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The Deepest Blue
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Mike hasn’t spoken to his mother in years, and what few memories he has of her are painful. When Mike’s dad is killed in a car wreck, Mike wants to stay in his hometown and live with Maggie, his dad’s girlfriend, who has been like a mother to him for the last five years. But Mike’s mother reappears in his life and demands that he return to her custody and live on the other
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THE DEEPEST BLUE kept me engaged. It's a fast read filled with heartache and an authentic perspective that YA understand what makes a family and that many are capable of making decisions based on what's best for them, even when they makes mistakes.
The cover - I love it. It fits this novel perfectly.
The story:
Maggie was truly a special character, one that I deeply admire. I loved that this is a first person narrative told by Michael's perspective. My heart absolutely broke when Michael lost his ...more
The cover - I love it. It fits this novel perfectly.
The story:
Maggie was truly a special character, one that I deeply admire. I loved that this is a first person narrative told by Michael's perspective. My heart absolutely broke when Michael lost his ...more
The story is told in the first person present Point of View of a 15 year old boy, and it is convincingly done. Another review called the writing melodramatic and boring, with certain plot points either not fully developed or rushed through. Mike can be a little melodramatic at times. He is also impulsive. He makes bad decisions. He can be selfish. Please, point me out a teenager who isn't all of those things at some point. The important thing to keep in mind is that this narrator is a teen. A te
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Boring, melodramatic, and over written. What could have been a good story about a teen dealing with a parent with Boarderline Personality Disorder is instead a hodgepodge where characters are never fully fleshed out and the legal plot is rushed and sloppy.
Loved it! Any book that brings tears to my eyes usually gets 4 stars.
Those of us that have 'bad' mothers with personality disorders know that blood ties mean nothing. The book gives a good look at this: what does it mean to be a parent? How do you let a child know that you love him?
I was so envious of the close relationship Mike had with his dad. My dad died when I was in high school but I wasn't left with years of happy memories because he was sick for a long time. I felt I could love Mike's ...more
Those of us that have 'bad' mothers with personality disorders know that blood ties mean nothing. The book gives a good look at this: what does it mean to be a parent? How do you let a child know that you love him?
I was so envious of the close relationship Mike had with his dad. My dad died when I was in high school but I wasn't left with years of happy memories because he was sick for a long time. I felt I could love Mike's ...more
A person’s teenage years are difficult enough under the best of circumstances, but when an adolescent has to deal with the death of a parent, the struggles are intensified exponentially.
Such is the case for Michael Wilson, a 15-year-old North Carolinian whose seemingly idyllic life takes a sudden, tragic turn when his father is killed in a car accident. Author Kim Williams Justesen’s novel The Deepest Blue masterfully delves into the mind of the confused, angry teen with emotional prose that is ...more
Such is the case for Michael Wilson, a 15-year-old North Carolinian whose seemingly idyllic life takes a sudden, tragic turn when his father is killed in a car accident. Author Kim Williams Justesen’s novel The Deepest Blue masterfully delves into the mind of the confused, angry teen with emotional prose that is ...more
(Actual) Rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Deepest Blue is another random book that I've picked up from the library. I didn't expect the tragic lost. The heartache that cause the characters to grief as well as their current obstacles that comes after, is inevitable.
Mike has struggled through days of exhaustion and worrying the life he will have ahead of him. I could see he was truly challenged at such early stage of his life. I sympathized with him through the entire book as it reflects the problems compa ...more
The Deepest Blue is another random book that I've picked up from the library. I didn't expect the tragic lost. The heartache that cause the characters to grief as well as their current obstacles that comes after, is inevitable.
Mike has struggled through days of exhaustion and worrying the life he will have ahead of him. I could see he was truly challenged at such early stage of his life. I sympathized with him through the entire book as it reflects the problems compa ...more
I was given the opportunity to read The Deepest Blue via Tanglewood Press and NetGalley. This is my honest opinion of the book.
