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Sandstorm
GOLD MEDAL WINNER - Cipa Evvy Award for Women's Fiction
When you trade the straight and narrow for the crooked pathways of crime, it's likely to become a permanent arrangement. Unless, like Sandie Donovan, you're a born grifter, determined to use your knack for deception and crime to restart your life and achieve success as an actor.
A pitch-perfect, heartfelt, and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption. Sandstorm is a suspenseful, pacy read about a compelling character whose adventures and misadventures are dramatic and exciting.
When you trade the straight and narrow for the crooked pathways of crime, it's likely to become a permanent arrangement. Unless, like Sandie Donovan, you're a born grifter, determined to use your knack for deception and crime to restart your life and achieve success as an actor.
A pitch-perfect, heartfelt, and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption. Sandstorm is a suspenseful, pacy read about a compelling character whose adventures and misadventures are dramatic and exciting.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 20, 2023
6 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Yarrow
10 books180 followersA New York City transplant now living in Seattle, Joyce Yarrow began her writing life scribbling poems on the subway and observing human behavior from every walk of life.
Joyce is the award-winning author of the Zahara Series and, according to Library Journal, her literary novels of suspense “appeal to readers who enjoy unusual mysteries with an international setting.”
ZAHARA AND THE LOST BOOKS OF LIGHT (Book 1 in the Zahara Series), was awarded 5 Stars by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and chosen as a Best Book in the Historical Fiction category by the PenCraft Awards (Spring of 2024). It has also been translated into Spanish and Portuguese. The second book in the series, STOLEN LIVES earned the 2024 Firebird Award for International Suspense.
In 2022, her coming-of-age novel SANDSTORM, won a the 2022 gold medal in Women's Fiction at the CIPA/Evvy Awards.
Joyce's other published novels of suspense include ASK THE DEAD, RUSSIAN RECKONING, and RIVERS RUN BACK (co-authored with Arindam Roy).
Yarrow is a Pushcart Prize Nominee with short stories and essays that have been widely published. She is a member of the Sisters in Crime organization and has presented workshops on “The Place of Place in Mystery Writing” at conferences in the US and India.
Joyce is the award-winning author of the Zahara Series and, according to Library Journal, her literary novels of suspense “appeal to readers who enjoy unusual mysteries with an international setting.”
ZAHARA AND THE LOST BOOKS OF LIGHT (Book 1 in the Zahara Series), was awarded 5 Stars by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and chosen as a Best Book in the Historical Fiction category by the PenCraft Awards (Spring of 2024). It has also been translated into Spanish and Portuguese. The second book in the series, STOLEN LIVES earned the 2024 Firebird Award for International Suspense.
In 2022, her coming-of-age novel SANDSTORM, won a the 2022 gold medal in Women's Fiction at the CIPA/Evvy Awards.
Joyce's other published novels of suspense include ASK THE DEAD, RUSSIAN RECKONING, and RIVERS RUN BACK (co-authored with Arindam Roy).
Yarrow is a Pushcart Prize Nominee with short stories and essays that have been widely published. She is a member of the Sisters in Crime organization and has presented workshops on “The Place of Place in Mystery Writing” at conferences in the US and India.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 26, 2021
I've just finished this book and I'm sitting and thinking about everything I've just read 😲
This book is not like the books I usually read. Not sweet and swoony and definitely not a happy ending in the common definitions of this word.
It was sometimes really depressing to read this life story of a girl who was forced to become a woman all too fast.
The things she had to do, the things she chose to do or the things she was forced to do to survive were terrifying and fascinating at the same time.
I've never read a book about a person whose survival instincts were their life motto and were told in a partially so clinical way that it freaked me out.
If I didn't know that this book was a fiction, I would have thought that I was reading an autobiography that describes a very difficult and unbelievable complicated life.
Gosh, and it was really a fascinating, real, raw and brutal story.
Sandie was like a chameleon that adapts to life as it comes in a fascinating but also terrifying way.
Her life was like a theater and she plays the various roles that she has been offered.
This book is definitely a page-turner and has a potential for an phenomenal movie.
I love Sandie and her crazy life story.
This book is not like the books I usually read. Not sweet and swoony and definitely not a happy ending in the common definitions of this word.
It was sometimes really depressing to read this life story of a girl who was forced to become a woman all too fast.
The things she had to do, the things she chose to do or the things she was forced to do to survive were terrifying and fascinating at the same time.
I've never read a book about a person whose survival instincts were their life motto and were told in a partially so clinical way that it freaked me out.
If I didn't know that this book was a fiction, I would have thought that I was reading an autobiography that describes a very difficult and unbelievable complicated life.
Gosh, and it was really a fascinating, real, raw and brutal story.
Sandie was like a chameleon that adapts to life as it comes in a fascinating but also terrifying way.
Her life was like a theater and she plays the various roles that she has been offered.
This book is definitely a page-turner and has a potential for an phenomenal movie.
I love Sandie and her crazy life story.
April 9, 2021
Sandstorm gave me all the feels! Author Joyce Yarrow took me on a perfectly-paced journey, one with ups, downs, twists, along with page after page of unexpected surprises. I immediately bonded with protagonist Sandie--her mother dead, her father useless, and her aunt failing to understand how to give her troubled niece attention and love. The story took me to dark corners of life that I’d never actually visit. But with Yarrow’s expert ability to create imaginable settings, I felt like I was there.
