a 90s Trailer Park, and hits hard. In a decade when image matters, when the so-called Generation X is swelling with 'future perfect' hopes and pride, 16-year-old Roshell McRady dances her way through High School, never quite admitting that she's ashamed of her trailer park family home. Meanwhile she listens to Madonna while conjuring creative Top Ramen recipes to feed her younger cousins; she empties enough hairspray until her bangs are feathered and vertical like a lethal weapon; and she agonises over how to convince Gabriel Harrison, the new Mystery Guy in town, to invite her to the prom - a night which threatens to turn into a disaster. But then life takes a dramatic turn for Roshell, and her life changes forever. A love story emerges from the anguish of Roshell's life, and when she leaves school and finds work at a casino, things don't get any less complicated for her - until one night a powerful dream marks out the exact path that she must take. Embracing You, Embracing Me has young adult humour and nineties-style cultural aspirations, but surprises with some hard-hitting moments that give the book a keen edge.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Young Adult Romance

266 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2012

About the author

Michelle Bellon currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her fiance and four children. She earned her Associates degree in Nursing and fills her free time with her love for writing. She has published three novels.

Reviews

[Quinn Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embracing You, Embracing Me is a classic coming of age story about a teenage girl set in the 90s. Rochelle's story starts from another character's point of view, her best friend Amber, which makes the beginning of the book a little confusing. However, once you understand the author's unconventional technique, it's nice to know what other characters are thinking in the moment of any given chapter's action or crisis situation.

Some might find this type of narrative distracting, but if you give it a couple chapters, it begins to flow better for readers. In fact, you might even like the extra infused character viewpoints. Be patient with this technique because once the novel gets focused on Rochelle's story, you'll be glad you persevered since the author's depiction of her characters is spot on for its time period.

Each decade in history has its own distinguishing hallmarks in terms of fashion, hairstyles, music, cars and so on. The author does a fine job of transporting readers to that era and depicting the Generation X teen and eventual young adult population. Rochelle and her friends move from high school to college and adulthood with very realistic highs and lows and with all the corresponding frustrations that come with mature adult decisions.

The book takes on some tricky subject matter for young women regarding date rape that readers could find somewhat trivialized. After reflecting on this portion of the book in context of the greater story, the author probably got the character's behavior right. It's a painfully sad, yet realistic situation a lot of teenage girls and young women find themselves in and choose to remain silent about.

Rochelle is both a likable and troublesome protagonist which probably helps in her believability. She has a knack for wanting, getting, and then pushing away the object of her desire.

In some respects you could encapsulate this story as girl meets boy, girl likes boy, girl won't open up to boy, girl has major commitment issues with boy so she moves and ends up in short term marriage with another boy resulting in a baby of her own.

Funny thing about having kids—they make you grow up real fast. This is where the story gets more interesting with emotional twists and turns most readers can relate to.

Embracing You, Embracing Me is a good book that many female readers may see as a mirror for their own personal development. Rochelle's journey isn't about the friends she has, the men she loves, or overcoming her lower income upbringing. The novel's title is the giveaway. It's about coming to know, love and finally accepting yourself.

This book was reviewed as part of the Wise Bear Digital Book Awards competition. Entry fees associated with the contest are administrative in nature and do not influence our honest, unbiased book reviews.

[Heidi Lynn’s BookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I want to thank Michelle Bellon for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Embracing You, Embracing Me by Michelle Bellon is a book that is extremely near and dear to her heart. There are many reasons to back up that statement. It was one of the first books that she ever wrote in her career. Plus, she had a very personal attachment to this story. For me knowing this it made it al the more reason to read this book. I am so glad that I did.

There is an incredibly powerful scene in this book where Rochelle finds out some devastating news. The news literally shocks me to the core! You literally don’t see this event coming whatsoever. The actual event made me scream out loud no really loudly. Mind you I was in public with family in tears reading this. I was yelling!! I felt totally compassion for Rochelle and literally wanted to run into the book to console her!

I loved all the 80’s references in the book as that is the era I grew up in.

This book is dedicated in the memory of Gabriel; His blessed light continues to shine down to those he left behind. She will never forget you.