The Deepest Blue is the story of a teenage boy, struggling to make sense of his profound loss and his unresolved feelings about his absent mother. When 15 year old Mike's father dies in an automobile accident, the mother who he has not seen for 10 years attempts to take him away from his home and his father's intended fiancé. In a fight against a legal system that takes ...more
The Deepest Blue is the story of a teenage boy, struggling to make sense of his profound loss and his unresolved feelings about his absent mother. When 15 year old Mike's father dies in an automobile accident, the mother who he has not seen for 10 years attempts to take him away from his home and his father's intended fiancé. In a fight against a legal system that takes ...more
ARC provided by NetGalley:
Wow! How refreshing to read such a good book geared toward young adults, especially young males. I was invested in this book and its characters from beginning to end. When Mike's dad dies unexpectedly, he is forced to confront his long-absent mother who suddenly wants to be part of his life after many years. The author does an excellent job of making the reader feel the closeness of Mike's relationship with his dad nd then the pain he feels after losing his father. All ...more
Wow! How refreshing to read such a good book geared toward young adults, especially young males. I was invested in this book and its characters from beginning to end. When Mike's dad dies unexpectedly, he is forced to confront his long-absent mother who suddenly wants to be part of his life after many years. The author does an excellent job of making the reader feel the closeness of Mike's relationship with his dad nd then the pain he feels after losing his father. All ...more
Strong story of a teenage boy fighting to maintain his life in the face of tragedy. I like the way the reader had the opportunity to see how comfortable Mike was in his life before his loss. The beach town setting is well described,becoming an integral party of the story. I was hooked on the first page, interested in fully drawn characters worth reading about.
Heart wrenching, yet soothing. Page-turner. The grief captured in the main character's reaction to his father's untimely death is unforgettable, while the support his father's girlfriend provides keeps us grounded. The plot did not follow the path I thought it would take and I am glad for it. A very believable story with a YA audience. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reading.
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Nice, thought-provoking book.
And what do I get for not reading the blurb? I get tears, that's what I get.
This book begins with Mike enjoying his summer in a small seaside town. He's working on the boat with his dad, going to the arcade with his friends, struggling a little with his girlfriend - normal teenage life. Then, on what should be a happy trip, his father is killed in an accident. This is where the tears began. The relationship Mike shared with his father was very special. The love between them jumped off the page, ...more
This book begins with Mike enjoying his summer in a small seaside town. He's working on the boat with his dad, going to the arcade with his friends, struggling a little with his girlfriend - normal teenage life. Then, on what should be a happy trip, his father is killed in an accident. This is where the tears began. The relationship Mike shared with his father was very special. The love between them jumped off the page, ...more
Just like everybody else, you assume your voice is important, and that’s how 15 year old Mike felt until one devastating day. When his Father is suddenly taken from his life, Mike thinks his only problem would be to cope with his death, but he was wrong. Instead, he finds himself in court- fighting with his voice to decide his own fate, but will his voice even matter because in the eyes of the judge he is only a kid.
The Deepest Blue by Kim Williams Justesen, gives the inside view of a child faci ...more
The Deepest Blue by Kim Williams Justesen, gives the inside view of a child faci ...more
Posted originally on www.derpyreviews.blogspot.com! Go there for giveaways, author interviews and more!
The Deepest Blue
By: Kim Williams Justesen
Review by: Derpy
Publisher: Tanglewood
Page count: 275
Mikes life is close to his imagination of perfect, his dad and him work as charter fishermen for tourists, and Mike gets great pay from that. He has his money saved up for college and has a great girlfriend, but all girls can cause drama. And his dad is getting ready to possibly marry his girlfriend who ...more
The Deepest Blue
By: Kim Williams Justesen
Review by: Derpy
Publisher: Tanglewood
Page count: 275
Mikes life is close to his imagination of perfect, his dad and him work as charter fishermen for tourists, and Mike gets great pay from that. He has his money saved up for college and has a great girlfriend, but all girls can cause drama. And his dad is getting ready to possibly marry his girlfriend who ...more
I received this galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Tanglewood Press and Netgalley.
The Deepest Blue is one of those heart breaking stories that will leave you with a whole bunch of different emotions. It's about loss, love, forgiveness and family. I went into this book thinking it was going to be very predictable, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I really enjoyed this story, despite the fact that it kept making me want to cry!