In Yarrow’s steady hands, Sandie is courageous and fearful, generous and a thief, confident and unsure. One obstacle after another is stacked in her path, yet she manages to find a way forward. And when her life takes another turn for the worse, I’m there, holding my breath to see if Sandie’s life will get better.
The other characters in Sandstorm are equally well-developed, including Frank, Tiffany, Russell, and Griffin. They are all multi-faceted people both flawed and capable. I wanted the best for all of them, but was disappointed by some of their choices, even while understanding their internal and external limitations.
In the end, Sandstorm is a unique and compelling coming-of-age story with an ultimate triumph—even against the greatest of odds.
In Yarrow’s steady hands, Sandie is courageous and fearful, generous and a thief, confident and unsure. One obstacle after another is stacked in her path, yet she manages to find a way forward. And when her life takes another turn for the worse, I’m there, holding my breath to see if Sandie’s life will get better.
The other characters in Sandstorm are equally well-developed, including Frank, Tiffany, Russell, and Griffin. They are all multi-faceted people both flawed and capable. I wanted the best for all of them, but was disappointed by some of their choices, even while understanding their internal and external limitations.
In the end, Sandstorm is a unique and compelling coming-of-age story with an ultimate triumph—even against the greatest of odds.
April 6, 2021
There are some betrayals that leave a permanent hole in your heart and some relationships that can throw a girl's moral compass off kilter. After Sandie Donovan's evasive father abandons her, she crosses a number of lines as she crosses the continent -sometimes alone, sometimes in the company of another man she loves but cannot trust. It's a hard coming of age and being smart and brave doesn't make the journey any easier. Sandstorm is both an engaging mystery and a compelling character study. A great read!
May 13, 2021
Sandie is a throw-away child. Unwanted she tumbles from a bad situation to worse. Yet she perseveres .
With the odds stacked against her she moves on. She thinks she finds something to hold onto only to have to let it go or watch it crumble. With so much against her you find yourself hoping against what seems impossible for her a happy ending.
With the odds stacked against her she moves on. She thinks she finds something to hold onto only to have to let it go or watch it crumble. With so much against her you find yourself hoping against what seems impossible for her a happy ending.
July 7, 2021
Wonderful book!
Orphan of her mother and raised with ambiguous values from a father of equally ambiguous personality, Sandie learns how to don and doff various masks to survive in a hostile environment. Sandie goes wherever the wind blows, the narrator tells us. And the experience of reading this novel is not dissimilar: we follow the incredible itinerary of an adolescent, and, later, young woman’s life lived as if blowing in the wind. You never know when this wind will wane, and when the gale will begin again. It is a life whose vicissitudes amaze us.
This page-turner novel opens the doors to the horrors of a juvenile correction center, and to an underworld of delinquency in various forms. At the same time, it is an example of how an iron will can change what seemed to be predetermined destiny
Orphan of her mother and raised with ambiguous values from a father of equally ambiguous personality, Sandie learns how to don and doff various masks to survive in a hostile environment. Sandie goes wherever the wind blows, the narrator tells us. And the experience of reading this novel is not dissimilar: we follow the incredible itinerary of an adolescent, and, later, young woman’s life lived as if blowing in the wind. You never know when this wind will wane, and when the gale will begin again. It is a life whose vicissitudes amaze us.
This page-turner novel opens the doors to the horrors of a juvenile correction center, and to an underworld of delinquency in various forms. At the same time, it is an example of how an iron will can change what seemed to be predetermined destiny
June 5, 2021
Many thanks to Netgalley, Joyce Yarrow & D. X. Varos, Ltd. for the advance digital copy of SandStorm, in exchange for my honest review.
Sandy is an emotionally damaged, discarded teen, left alone to mature and survive, often outside the law. Her choice of mentors, love interests & equally abused cadre of friends results in capers, drama, crime, heartbreak and mystery.
It was a rollercoaster of right & wrong, consequences, sexual & mental abuse, trust & betrayal. I couldn't read fast enough to see how it would end.
I would recommend this thought provoking novel.
Sandy is an emotionally damaged, discarded teen, left alone to mature and survive, often outside the law. Her choice of mentors, love interests & equally abused cadre of friends results in capers, drama, crime, heartbreak and mystery.
It was a rollercoaster of right & wrong, consequences, sexual & mental abuse, trust & betrayal. I couldn't read fast enough to see how it would end.
I would recommend this thought provoking novel.
May 4, 2021
Sandie Donovan has had an upbringing that would cause most of us to just give up – but not her. She manages to trade on her many dubious “skills”, find legitimate employment that she loves, falls in love and almost ends the life of her “love”. You root for this young woman all through the book. What a character! A complimentary copy of this book was provided to be by NetGalley. The opinions expressed are mine alone. #Sandstorm #NetGalley
April 17, 2021
A pitch-perfect, heartfelt and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption...