[Trully Sunee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quite a surprise. I never imagined that I would read something that could be so loving and assist in healing on so many levels. It can assist different type of personal relationships. You could really fall in love with the characters: Roshell, Sabrina, Amber, and Gabriel. I know I sure did. They are so funny, delightful, and so different. Even the other characters made you wish you could meet them in person. Well... most of them.

The roles they play were so real, so utterly amazing, because these people were able to touch you. It wasn't about the glitz of a rich person's life. It was showing the lives that are filled with insecurities that we all have while facing teenage years. However, there were many travesties that occurred that assist in a wonderful plot. This book makes you feel these people are real, and that if they can overcome different major trials of life, so can we.

The book is inspiring by showing such raw emotions from the main characters. You will laugh, possibly cry, and definitely get angry. You can see a lot of innocence and wisdom when reading through the pages. You get lost in time as you can embrace the advantages of being in each environment that Michelle Bellon has created.

Want a romance and suspense novel? Want a good "read" that both young and mature adults can enjoy? Look no further. This is it. If a man would like to understand women better, he could learn a lot from this book. It depicted the male and female population to the "T," perfectly!

Sometimes we have pain and suffering from the past as Roshell did. Will we run or will we face it? Roshell is like a breath of fresh air in a claustrophobic world. This book is like a gold mine. It isn't like any other romance novel you have read. It seems to tell the story of what someone can go through and come out of... and still be able to share the story. There are many different perspectives of this ongoing tale.

You get to hear from each of the main character's points of view. When you want to get a different side to the story, you already have a different character rationalizing their thoughts in this book. I have to say that Embracing You, Embracing Me has forever touched me.

Roshell is embarrassed by lots in her life, both the changeable and unchangeable situations in her life. Her mother and grandmother have a way with people and words that you won't forget. The thoughts that each of Roshell's friends have, and what they do as their life progresses, will stay with you for some time.

Living the simple isn't always so simple. So what is one to do. Roshell and her friends find quite a bit. One thing that comes out of this all, is that she finds a way to embrace herself and be okay with her present and past. What a life she has led!

[Farah Hanani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review on blog: Tumbling In Books

I swear I’ve got so many emotions running through me once I was done with the book. Embracing You, Embracing Me was such an emotional ride! I was 10 pages in and I was hooked!

Roshell was such an easy character for me to connect with. She’s such a fun, strong character person. Her hair is awesome! She’s active and loves to dance. Especially ballet. But she never could admit her insecurities of her trailer van house.

I love a good supporting best friend character! I mean, why the fights right? Amber was just so loyal to Roshell. She has been through almost everything with Roshell.

Roshell’s relationship with Gabriel was very endearing. They are just so cute together! I was kind of annoyed when Roshell went kind of hot and cold on him. I mean, I understand why she was acting that way but… well… maybe I’m just biased since I think Gabe’s really cute :P

I like that this book didn’t just have one POV. And no. It doesn’t have multiple POVs too. But you still get the two sides of the story. Each character in this book have their own POV scene. It went kind of like a blurb.

This book wasn’t just a ride through Roshell’s high school life. It went straight on to her adulthood. I have been laughing, crying, and giggling through this whole book. Especially when I’m halfway through the book. That emotional ride was at its intense.

Embracing You, Embracing Me has lots of its moral values. The title totally suits the book. Roshell learnt a lot through her journey through life. It’s ok to make mistakes but don’t repeat them and that’s what Roshell’s trying to do.

Embracing You, Embracing Me was such an endearing and an enjoyable read. Definitely not a book that you’ll forget soon!

[Jennifer Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is so well written that I was feeling all emotions. I loved remembering things from the 90s!

I really enjoyed the multiple point of views. It's nice being able to see what the other characters are thinking. The turn of events throughout the book left me laughing and crying at various points, feeling what Roshell was feeling. The love, fear, grief, and friendship found in Embracing You, Embracing Me led me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It was like I was right there in the middle of all that was happening.

