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Angel Rock Leap
In Angel Rock Leap, Sarah discovers there is a fine line between love and repulsion, friends and enemies, and sanity and lunacy. Can a person's life really be over at just nineteen? Sarah challenges this notion when her chosen career crashes and burns, leading her to realize that she has to stop being a willing victim both professionally as well as personally in order to find her road to success. Passivity ends and rebellion begins once Sarah decides to return to her hometown to face down failed relationships and gain a better understanding of the things that might be holding her back in life. She uses her newfound knowledge about herself to pull others out of similar crises, as love is rediscovered and friendship is borne out of adversity.
From the Back Cover
Angel Rock Leap is a twisty journey through the jagged terrain of intimidation, love and choice. I couldn't put it down! -Gina Rosati, author of Auracle
A lonely college dropout, an aimless philosophically driven young man, a female school bully who never grew up, and a few other troubled characters lost in the space of rural Upstate New York, converge in Ellen Weisberg's and Ken Yoffe's vibrant tale of young people struggling to find meaning and acceptance amid the chaos of modern relationship-building. This is a novel of today, people needing people and missing the necessary inner strength to find themselves and thereby find each other. The dramatic climax makes this a worthwhile and adventurous read.-Lea Hope Becker, author & lawyer
Angel Rock Leap takes readers on a vivid, heartfelt journey inside a young woman's sincere quest for self-realization. Weisberg's and Yoffe's novel is not only touching and refreshingly honest, but also richly infused with intricate portrayals of relatable characters, leaving you wanting more. Remind yourself of life's amazing ability to surprise and guide us towards what is good and true.-Holly Park, former non-profit program director & freelance editor
As a member of the New Adult age range myself, I feel Ellen and Ken captured the tumultuousness and diversity found in our early twenties age group. I found the characters to be so real, and I lived effortlessly through each of their emotional growth-spurts. Ellen and Ken captured the delicate shift from not knowing what's up to the moment when we choose to grapple with what we don't know. -Dillon Stanger, street performer & circus entertainer
From the Back Cover
Angel Rock Leap is a twisty journey through the jagged terrain of intimidation, love and choice. I couldn't put it down! -Gina Rosati, author of Auracle
A lonely college dropout, an aimless philosophically driven young man, a female school bully who never grew up, and a few other troubled characters lost in the space of rural Upstate New York, converge in Ellen Weisberg's and Ken Yoffe's vibrant tale of young people struggling to find meaning and acceptance amid the chaos of modern relationship-building. This is a novel of today, people needing people and missing the necessary inner strength to find themselves and thereby find each other. The dramatic climax makes this a worthwhile and adventurous read.-Lea Hope Becker, author & lawyer
Angel Rock Leap takes readers on a vivid, heartfelt journey inside a young woman's sincere quest for self-realization. Weisberg's and Yoffe's novel is not only touching and refreshingly honest, but also richly infused with intricate portrayals of relatable characters, leaving you wanting more. Remind yourself of life's amazing ability to surprise and guide us towards what is good and true.-Holly Park, former non-profit program director & freelance editor
As a member of the New Adult age range myself, I feel Ellen and Ken captured the tumultuousness and diversity found in our early twenties age group. I found the characters to be so real, and I lived effortlessly through each of their emotional growth-spurts. Ellen and Ken captured the delicate shift from not knowing what's up to the moment when we choose to grapple with what we don't know. -Dillon Stanger, street performer & circus entertainer
- GenresComing Of AgeYoung Adult
244 pages, Paperback
Published August 15, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 17, 2023
Sarah wanted to make something of herself in college.
But…
It didn’t work out. Maybe because the dream she was pursuing wasn’t really hers. Maybe now, she can pursue her own dream.
To write.
But…
While she figures things out, she needs to return home.
But…
She only has one friend, and bad memories and a small inheritance to get by with at this point.
What is she to do now? Can she find her sense of purpose?
As she reacclimates herself into her “old” life, she runs into her nemesis from high school who continues to make life miserable for Sarah.
How will she find a way to get beyond her?
And her past?