Told in the first person by the essentially parentless Sandie, Sandstorm is a pitch-perfect, heartfelt and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption. When, with her mother dead, Sandie travels across the country to make a last-ditch effort to reunite with her father, Frank, the teenager seems set on a desperate path of delinquency. Frank unintentionally teaches Sandie a valuable and enduring lesson: don’t put your destiny in anyone else’s hands.
Sandie is streetwise and a quick learner. When she falls into the company of high-end fraudsters she learns, not only how to create and transact counterfeit goods, but also how to reinvent herself for any occasion. She’s a skilled actress and makeover artist. What is remarkable though, given author Yarrow’s deft writing, is that Sandie remains authentic and credible throughout. She might trigger a sandstorm, but there’s a steadiness to her that doesn’t falter. Sandie’s resourcefulness, courage, energy, determination and deep loyalty to those she loves—even when they fail her—prevail throughout. It’s what made me root for her from the first to last page.
Sandstorm is a suspenseful, pacy read about a compelling character whose adventures and misadventures are dramatic and exciting. Sandie encounters many people on her journey from girl to woman, each one distinctive and crucial to the story. Moreover, Yarrow’s sense of place is as convincing as her characterisation. Her descriptions are vivid, placing the reader in the story at all times, without detracting from the action and evolution of her characters.
I was completely caught up in and convinced by Sandie’s story. If you like to be whisked to interesting places and engaging, fast-moving and well-written stories about strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to acknowledge when they’re unsettled and uncertain, but willing to fight to survive and for those they love, you’ll love Sandstorm.
Told in the first person by the essentially parentless Sandie, Sandstorm is a pitch-perfect, heartfelt and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption. When, with her mother dead, Sandie travels across the country to make a last-ditch effort to reunite with her father, Frank, the teenager seems set on a desperate path of delinquency. Frank unintentionally teaches Sandie a valuable and enduring lesson: don’t put your destiny in anyone else’s hands.
Sandie is streetwise and a quick learner. When she falls into the company of high-end fraudsters she learns, not only how to create and transact counterfeit goods, but also how to reinvent herself for any occasion. She’s a skilled actress and makeover artist. What is remarkable though, given author Yarrow’s deft writing, is that Sandie remains authentic and credible throughout. She might trigger a sandstorm, but there’s a steadiness to her that doesn’t falter. Sandie’s resourcefulness, courage, energy, determination and deep loyalty to those she loves—even when they fail her—prevail throughout. It’s what made me root for her from the first to last page.
Sandstorm is a suspenseful, pacy read about a compelling character whose adventures and misadventures are dramatic and exciting. Sandie encounters many people on her journey from girl to woman, each one distinctive and crucial to the story. Moreover, Yarrow’s sense of place is as convincing as her characterisation. Her descriptions are vivid, placing the reader in the story at all times, without detracting from the action and evolution of her characters.
I was completely caught up in and convinced by Sandie’s story. If you like to be whisked to interesting places and engaging, fast-moving and well-written stories about strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to acknowledge when they’re unsettled and uncertain, but willing to fight to survive and for those they love, you’ll love Sandstorm.
April 19, 2021
If character is the heart of the novel, then unpredictability is the muscle that keeps the blood surging through it. "Sandstorm" has that muscle. You'll think you know where Sandie's story is going at the next turn, and every time you're wrong. You'll figure author Joyce Yarrow is opening the door to a conventional ending, and—whoa!—didn't see that one coming. And there's engaging characterization here. Sandie, the protagonist, dares us to like her—she commits a constellation of thoroughly despicable crimes through the course of the novel, and her misgivings and regrets don't seem very convincing. Yet Yarrow has invested her with something indefinable, some faint flicker of hope or goodness, that somehow keeps us on her side.
There's also fine writing to savor throughout. Just one example: When Sandie hears the blare of sirens passing her New York apartment early in the morning, she pictures "a fire engine and an ambulance speeding through the city's arteries—a red corpuscle followed by a white one. A reminder that somebody, somewhere, was a lot worse off than me."
There's also fine writing to savor throughout. Just one example: When Sandie hears the blare of sirens passing her New York apartment early in the morning, she pictures "a fire engine and an ambulance speeding through the city's arteries—a red corpuscle followed by a white one. A reminder that somebody, somewhere, was a lot worse off than me."
May 8, 2021
The opening chapter of Joyce Yarrow’s coming-of-age novel Sandstorm is titled “Runaway Train” after the 1990s power ballad that gave voice to the desperation of children forced to run from their homes. Fifteen-year-old Sandie Donovan is one of those children. When we first meet her, she is on a train to Arizona, having run away from her aunt’s house in New York City, where she had been dumped by her father after he ran away himself not long after the death of her mother.
When Sandie arrives at her father’s place, he refuses to take her in and dumps her once again, this time at a bootcamp style ranch for delinquent teenagers. A year into her stay, trouble ensues, and she has to make her escape, this time to California. Three years later, she’s on the run again, ending up back in New York City, where she finally has to stop running and decide what kind of woman she wants to become.
What I found particularly intriguing about the book were the elements of the picaresque, albeit with a female protagonist. Sandie travels from place to place encountering a varied cast of characters from different social classes with whom she must interact by chance or through necessity: Tiffany, a meth addict at the ranch, Russell, an antique jewelry counterfeiter in Malibu, Curtis, an “ageless black man” on the verge of dying in Haight Ashbury, and Ben--not to mention various fences, art dealers, movie business people, and a particularly nasty pedophile.