[Rukhsana Sukhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. A profoundly emotional book. Not at first though. At first, it fooled me into thinking it would be some light coming of age romance. But then I kept on reading ... and then it hit me, like high speed train. This book, it's left me breathless. First time in a long time I've read a book that's evoked such a strong emotional reaction in me.

Full review [HERE].

[♡B♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. It wasn't wow but wasn't bad. I loved the 90's references.

I'm not sure if I wanted more or not. Than well there was one thing that happened and as much as I wanted to love it but sadly I really didn't. Was it believable? Yes, I have experienced it myself.

Over all it was okay. :)

[Vanya D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

NOTE: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Well, I'm going to start off by saying that this was the most irrational and unpredictable novel I've read in the past year (or more). Just when I was beginning to think that I had it figured out, something new popped in the picture, taking the story and characters on an entirely different path. I think the author wanted to make something great of this story, and it might've actually worked, if it weren't so flat and boring.

The story itself has potential, but the writing needs a whole lot of improvement. For example, the percentage of show vs. tell was somewhere around 20 to 80. If you are a regular reader you know exactly what that means. I was tired of reading the book before I was even half-way through, but continued on with the hope that somehow it would get better.

*sigh*

It didn't.

In my humble opinion, if this story was split in two (or lots of the things were omitted), more depth and feeling could be incorporated. The way it is now, there's way too much going on. I mean, it encompassed a span of 6-7 years. (The girl, Roshell, was a sophomore when the story began, and was about 21-22 by the end of it.) But then again, all the events were so mushed up together, to fit into 300 or something pages, that most of the time we got just a tiny little description of what had taken place during a span of years.

I think I can safely say that this was beyond annoying. At times I was wondering whether I was reading a novel or newspaper clippings following the life of some random person.

I suppose I would've been okay (or not) with this, if the characters had any depth to them. If there were any real emotions, that reached me somehow. But the truth is that they didn't. All the people mentioned were described this way or that, but we never got to see how funny they were supposed to be, or how angry or how excited, or whatever. We read that they were so, but they didn't show it. Which brings us back to what I said earlier. There's nothing more annoying than having to read ABOUT something, rather than reading IT. You know? Most of the time Roshell was just retelling (in the narrative) what had happened to her. Darn it, Ms. Bellon, just give us some scenes! Give us some action! Give us some emotion! Humans (and in part readers) want to feel what the characters feel, for goodness sake!

I'm going to give one example, and there will be spoilers, so don't read on if you don't want to have the story spoiled for you.

There was a scene, where Roshell was supposed to have been taken advantage of by this guy, Erin. The scene wasn't described; Roshell hardly even said anything about it - she didn't even seem to feel any different afterwards! And dude, why the hell wouldn't she scream bloody murder if she was being violated in such a way? Afterwards, she just played it cool, like it wasn't that big of a deal. Whaaaaaaaaat?

Why on earth wouldn't she scream, or even put up a fight? Why would any girl allow to be raped if she could've prevented it? And shouldn't she cry or be angry or something? Wouldn't she want the idiot to be punished? I seriously don't get it.

Anyway, I had better wrap this up, or I could rant about it forever. If you did decide to read this book, please let me know if you liked it.

[Lyndsey O'Halloran · Rating 2 out of 5]

What made me want to read this book more than anything was the fact that it is set in the 90s. As someone who grew up in the 90s, I was looking forward to reading something which would hopefully remind me of some of the things I used to love. Michelle Bellon adds in some good pop culture references in the beginning of the book although they are not overpowering or too much. You do get a sense that the characters you are reading about are also growing up in the 90s.

The plot of Embracing You, Embracing Me follows main character Roshell as she learns to deal with being poor and living in a trailer park, trying her best to get out of a small town and deal with high school at the same time. While Roshell had a strong voice at times, some of the wording was terrible! It seems that while Bellon wanted the teenagers in this book to sound like they were from the 90s, she may have slightly forgotten how real teenagers talk. Roshell (and her friends) come out with multiple things that did not sound as though a teenager was saying it at all. I actually couldn’t think of anyone who would talk the way that they did. For example; ‘I sensed he was aware of my apprehension. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow able to read my troubled thoughts and fears and it left me feeling exposed.’ For me, these kinds of things just didn’t read true, especially from Roshell.