Will she finally learn to stand up for herself and the person she cared about before? Can Sarah learn to take responsibility for her past and grow into her future?
Will she be able to pursue her desire to write and heal and move on beyond these childhood traumas?
Growing up isn’t easy, especially when parents die before we are ready to launch as young adults. Bullying isn’t okay, and learning to stand tall for oneself, and feel a sense of pride are all real feelings. Including overcoming adversity while learning to build resilience.
This book touches on all these issues which makes it a true growth experience for any YA reader.
I want to thank the author for this complimentary book for our Little Free Library Shed. I am providing an honest review.
February 9, 2016
ANGEL ROCK LEAP
Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe
Waldorf Publishing (2016)
ISBN 9781943849871
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (01/16)
Article first published as Book Review: ‘Angel Rock Leap’ by Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe on Blogcritics.
“Angel Rock Leap” by Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe is a touching story about finding peace in adversity. When nineteen-year-old Sarah is asked to leave the science program she is studying in Boston, she returns home to her small town. While she is disillusioned because she failed, she also knows that she was pursuing a dream that was never hers. Her true love is writing.
Returning home, with a small inheritance from the loss of both of her parents, she only has one friend waiting for her when she gets there. Sarah is still very much hung up on the things that happened in her past. One was the loss of a childhood friend when he moved away; another was being dumped by a boyfriend in her teens, and the big one - memories of being bullied in high school.
Seeking employment at a small café, Sarah runs into the woman who was her nemesis all throughout school. Having failed at her own attempts to escape their hometown, this woman continues to try to make life miserable for Sarah. Both women have much in common, but unfortunately, everything revolves around the incidents and people that were painful for Sarah.
As the people involved come back into Sarah’s life, she has to learn how to get past her anger and hurt at how she was treated, so she can live to her full potential. When she encounters the man who disappeared when they were children, she discovers he is stuck in his own way. They both need to realize that they have to take responsibility for themselves and move on with their lives. It is not easy, but it can be done.
"Angel Rock Leap" by Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe is so realistic and covers relevant issues affecting society today. The characters truly seem like real people to me. I felt their anger and angst permeating into my hands through the pages of this novel. I could easily relate to some of the issues that the protagonist has to overcome, such as learning how to get past hurt and anger caused by people not worthy of our energy. While this novel is written about young adults, I think readers of all ages will enjoy it, and find themselves relating. “Angel Rock Leap,” would be a great selection for a reader’s group.
Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe
Waldorf Publishing (2016)
ISBN 9781943849871
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (01/16)
Article first published as Book Review: ‘Angel Rock Leap’ by Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe on Blogcritics.
“Angel Rock Leap” by Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe is a touching story about finding peace in adversity. When nineteen-year-old Sarah is asked to leave the science program she is studying in Boston, she returns home to her small town. While she is disillusioned because she failed, she also knows that she was pursuing a dream that was never hers. Her true love is writing.
Returning home, with a small inheritance from the loss of both of her parents, she only has one friend waiting for her when she gets there. Sarah is still very much hung up on the things that happened in her past. One was the loss of a childhood friend when he moved away; another was being dumped by a boyfriend in her teens, and the big one - memories of being bullied in high school.
Seeking employment at a small café, Sarah runs into the woman who was her nemesis all throughout school. Having failed at her own attempts to escape their hometown, this woman continues to try to make life miserable for Sarah. Both women have much in common, but unfortunately, everything revolves around the incidents and people that were painful for Sarah.
As the people involved come back into Sarah’s life, she has to learn how to get past her anger and hurt at how she was treated, so she can live to her full potential. When she encounters the man who disappeared when they were children, she discovers he is stuck in his own way. They both need to realize that they have to take responsibility for themselves and move on with their lives. It is not easy, but it can be done.
"Angel Rock Leap" by Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe is so realistic and covers relevant issues affecting society today. The characters truly seem like real people to me. I felt their anger and angst permeating into my hands through the pages of this novel. I could easily relate to some of the issues that the protagonist has to overcome, such as learning how to get past hurt and anger caused by people not worthy of our energy. While this novel is written about young adults, I think readers of all ages will enjoy it, and find themselves relating. “Angel Rock Leap,” would be a great selection for a reader’s group.