Getting by on her good looks and charm, Sandie does what she has to do to survive, including perpetrating a whole slew of crimes. To her credit, we come to discover that there are some moral lines that she ultimately will not cross.
Another particularly intriguing aspect of the book for me were Sandie’s relationships with men, from the handsome stranger she had sex with on the train who listened to her story in the opening chapter to her fraught relationship with the counterfieter who took her in after she went on the run to her affair with a married man with whom she hoped to find love. And of course her relationship with her father.
I would highly recommend Sandstorm to readers who enjoy urban fiction and coming-of-age stories that do not come easy. Sandie will be sure to steal your heart!
When Sandie arrives at her father’s place, he refuses to take her in and dumps her once again, this time at a bootcamp style ranch for delinquent teenagers. A year into her stay, trouble ensues, and she has to make her escape, this time to California. Three years later, she’s on the run again, ending up back in New York City, where she finally has to stop running and decide what kind of woman she wants to become.
What I found particularly intriguing about the book were the elements of the picaresque, albeit with a female protagonist. Sandie travels from place to place encountering a varied cast of characters from different social classes with whom she must interact by chance or through necessity: Tiffany, a meth addict at the ranch, Russell, an antique jewelry counterfeiter in Malibu, Curtis, an “ageless black man” on the verge of dying in Haight Ashbury, and Ben--not to mention various fences, art dealers, movie business people, and a particularly nasty pedophile.
Getting by on her good looks and charm, Sandie does what she has to do to survive, including perpetrating a whole slew of crimes. To her credit, we come to discover that there are some moral lines that she ultimately will not cross.
Another particularly intriguing aspect of the book for me were Sandie’s relationships with men, from the handsome stranger she had sex with on the train who listened to her story in the opening chapter to her fraught relationship with the counterfieter who took her in after she went on the run to her affair with a married man with whom she hoped to find love. And of course her relationship with her father.
I would highly recommend Sandstorm to readers who enjoy urban fiction and coming-of-age stories that do not come easy. Sandie will be sure to steal your heart!
April 19, 2021
Beautifully crafted and fast-paced, Sandstorm tells the tale of a young woman who sets out to find the father who abandoned her and ends up discovering something much more important.
With quirky twists and turns, Sandstorm keeps you turning pages in a coming-of-age tale that traces the adventures of sixteen-year-old Sandie Donovan as she evolves psychologically and morally. From the moment she loses her virginity on a train leaving New York for Arizona, Sandie’s edgy, often shadowy decisions keep you on the edge of your chair.
Crime and mystery author Joyce Yarrow has hit her prime with this, her fifth book. A great read. I highly recommend it.
With quirky twists and turns, Sandstorm keeps you turning pages in a coming-of-age tale that traces the adventures of sixteen-year-old Sandie Donovan as she evolves psychologically and morally. From the moment she loses her virginity on a train leaving New York for Arizona, Sandie’s edgy, often shadowy decisions keep you on the edge of your chair.
Crime and mystery author Joyce Yarrow has hit her prime with this, her fifth book. A great read. I highly recommend it.
June 4, 2021
I have to hand it to Sandie, she has so much guts to keep herself going in life, despite all of the abandonment that she has experienced. You can tell throughout the book that she really wants to make her own way, but isn’t quite sure how after being under someone’s wing for so long. It was interesting to see how much she worked to continue her self. Some of the chapters got a bit slow, but it was a good book
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 10, 2022
I understand this novel is up for an award for women's fiction. The only thing I don't like about that is, calling it "women's fiction" could keep men from reading and appreciating the craftsmanship of the story. SANDSTORM by Joyce Yarrow is about more than being female. It's about a person with a troubled and traumatized past seeking to find a healthy version of themselves in the midst of a world that keeps slinging them back into the mud. Many men and women know what that is like. And Yarrow tells the story well. Her character, Sandie Donovan (or Doyle or...?) is not an Orphan Annie or Cinderella, or any other character who emerges from trauma with a sweet innocence that defies reality. Sandie has to shed several layers of old, ugly skin before she starts to emerge as her own person but emerge she does. That she finds a new, better version of herself can inspire and bring hope to others, male or female, in the midst of that same trek.
April 17, 2021
A pitch-perfect, heartfelt and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption
Told in the first person by the essentially parentless Sandie, Sandstorm is a pitch-perfect, heartfelt and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption. When, with her mother dead, Sandie travels across the country to make a last-ditch effort to reunite with her father, Frank, the teenager seems set on a desperate path of delinquency. Frank unintentionally teaches Sandie a valuable and enduring lesson: don’t put your destiny in anyone else’s hands.
Sandie is streetwise and a quick learner. When she falls into the company of high-end fraudsters she learns, not only how to create and transact counterfeit goods, but also how to reinvent herself for any occasion. She’s a skilled actress and makeover artist. What is remarkable though, given author Yarrow’s deft writing, is that Sandie remains authentic and credible throughout. She might trigger a sandstorm, but there’s a steadiness to her that doesn’t falter. Sandie’s resourcefulness, courage, energy, determination and deep loyalty to those she loves—even when they fail her—prevail throughout. It’s what made me root for her from the first to last page.