While most of Embracing You, Embracing Me is told from Roshell’s point of view, there are little snippets from other characters the whole way through the book. Some characters do this more than once while other only have one small paragraph. I did like getting to know other character’s opinions and what they were thinking but again, for most of the time their voices were not believable. Love interest Gabriel in particular sounded like a middle aged man most of the time and he just did not come across as the fun teenage boy that he was. I was disappointed with the writing style of this book in general because it made it hard to like the majority of the characters.

Bellon attempts to take on some important issues in this book but doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head with them. Quite early on in the book, something extremely important and hard hitting happens but the topic is brushed over quite quickly and while it does have long lasting effects, it was kind of just pushed to one side. I figured that this was going to be a major part of the book, which would have been great as it could have brought around many interesting scenes and interactions but it wasn’t. Also, this book spans the life of Roshell into her twenties, so her teen years are gone over quite quickly too.

I think that this book was drawn out and long winded at times when there was no need for it to be. Embracing You, Embracing Me covers way too much time in so few pages and are quickly thrown from one year to the next without explanations about some things which happen in-between. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me at all and although I liked some of the story and some of the characters at times, there were just too many inconsistencies for me to really enjoy it.

[Christine H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Roshell’s story begins in high school during which she juggles taking care of her young cousins, keeping house for her mom and grandma, training in ballet school, and keeping an eye out on the cute new guy in school. She shares with us her shame of living in a trailer park and her desperate desires to find someone good with whom she can share her life. “I always promised myself that I would break the cycle of poverty in my family,” (207) Roshell narrates, and with this, Michelle Bellon touches upon fears and emotions that we all share and possibly know intimately. Embracing You, Embracing Me is heart-wrenching in so many parts. Growing up without ever having known her father is enough for Roshell to draw waves of sympathy from her reader, but a line of other emotionally draining experiences paves the way for what might have been a spiral slope into the clutches of depression. It would have been easy for a person with Roshell’s past to succumb to the drink, but Bellon creates a character with utter goodness in heart and strength in character. It is this latter quality that makes Roshell admirable: She is determined to build a life that surpasses even her own expectations of herself.

I was excited to ride with Roshell the roller coaster of growing up poor in a small community. Bellon succeeds in making her reader feel the anguish that Roshell feels and wallow in the sorrows in which Roshell wallows, too. However, I find two shortcomings that are difficult to overlook. First, the different characters have very indiscrete voices. The mini narratives of Amber, Sabrina, Rosie, Gabriel, and Nico all sound very similar to Roshell’s. As such, it often seemed as if all the characters had the same socio-economic and educational backgrounds that taught them to speak in the same thought-provoking and eloquent manner. For people between the ages of 16 and 21, this seems a little unlikely, especially for the two main male characters who don’t utter much slang, colloquialisms, or idiosyncratic phrases. The second drawback that drew my attention was the collection of passages in which Roshell talks at me rather than to me. The following paragraph irked me in particular: “Legal or not, everyone knew that the small pills were often abused as a mild form of speed. Once ingested they would speed up your heart rate, giving you an incredible amount of jacked up energy. When abused, they could cause heart problems, including heart attack, panic attack, breathing problems and a vast amount of other drug related side effects” (198). I felt like I was being thrown a slew of information that in neither developing character nor furthering plot, was just plain pedantic. Despite the shortcomings, I found Bellon’s novel a nice YA read that captures the struggles of growing up and the indomitability of the human spirit.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Fingerpress and NetGalley for letting me review this book :3

I have a confession to make. I'm not a 90's kid. I was born in the year of 1995 but I grew up in the early 2000's and was a teen in the late 2000's therefore this book doesn't bring any nostalgia of the 90's. However, I do remember sitting in front of the TV every Saturday morning watching MTV with my siblings as they sang along to Backstreet Boy songs and watched Pokemon. So therefore, I was interested in reading this book, purely because it was set in the 90's and what I could remember of the 90's, it seemed like an interesting decade.