Mike is a normal teenage boy. He has friends ...more
The Deepest Blue is one of those heart breaking stories that will leave you with a whole bunch of different emotions. It's about loss, love, forgiveness and family. I went into this book thinking it was going to be very predictable, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I really enjoyed this story, despite the fact that it kept making me want to cry!
Mike is a normal teenage boy. He has friends ...more
Well guys, this one was just not my cup of tea. I couldn't get into the plot, couldn't really relate to the characters, didn't particularly enjoy some of the characters (let's be honest....it was one very specific female side character, you know who I mean). Not for me man...
Overall, this one was just a dud for me. The book was well-written, well thought out, and easy to read, and I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would enjoy it. I'm just not one of them.
Check out the ful ...more
Ten years ago, Mike and his father left his mother and started a new life. He has had little contact with her during this time and he is happily making plans for his future. When his father is killed in a car accident, Mike plans to stay in his hometown and live with his dad’s girlfriend, Maggie. That begins to look like an unlikely option when his mother demands that she have custody and wants Mike to move across the country to live with her new family. The law is on his mother’s side, but Mike
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The Deepest Blue, by Kim Williams Justesen, is a book about a sixteen year old boy, who had his father taken from him in a car accident. He wants to live with Maggie, his father’s girlfriend, who has been a mother to him for the last five years. He and his dad left their home in Washington, and Julia, who was nothing more than a monster than a mother. They left and went to North Carolina where their new home was made. In a turn of events Julia shows up back in his life, after his father is taken
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Heart-wrenching story where Mike, age 15, deals with the untimely death of his father. Beside mourning the loss of his dad, Mike has an intense custody battle ahead. His mother, whom he has not spoken to in years, wants to take him back to Seattle. Mike, however, feels that Maggie, his father's girlfriend and would-have-been fiancee, is more of a mother to him than his biological mom and fights to keep his life and friends in North Carolina. Author does a good job of depicting the raw, honest fe
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This book was poignant. All too recently, I went through the death of a loved one who was also unexpectedly taken. I could tell that Ms. Justensen has been through the grieving process as well, and I was able to have a strong connection with her main character, Mike. There were times when I felt a little lost in the day to day moments, but once Mike's mother comes into the picture the novel really takes off.
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This was an emotional and heartbreaking read for me.
It's about a boy who lost his father and tries so hard to overcome the loss of his father.
The middle of it was boring but towards the end was good.
I really liked the ending of this novel. :)
But I probably won't read it again, because it was very emotional. ...more
It's about a boy who lost his father and tries so hard to overcome the loss of his father.
The middle of it was boring but towards the end was good.
I really liked the ending of this novel. :)
But I probably won't read it again, because it was very emotional. ...more
Such a good book, made me want to cry. :(
Can't imagine losing someone in my family at such a young age or even in general.
He's lucky to have someone as good as Maggie to be there for him!
Loved this book, but it breaks my heart. ...more
Can't imagine losing someone in my family at such a young age or even in general.
He's lucky to have someone as good as Maggie to be there for him!
Loved this book, but it breaks my heart. ...more
A senior in high school must learn to cope when his father is killed by a drunk driver and his estranged biological mother reappears to claim parental rights. He is guided by those who love him as well as his own common sense though grief sometimes clouds his judgement.
Loved that the dad wasn't the bad guy in this book! This book tore at my heartstrings and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.
Review for the Deseret News here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86... ...more
Review for the Deseret News here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86... ...more
Review coming soon. Coming sooner with sweet giveaways on : www.derpyreviews.blogspot.com
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Realistic voice, good plot. Some issues with spelling, punctuation.
Full review on Booklikes.
Full review on Booklikes.
Looks like its gonna be kinda boring
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Kim Williams Justesen, a Salt Lake City native, was one of those kids whose mom had to come in and take the flashlight away so she would stop reading and go to sleep. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English/Theater from Westminster College, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. After spending 12 years in the advertising and public relations field, writing
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