Sandstorm is a suspenseful, pacy read about a compelling character whose adventures and misadventures are dramatic and exciting. Sandie encounters many people on her journey from girl to woman, each one distinctive and crucial to the story. Moreover, Yarrow’s sense of place is as convincing as her characterisation. Her descriptions are vivid, placing the reader in the story at all times, without detracting from the action and evolution of her characters.
I was completely caught up in and convinced by Sandie’s story. If you like to be whisked to interesting places and engaging, fast-moving and well-written stories about strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to acknowledge when they’re unsettled and uncertain, but willing to fight to survive and for those they love, you’ll love Sandstorm.
Told in the first person by the essentially parentless Sandie, Sandstorm is a pitch-perfect, heartfelt and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption. When, with her mother dead, Sandie travels across the country to make a last-ditch effort to reunite with her father, Frank, the teenager seems set on a desperate path of delinquency. Frank unintentionally teaches Sandie a valuable and enduring lesson: don’t put your destiny in anyone else’s hands.
Sandie is streetwise and a quick learner. When she falls into the company of high-end fraudsters she learns, not only how to create and transact counterfeit goods, but also how to reinvent herself for any occasion. She’s a skilled actress and makeover artist. What is remarkable though, given author Yarrow’s deft writing, is that Sandie remains authentic and credible throughout. She might trigger a sandstorm, but there’s a steadiness to her that doesn’t falter. Sandie’s resourcefulness, courage, energy, determination and deep loyalty to those she loves—even when they fail her—prevail throughout. It’s what made me root for her from the first to last page.
Sandstorm is a suspenseful, pacy read about a compelling character whose adventures and misadventures are dramatic and exciting. Sandie encounters many people on her journey from girl to woman, each one distinctive and crucial to the story. Moreover, Yarrow’s sense of place is as convincing as her characterisation. Her descriptions are vivid, placing the reader in the story at all times, without detracting from the action and evolution of her characters.
I was completely caught up in and convinced by Sandie’s story. If you like to be whisked to interesting places and engaging, fast-moving and well-written stories about strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to acknowledge when they’re unsettled and uncertain, but willing to fight to survive and for those they love, you’ll love Sandstorm.
July 8, 2021
I almost cannot contain my joy in writing this review. Sometimes you discover an author who so resonates with you, that you become a better person just for their presence in your life, via their writing. Joyce Yarrow is such an author for me.
After falling head-over-heels for her novel Zahara and the Lost Books of Light, I could not wait (no, really) to read Sandstorm. I knew without any shadow of a doubt that I would absolutely love it. What I didn't count on, was how much Sandie's story would become a part of me.
Sandie was raised by a flighty mother and an absent father, spending her childhood essentially an orphan. As a teenager, when life becomes more than she can handle, she embarks on a journey cross-country to track down her father and to hopefully begin a new life. What she finds is a father who basically hasn't changed a whit, abandoning her once again. After getting past the initial shock, Sandie rolls up her shirt sleeves, and steps into a forced adulthood.
It is apparent as the story progresses, that who Sandie is, is at war with how Sandie was raised. She wants her freedom, she wants to be responsible, she wants to have a clearer head and a better future. But she grapples with the fickle tendencies learned from her parents, and begins to make less-than-wise decisions. She soon discovers that she is quick on her feet, and has a knack for transforming herself into whomever or whatever the current situation calls for. As time passes, however, we see that Sandie is made of tougher stuff than her parents before her. Where one parent was unstable, Sandie is steady. Where the other parent was never around, Sandie discovers that she is her own security. While Sandstorm is a coming-of-age novel, it is much more profound than that. It is an alluringly woven tale about a young woman's quest to overcome her past and to discover her heart and her strength. I loved every. single. word and cannot possibly recommend this novel enough.
December 8, 2024
Sandstorm by Joyce Yarrow. A Women’s Adventure Fiction/Crime Action Fiction, published November 20, 2023.
GOLD MEDAL WINNER - Cipa Evvy Award for Women's Fiction.
"Sandstorm is entertaining every step of the way."
From the Publisher
A story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption.
Joyce is also the author of the Zahara series, which is an award-winning series.
Sandie’s mom has passed away, her dad leaves her with her aunt Stella. Sandie’s dad is very irresponsible and he can’t hold down a job for long periods of time. One would say, he barely has his head above water.
Stella, her aunt, has gone through three divorces. However, she does own a bridal shop so she has some income. Is she a suitable parent for Sandie?
Who will Sandie learn good values from?
Will she be cast out of her aunt’s house and left somewhere else by her father?
This book is one I will not forget. It Is the story of survival, a story about a young woman who had to grow up really fast.
The Author does a great job and this book will engage any reader. I went through all the emotions with this book.
The main character Sandie will catch your eye and one will really feel for her through all of her struggles.
5*
GOLD MEDAL WINNER - Cipa Evvy Award for Women's Fiction.
"Sandstorm is entertaining every step of the way."
From the Publisher
A story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption.