Embracing You, Embracing Me is about the story of Roshell McRady, a sixteen year old girl growing up in the 90's, who dreams of escaping from her trailer park home in rural Oregon. She has big dreams and escaping her small, unambitious town while having to deal with high school and all the insecurities that teenagers face. Roshell was a strong character but her voice didn't quite ring true for me, Michelle Bellon's choice of wording and phrasing was quite awkward at times - sometimes it seemed like she was an older person trying to sound like a teenager. It just didn't sound right, especially coming from a character like Roshell, who is bright, young and carefree.

Roshell has no male influence in her life whatsoever and finds it hard to establish relationships with boys her own age. Until she meets Gabriel. She loves him more than words can say but she can't bring it in herself to explain to him so she moves away. There is a massive time jump then and the audience is taken on a wild ride from one year to the next without much explanation at all for the things that happen in between up until Roshell is in her twenties, so her teen years (which are crucial) are glossed over quite quickly.

I gotta admit, the summary made the book sound more interesting than it really was. We see excerpts and snippets of the other character's dealings with Roshell but I didn't care for them at all. It was too distracting to make any impact on the story and I didn't want to know what they are thinking, this is Roshell's story and I want to know her story.

This story had such potential - I always enjoy stories about the small-town teenager who has big dreams - but there was too much holes to be enjoyable.

RATING: 2/5

[Uvi Poznansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle Bellon sweeps you into the story right from the start, bringing the angst and excitement of a coming-of-age story to life by making you intimately engaged with her character Roshell, whose voice is punctuated, here and there, with the voices of the her teenage friends: Amber, Sabrina, Tim, the new, mysterious guy in her life, Gabriel, Nico, and others. You are there to hear all of them, as if you were an invisible confidante, leaning in to hear one character, then another, so that you can hear Roshell's inner thoughts and also the way others see her.

Resonating with great conviction, Roshell's voice has a personal, truly autobiographic feel to it, imbued with intelligence and humor. She lives with her mom and grandma in a trailer park, which to her is a wasteland, a symbol of being poor and despondent. Her dream is to become a prima ballerina. She makes her entrance into the story spraying her hair, teasing and curling it to shape it in stiff, vertical bangs, then dancing at a party with such flair as to embarrass herself publicly by splitting the seam of her jeans. So endearing! So is her conversation with Amber, sharing the little she knows about French kissing. In her mind, it is kind of slobbery and awkward at first until your body takes over.

During prom night Roshell finds herself uncharacteristically tongue-tied in Gabriel's presence, and not only because he is her best friend's date. Part of her brain keeps encouraging her to come up with something witty, or smart, or just anything that resembles words, but instead she just stares. We can hear her heart fluttering under the spell of first love, yearning for giving herself completely to him. It is because of him that she frees herself from the prison of loneliness, only to face a great loss, from which she has to recover so it does not consume her.

Michelle Bellon is a talented writer with prolific interests, from coming-of-age stories to military war experiences, all of which express themselves in her writing. She has written four books: His Salvation, and The Complexity of a Soldier, which received 5-star reviews from Amazon Top Reviewers.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Previous to receiving an ARC copy of this book, I had not heard of the title. This was not your typical coming of age story. Unlike stories that all follow the ‘happily ever after’ story plots, this novel explores the characters ‘real life’ stories.

We follow the life of Roshell. An outgoing, determined young woman growing up in the nineties. Roshell has grown up without a father. Her mother has never been in a stable relationship, something Roshell is determined to ’get away from’. We discover true friendships, and how life takes unexpected turns along the way. How single moments can affect us for years to come.

While most of the story is written from Roshell’s point of view…there are character POV’s throughout the story. They character perspectives give you insight into the overall feelings of the people involved. For some - the jumping in and out of characters may seem distracting.

Michelle Bellon really tried to express growing up in the nineties in this novel. At times, you could actually visualize the things from that generation. However, the characters in the story did not ‘talk’ the way a teenager in the nineties would speak or interact. Some of the feelings our characters would talk about, felt like an adult talking or reminiscing.

Bellon tackled tough life issues in this novel. The subject matter was head on - but at times - felt as though it missed the mark. There is a particular incident within the book that was traumatic for anyone. Yet - it was ‘dismissed’ within the story in less than a chapter.

Many places throughout the book - jumped time. I feel as though critical character development was left out. It’s hard to imagine going from leaving school, moving to a new town, and starting a new life….to skipping straight to having a baby, getting a divorce, and revisiting an old hometown. I felt there were crucial parts of the book that should not have been overlooked. Parts of the story could have been explored to further develop the characters. Yet at the same time, parts of the story that were described, were over descriptive. There needed to be a better balance within the writing.

[Risbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.

Again, I rounded up. This is a solid 2.5 for me, which makes me sad because I wanted to like this book SO much more than I did.

Roshell McRady was a teenager in the 90s, who lived in a trailer park and dreamed of getting out. Since I was a teenager in the 90s myself, I was SOOOO excited to connect with a book in that way and get a chance to relive my own memories. But the only way this book connected with the 90s was with a few obscure mentions -- a Janet Jackson lyric, a boy wearing Drakkar, and talking about Kurt Cobain once. I was totally let down.

BUT, there should be more to a book than just the setting, so lets talk about the story. Roshell grew up with absolutely no male figure in her life. Her father, uncles, grandfather -- all were absent from her life, and as such she has a difficult time trusting herself to establish secure relationships with boys her own age. Until she meets Gabriel.

Who she loves, but she won't tell him.

So she moves away.

And then there is a time jump during which she quits ballet, gets MARRIED, has a child and gets divorced. Maybe it is just me, but those seem to be events that would be relevant to her story. For real, it was like whole chapters were missing.

So she goes back to her hometown, reconnects with Gabriel and all seems right.

Insert gratuitous angst here. Granted, I did cry, but holy hell, it was like totally angst for the sake of angst.

So she starts to binge drink and self-destruct until she is jerked back to reality by her grandmother, who we haven't seen or heard from since before the time jump. She gets a job in a Casino, meets another man named Nico, has a fight with him about his drug use and her inability to commit, moves in with him, goes camping, HAS A DREAM ABOUT GABRIEL, wakes up and says is ready to get married (to Nico).

The End.

I mean, this story had SUCH potential but the gaping holes were just too much.

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 3 out of 5]

True rating 3.5 stars. Have to admit I hesitated a bit about the rating as there was lots I did like about this book and it did hold my attention. However for me there was something missing that stopped from engaging fully with the characters and all they were going through. I had high hopes for the book, its my favourite genre (YA), the cover is one of the nicest I have seen in a long time, it's set in the 90s and it all sounded like a bookish match made in heaven for me.

Roshell is a 16 year old student who lives in a Trailer Park, she is also a dancer and is determined to rise above the life she is born in to. The story is about her connection to Gabriel the new student in town, a coming of age story that follows her and her friends over the next 5 or so years. But at the same time, its so much more than just that.

There are some real big issues tackled in this book and I applaud the author for taking them on. However they also lead to my lower rating as I would have expected to feel more while reading about them. There were sad parts but I didn't shed a tear (I will admit to a little lump in my throat though!). I want a book that makes me feel all the feels and this just didn't.

I did love the descriptions in the book though, there are some beautiful quotes about the calming and restorative qualities of nature that I really appreciated. I also enjoyed the way we got naratives from Roshell's friends, this added a quirky, other eye perspective that really worked for me. And the music references were great fun, they helped to set the book firmly in 90's and at times I was bopping along with Roshell.

If you like YA and books that deal with big issues or just want to relive the 90's, I would recommend you check this one out.

Thanks to NetGalley & Fingerpress for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Melissa Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embracing You, Embracing Me is Michelle Bellon's first novel. It features a strong and vivacious young woman named Roshell, following her journey into adulthood. It tackles some difficult subject matter and manages to still be funny and hopeful. I was hooked from the start.