Joyce is also the author of the Zahara series, which is an award-winning series.
Sandie’s mom has passed away, her dad leaves her with her aunt Stella. Sandie’s dad is very irresponsible and he can’t hold down a job for long periods of time. One would say, he barely has his head above water.
Stella, her aunt, has gone through three divorces. However, she does own a bridal shop so she has some income. Is she a suitable parent for Sandie?
Who will Sandie learn good values from?
Will she be cast out of her aunt’s house and left somewhere else by her father?
This book is one I will not forget. It Is the story of survival, a story about a young woman who had to grow up really fast.
The Author does a great job and this book will engage any reader. I went through all the emotions with this book.
The main character Sandie will catch your eye and one will really feel for her through all of her struggles.
5*
July 5, 2021
This novel feels like an adventure ride through life. A realistic urban journey of making it on your own as a young adult, when abandoned by those who are supposed to care for you. With just the right amount of grit for the story to be credible and relatable.
Sandie, the main character, is abandoned in her teen years by a neglectful father and she needs to source the resilience to survive, ultimately re-establishing herself in the big city. Wiser than her years, Sandie’s path toward the straight and narrow is circuitous; even when she desires to succeed at regular life, drawing inside the lines.
An enjoyable adventure-ride of a coming of age tale, with a sympathetic relatable main character. I appreciated how the author didn’t tie everything up too neatly in an unrealistic way in the final chapters. Don’t be misled by the lightness of the cover; this novel is powerful urban fiction.
Sandie, the main character, is abandoned in her teen years by a neglectful father and she needs to source the resilience to survive, ultimately re-establishing herself in the big city. Wiser than her years, Sandie’s path toward the straight and narrow is circuitous; even when she desires to succeed at regular life, drawing inside the lines.
An enjoyable adventure-ride of a coming of age tale, with a sympathetic relatable main character. I appreciated how the author didn’t tie everything up too neatly in an unrealistic way in the final chapters. Don’t be misled by the lightness of the cover; this novel is powerful urban fiction.
September 21, 2021
What a great book!
One of the things I enjoyed about reading Sandstorm by Joyce Yarrow, is following the main character Sandie travel all over the US.
Sandie Donovan is a survivor against all odds. My heart immediately went out to Sandie when her father rejected her and left her in a place for troubled teens to fend for herself.
She ends up on the run and relies on her street smarts to get by. I was thankful that she found some genuine friends along the way, but it was heart breaking to read about her hard times.
One of the things I enjoyed about reading Sandstorm by Joyce Yarrow, is following the main character Sandie travel all over the US.
Sandie Donovan is a survivor against all odds. My heart immediately went out to Sandie when her father rejected her and left her in a place for troubled teens to fend for herself.
She ends up on the run and relies on her street smarts to get by. I was thankful that she found some genuine friends along the way, but it was heart breaking to read about her hard times.
June 20, 2021
Thank you to @joyceyarrowauthor for sharing an advance copy of of Sandstorm with me !
This is a coming of age story of Sandy, who finds herself on her own and on the run at a young age.
✔️ Sandy is a strong young woman, who is just trying to survive . She makes some wrong choices along the way, but she is ultimately a good person and that comes across in her actions and relationships.
✔️ well developed characters throughout the story - Tiffany and Griffin were my favourites
✔️I enjoy Joyce Yarrow’s writing style - her books are not quick and easy reads, they take me a bit longer to get through because I need more time to digest the characters and the story.
This is a coming of age story of Sandy, who finds herself on her own and on the run at a young age.
✔️ Sandy is a strong young woman, who is just trying to survive . She makes some wrong choices along the way, but she is ultimately a good person and that comes across in her actions and relationships.
✔️ well developed characters throughout the story - Tiffany and Griffin were my favourites
✔️I enjoy Joyce Yarrow’s writing style - her books are not quick and easy reads, they take me a bit longer to get through because I need more time to digest the characters and the story.
June 13, 2021
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.
Sandie Donovan is the main character of this book. The book follows her from her childhood through young adulthood and the challenges she was presented and overcame. She is orphaned when her mom dies and her father abandons her at a camp for "troubled kids." While she breaks several laws and does some unsavory things, the main theme of this gritty book is that she continues to overcome the challenges. She continues to try to do the right thing, but survival instincts kick in and she cannot always do the right (legal) thing.
I had trouble putting this book down. I wanted to keep reading, but life gets in the way. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Sandie Donovan is the main character of this book. The book follows her from her childhood through young adulthood and the challenges she was presented and overcame. She is orphaned when her mom dies and her father abandons her at a camp for "troubled kids." While she breaks several laws and does some unsavory things, the main theme of this gritty book is that she continues to overcome the challenges. She continues to try to do the right thing, but survival instincts kick in and she cannot always do the right (legal) thing.
I had trouble putting this book down. I wanted to keep reading, but life gets in the way. I look forward to reading more by this author.
May 20, 2021
Sandie Donovan is like a superhero. Well has many abilities and a big heart. There is so many things that happen in her life. And things happen so fast. A lot of actionsand i doubbeled my speed of reeding couse there happens a lot. Really moving from one cost of Us to an other. And so many people thag Sandie know and her friends.. lost family.. lost love..many different ages and even more personalities, situations. Life is not a boxs of chocolate but Sandie fight and we fIght with her.