Roshell is the type of person who takes whatever life throws at her and tries to adapt the best she can. Even when she was stepping foolishly into situations fraught with danger, I found myself cheering her on in my head. Her determination to make her future brighter than her past is just one of many things I admired about her. But my favorite character in the book, hands down, was Gabriel. He was just good; in and out, in all the ways that count. He always acted with kindness and honesty and was intelligent in ways most teenage boys are not. He was the best part of this book for me.


I love Roshell's friends; they are always there for her regardless of how much time passes or what happens in their lives. Her two best friends, Sabrina and Amber, are perfect bookends for Roshell's character. The three balance each other wonderfully and it was a lot of fun to watch their lives progress intertwined. I really loved seeing Roshell through her friends eyes, too. It showed the impact her actions had on them and gave the story more depth as well.


Embracing You, Embracing Me is a poignant tale about self discovery and acceptance. Emotionally taxing, I found myself laughing and crying at the same time in some places. Roshell faces down her demons and learns about love and loss all while learning who she really is. I really enjoyed this book.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating 2.5 stars

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The blurb made the book seem more interesting than it really was. And while I didn't read any reviews of the book before I read it, I did read some shortly after. I was certain that I couldn't have been the only one slightly disappointed, right? Apparently, I am. I always feel sort of weird whenever I don't generally agree with the reviews I read. Unfortunately, I just can't see the greatness that everyone else does.

There wasn't one big thing that made the book less than stellar for me. It was definitely a combination of things. I didn't too much care for the little excerpts from different people throughout the story. I feel like it was too distracting to make a positive impact on the story. While it was nice to know what the other people in the story were thinking, I could have down without it. While I did enjoy the female characters in the book, I didn't too much care for the male characters, especially the ones Roshell was involved with. I don't feel like they were realistic in their dealings with Roshell. It made me irritable and I spent many times rolling my eyes at them. Even with their little excerpts, I didn't really grasp why they acted the way they did. And truth be told, I'm not sure they knew why they acted they way the did, other than they were sure Roshell was worth it.

That being said, the book wasn't all bad. There were parts that I enjoyed and parts were I felt emotionally connected to Roshell. I just wish the entire book was that way.

* This book was received from NetGalley for review. *

[Kary · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, the positive. I really loved all the 90's cultural references. I was a teen in the 90's and a lot of this story just really brought me back to that time in my life when I was dating. I really enjoyed that time of my life, so it was nice to reminisce. The story itself was interesting enough; I was never bored reading it...however, I have to say, it reminded me of something I might have written myself as a teen. In other words, it had an amateur feel to it.



The characters, namely Roshell, just did not pull me in. I never really felt a connection with her. And her relationship at the end of the book really put me off. It was clear to me that it was a dysfunctional relationship (Nico says mean things to her, and she hits him; he just seems cold at times) but the author did not put this in a bad light at all. She makes it seem like this kind of relationship is ok, and I did not like that at all. I know relationships in real life are not all roses and rainbows, but I think that if a story includes a damaging kind of relationship, it should show some kind of consequence...especially if it's targeted towards a teen audience. I would not want my daughter to read this and think that this is normal and ok.



Which brings me to another problem...the age range in this book (Roshell is 15 in the first half of the book, and 20 in the second) makes it hard to target an audience. It just seemed like to broad of an age range to make it a good YA book (in my opinion). The writing style would really not pull in an adult audience either.



Overall, the story was entertaining, but left something to be desired.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost love. Love lost. This is the story of Roshell McRady. Growing up in a trailer park in the 90s is not easy. Feeding herself and her cousins is her responsibility and she doesn't want to admit that she's ashamed of her home. Her life isn't easy.

Roshell meets Gabriel. He's interested in her. She's interested in him. So, why don't things work out? She's the type of person who takes what life throws at her and life is throwing Gabriel. Why isn't she taking him?

That's a big question running through my head throughout the story. The author is intentionally keeping these two people apart and it felt off for me.

Also, intermingled in each chapter were sections narrated by another character, from another character's point-of-view. It was nice to see what they were thinking, but it was a distraction from Roshell's story. My thought is do the best to show the story or at least a chapter or section from one character's point of view. It's lazy in that the author is not able to convey what she wants through the original narrator. If that narrator can't show it, it's not meant to be shown.