I would like to thank BookBuzz.net and Netgalley.com for a free copy in exhange for an honest review.
I would like to thank BookBuzz.net and Netgalley.com for a free copy in exhange for an honest review.
August 4, 2021
Joyce Yarrow's fictional character, Sandie Donovan, is a force to reckon with. No matter what, she keeps going and perseveres. Pour yourself a large beverage of your choice and finish reading this book over a weekend.
June 10, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Little plot twists sprinkled throughout kept me engaged. Def add to your TBR!
July 19, 2021
Sandi Donovan is an at risk teen living on her wits. She is confronted with situations and characters that test her abilities to cope while asking the question "Is this worth the risk?" As we follow Sandi's path, she matures, but we're never sure she will land on her feet. She shrewdly calculates each situation.
I loved Sandi's spunkyness and grit which crackles throughout the story.
Excellent rhythm moves Sandstorm along which I found be fast paced and engaging.
Joyce Yarrow always does her research. Here we learn about New York theaters and theater cosmetology.
I recommend Joyce Yarrows's Sandstorm as I think readers will be rooting for Sandi Donovan.
I loved Sandi's spunkyness and grit which crackles throughout the story.
Excellent rhythm moves Sandstorm along which I found be fast paced and engaging.
Joyce Yarrow always does her research. Here we learn about New York theaters and theater cosmetology.
I recommend Joyce Yarrows's Sandstorm as I think readers will be rooting for Sandi Donovan.
February 17, 2022
No matter how good her intentions, everything Sandi does triggers a sandstorm in this heartwarming, fast-paced coming of age tale. Listen to my New Books Network podcast interview with the author: https://gpgottlieb.com/sandstorm-joyc...
April 4, 2021
So exciting to read about a girl who doesn’t get a break she doesn’t have to fight for or a man she doesn’t have to fight to keep or elude. I admired Sandie, worried about her, and rejoiced each time she triumphed over the stumbling blocks that bring many of us down. Yarrow’s descriptions are brief, but very effective, almost poetic. Sandie’s a girl when we meet her, but a woman when we leave her and it was both gripping and instructive to see how Yarrow dramatizes her transformation. One of the reasons this novel is so realistic is the dialogue. I often feel guilty of eavesdropping as I read Sandie’s conversations with friends and enemies alike. I read this book when I was trapped at home during the pandemic and so I especially appreciated the way Sandie’s adventures take her from California to New York with a few exciting stops in between.
August 12, 2021
If you read all the well deserved reviews for SANDSTORM, a great read by Joyce Yarrow, I can say little more.
I began the book with a feeling that it was not my kind of story. And so I needed to ask myself, ‘what is my kind of story’ The answer is simple—A story well written. A story that holds my attention from beginning to end. A story with depth. A story with a ring of truth.
Well, it is all there, in one book. Well written. Holds my attention from beginning to end. Depth. Truth plus imagination and heart. As well, it is a fast read, the story doesn’t slow down from beginning to end. And the realism makes you hold your breath more than once, so if your heart is weak, beware, the characters will burrow their way inside it, holding it captive as the story progresses.
I don’t know what more I can say except, I enjoyed every minute of this great read.
I began the book with a feeling that it was not my kind of story. And so I needed to ask myself, ‘what is my kind of story’ The answer is simple—A story well written. A story that holds my attention from beginning to end. A story with depth. A story with a ring of truth.
Well, it is all there, in one book. Well written. Holds my attention from beginning to end. Depth. Truth plus imagination and heart. As well, it is a fast read, the story doesn’t slow down from beginning to end. And the realism makes you hold your breath more than once, so if your heart is weak, beware, the characters will burrow their way inside it, holding it captive as the story progresses.
I don’t know what more I can say except, I enjoyed every minute of this great read.
March 9, 2025
This book takes you on a journey of a young girl who was cast aside because she didn't fit into her caretakers' lives. It is a story of tragedy and resilience. Sandie simply wanted to live with her father. She had already lost her mother and needed her father in her life. Unfortunately, her father did not want the burden, so he dropped her off at a boot camp of sorts, which led Sandie on a corrupt road for survival.
Each decision she made took her further into the crime world, but throughout it all, she tried desperately to hold on to her inner morals and kindness. Time and again, she trusted the wrong people, who made her life worse. Every time she started to feel as if she was getting her life together, another tragic event happened, thrusting her into even more trouble. She viewed crime as a survival tool, but she didn't want her future to be only a matter of survival. She wanted to live happily and securely.
And she almost got her wish! She started to get honest jobs and create an identity she loved, but her past came crashing back down to destroy everything she had built. Luckily, Sandie was not one to give up.
This story is filled with heavy moments and touched upon many issues - neglect, physical and sexual abuse, drugs, theft, violence, and the underground world of crime. I wasn't in love with the ending, but it stayed true to the story and was probably more realistic for the character than what I had hoped for her. There were a few typos but nothing that pulled me out of the story. If you enjoy taking a journey through a troubled person's life, this book is right up your alley.
Each decision she made took her further into the crime world, but throughout it all, she tried desperately to hold on to her inner morals and kindness. Time and again, she trusted the wrong people, who made her life worse. Every time she started to feel as if she was getting her life together, another tragic event happened, thrusting her into even more trouble. She viewed crime as a survival tool, but she didn't want her future to be only a matter of survival. She wanted to live happily and securely.
And she almost got her wish! She started to get honest jobs and create an identity she loved, but her past came crashing back down to destroy everything she had built. Luckily, Sandie was not one to give up.
This story is filled with heavy moments and touched upon many issues - neglect, physical and sexual abuse, drugs, theft, violence, and the underground world of crime. I wasn't in love with the ending, but it stayed true to the story and was probably more realistic for the character than what I had hoped for her. There were a few typos but nothing that pulled me out of the story. If you enjoy taking a journey through a troubled person's life, this book is right up your alley.
December 29, 2023
Joyce Yarrow follows a young girl, Sandie Donovan, who makes choices partially based on circumstances of poverty, grief, temptation, and the influence of opportunistic individuals in this coming-of-age story. Her trip to Arizona opens her eyes and then rips apart childhood memories.
Readers and listeners will follow Sandie’s life as she matures following her father’s betrayal. Her survival instincts are honed to near perfection with people who cultivate her abilities to lie, cheat, and steal. An untypical female protagonist, Sandie is flawed but clever, imaginative, and loyal to a fault as she gets in and out of serious trouble in her adventurous journey called life. She becomes extremely relatable with her sad situation as she strives to overcome and change her destiny. Sandstorm is a compelling tale that tugs at one’s heart yet disturbs one’s sensibilities. Will her encounters in the theatre and with cosmetology provide salvation or ruin her forever?
The narration by Jennys Nunez felt stilted and slower than the tempo created by the author’s descriptions. In places, the voices were too similar to distinguish the characters easily. Some words had inconsistent accents. There were no technical issues with delivering the audio elements, but it took away from the story.
Fans of action and adventure will enjoy this story of the life and times of a young girl surviving along a path riddled with problems. It is relatable to people who make mistakes and eventually learn from them as they learn to stand independently. The ending was a surprise not to be missed.
Readers and listeners will follow Sandie’s life as she matures following her father’s betrayal. Her survival instincts are honed to near perfection with people who cultivate her abilities to lie, cheat, and steal. An untypical female protagonist, Sandie is flawed but clever, imaginative, and loyal to a fault as she gets in and out of serious trouble in her adventurous journey called life. She becomes extremely relatable with her sad situation as she strives to overcome and change her destiny. Sandstorm is a compelling tale that tugs at one’s heart yet disturbs one’s sensibilities. Will her encounters in the theatre and with cosmetology provide salvation or ruin her forever?
The narration by Jennys Nunez felt stilted and slower than the tempo created by the author’s descriptions. In places, the voices were too similar to distinguish the characters easily. Some words had inconsistent accents. There were no technical issues with delivering the audio elements, but it took away from the story.
Fans of action and adventure will enjoy this story of the life and times of a young girl surviving along a path riddled with problems. It is relatable to people who make mistakes and eventually learn from them as they learn to stand independently. The ending was a surprise not to be missed.
June 23, 2025
SANDSTORM by Joyce Yarrow is an award-winning story about a young female teen grifter coming of age. Abandoned by her father at a young age, she moved in with her aunt. But then, when things got tough, she ran away and hooked up with the wrong crowd. This is where she learns how to cheat, steal, con, and change her appearance on a whim. She did whatever was necessary to survive.
In her late teens, Sandie thought she could turn her life around by becoming an actress. She ran away to New York City, and quickly discovered the dark side of the city where roles in porn films and working with pedophiles were plentiful. However, she still had her morals, and this was not what she wanted in life.
Soon, she managed to find legit work and began building up her new career. Unfortunately, that all comes crashing down when her former friends force her into the biggest con of her life, one worth millions, and a wrong move will get her and others killed. She found herself in a corner she couldn't escape from – she was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t - a “no-win” situation for her.
I found myself riveted to the final forty percent of the book and could not put it down. Sandie is sure to steal your heart!
The story flowed well, and the author did an excellent job of immersing readers in the scenes and showing us what it’s like to be a teenager on the run. Although I did come across some typos in the story, it remains a powerful one that should be read by readers aged thirteen and above. I gave Sandstorm four stars.
In her late teens, Sandie thought she could turn her life around by becoming an actress. She ran away to New York City, and quickly discovered the dark side of the city where roles in porn films and working with pedophiles were plentiful. However, she still had her morals, and this was not what she wanted in life.
Soon, she managed to find legit work and began building up her new career. Unfortunately, that all comes crashing down when her former friends force her into the biggest con of her life, one worth millions, and a wrong move will get her and others killed. She found herself in a corner she couldn't escape from – she was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t - a “no-win” situation for her.
I found myself riveted to the final forty percent of the book and could not put it down. Sandie is sure to steal your heart!
The story flowed well, and the author did an excellent job of immersing readers in the scenes and showing us what it’s like to be a teenager on the run. Although I did come across some typos in the story, it remains a powerful one that should be read by readers aged thirteen and above. I gave Sandstorm four stars.
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