Filled with young adult humor and 90s style, Roshell's story surprises with hard hitting moments giving the book a clever edge. If you like young adult romance there is a good chance you will enjoy this book.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was skeptical about reading Embracing You, Embracing Me. I did not know what to expect about the “coming of age” novel. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Michelle Bellon catches the essence of youth and the struggles of growing up and trying to be a normal productive citizen. Growing up with main character Roshell was quite eye-opening. Bellon did not make her a cookie cutter character. Roshell and her immediate friends experienced everyday hardships as well as joys. Bellon’s style of writing gives the reader something to look forward to. In saying this, the way the story line is broken up the reader will get a lot of Roshell’s point of view for most of the novel; but this is also highlighted with other main character’s points of view as well (in other words Roshell is not the only one telling the story).

Would I read this book again? Yes I would, to me this story had a lot of depth into and just may need a second read to fully understand the simplicity yet complexity of the character details Bellon provides.

“Embracing You, Embracing Me” is based in modern day times and is really good story that both teens and young adults can relate to. This book was a pleasant, emotional roller coaster ride and I quite enjoyed it.

[Jenica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Netgalley allowed me to read Embracing you, Embracing me and this is my review! Embracing you, Embracing me was such an emotional story. It was told from different points of view and I really couldn’t get into it. I would of liked the main points of view from the main characters. The other characters having there thoughts/feelings were just to much. Especially for an over emotional read of a women who never had a father and all her other troubles. The 90’s relevance was really not part of the book the way I thought it was going to be. This read others might love, but I just couldn’t get into it and become emotionally involved with the characters. I think half of my troubles is the way it was written...for a coming of age story it just didn’t feel like that to me. Yes the read was about someone growing up, but the way it was told the words used just didn’t make it that way for me.

[JenniferJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually don't like a story with multiple people telling it but I think it worked best in this instance because you got a sense of how everybody was feeling or thinking as events unfolded.

Roshell lives in a trailer park and basically takes life as it comes good and bad all the same to her. She's just one tough cookie ya know? But all cookies can crumble and sure enough while at a party her and her friend Sabrina snuck out to go to something awful happens that causes Roshell to look at life and love a bit differently.

This story was an emotional ride of young love and pain, starting over and loss. I had tears in my eyes before it was over. That rarely happens that a book can move you in such a way as this one did me. It stuck with me for a while.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Fingerpress for this ARC. I was looking forward to reading this, especially when I saw that it was set in the 90's because that's when I grew up. I expected to be able to easily relate to the characters and while there were parts where I did, they were outweighed by my inability to get into the story as a whole.

Quite a few paragraphs were repetitive, at least in the galley I read which was really distracting for me.

This may not have been the book for me but that doesn't mean someone else won't love it. :)

[Becca ~BS BOOK REVIEWERS~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Embracing You, Embracing Me takes you back in time to the ninety’s with the music, language, and who couldn’t forget the hair. This coming of age novel will make you laugh, cry, and want to hit something (not necessarily in that order). This story about the emotional a teen can face and overcome is endearing.

To see the rest of this review go to http://bsreviewers.blogspot.com

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[Nicole Naranjo · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 90's I was in high school so that's what first drew me to this book. I absolutely loved this book. It broke my heart and I'm still upset trying to hold back the tears. I'm also happy that she finally found peace, acceptance within herself and love! I only wished there would've been an epilogue.

[Christina]

I just couldn't vibe with this story at all, so I didn't even come close to finishing it. Maybe it's me (I have been distracted) or maybe it's the book, but the drive just wasn't there for me to power through that wall at this time. Perhaps I'll attempt to get into it again at another point.

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book's blurb makes it sound compelling, but the actual book is painfully bad. The narrative unfolds largely as telling, rather than showing; unless the narrative voice and/or writing style is compelling in some way, books that tell quickly lose readers' interest.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel about relationships... from the immaturity of young teens to maturation in one's twenties. A nice twist is that major situations are shown from several viewpoints.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.

[Akansha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review on http://livenovelshistory.blogspot.in/...