March 2, 2016
Nineteen-year-old Sarah has just crashed and burned, flunking out of college, and returns to her home town in quest of answers that are not quickly forthcoming in this story of the lasting effects of being a victim. Her first impulse is to blame somebody else for her failure, but it seems there's nobody who can be blamed but herself - or, is there?
Angel Rock Leap is about how life passions become lost in a sea of 'practical' decisions, of how trauma holds lasting ramifications as victims repeat self-defeating patterns and attitudes, and of how recovery is gained.
Readers follow Sarah's return home and learn what it takes to make new memories out of bad experiences and how to juggle the survival instinct and an impulse to run away with the purpose of confronting one's past in order to change the present and future.
Readers follow the evolution of Sarah's growth, absorbing passages that deftly display logic and emotional processes: "Too many people are making me feel like not a day has gone by since I last saw them,” I said. “And that would be OK if things didn’t completely suck... the last time I saw them.”
Sarah has let men and women hurt her throughout her life. It's time for a different way of communicating, confronting, and (ultimately) healing from her wounds. But how?
Angel Rock Leap becomes not just a scene from the past, but a place where old acquaintances come together to examine connections that were dangerous, destructive, or divisive. As Sarah uncovers the routes to different choices in her life, readers will find themselves immersed in her emotional roller coaster ride which ultimately lends perspective and insight into the process of forming better interpersonal connections.
Angel Rock Leap wraps a diverse selection of themes (alienation, bullying, and how victims turn tables to become something greater than their pain) into its story, and is a strong recommendation for fiction readers seeking emotional stories of protagonists who hover at the intersections of life-changing events and decisions.
Angel Rock Leap is about how life passions become lost in a sea of 'practical' decisions, of how trauma holds lasting ramifications as victims repeat self-defeating patterns and attitudes, and of how recovery is gained.
Readers follow Sarah's return home and learn what it takes to make new memories out of bad experiences and how to juggle the survival instinct and an impulse to run away with the purpose of confronting one's past in order to change the present and future.
Readers follow the evolution of Sarah's growth, absorbing passages that deftly display logic and emotional processes: "Too many people are making me feel like not a day has gone by since I last saw them,” I said. “And that would be OK if things didn’t completely suck... the last time I saw them.”
Sarah has let men and women hurt her throughout her life. It's time for a different way of communicating, confronting, and (ultimately) healing from her wounds. But how?
Angel Rock Leap becomes not just a scene from the past, but a place where old acquaintances come together to examine connections that were dangerous, destructive, or divisive. As Sarah uncovers the routes to different choices in her life, readers will find themselves immersed in her emotional roller coaster ride which ultimately lends perspective and insight into the process of forming better interpersonal connections.
Angel Rock Leap wraps a diverse selection of themes (alienation, bullying, and how victims turn tables to become something greater than their pain) into its story, and is a strong recommendation for fiction readers seeking emotional stories of protagonists who hover at the intersections of life-changing events and decisions.
June 28, 2016
This book brought me to tears. It was touching beyond words. Ellen Weisberg was able to tell a story and yet teach a lesson about bullying. I felt for Sarah, the main character, and followed her story with empathy and understanding. Angel Rock Leap is a page turner and with each chapter I wanted to find out more. I read this book in one day because it keep me interested from beginning to end. I am looking forward to reading more of Ellen's work.
November 27, 2016
Angel Rock Leap is a novel about a handful of young adults just a few years out of high school, who are already disillusioned about life. Will they ever find a sense of purpose again after their respective dreams have been shattered? Lessons are eventually learned as they overcome youthful ego, arrogance, and pride. There IS reason for hope, after all, as they discover that life does indeed go on, and that adversity and unexpected circumstances build resilience.
The protagonists are painted with broad strokes, represented more as archetypes rather than as individuals with idiosyncrasies. They can be viewed more as categories of people, such as the Popular Mean Girl Cheerleader, The Jock, Mousey Nerd, Sarcastic Sidekick, and so on. In this way, they represent universal characters, but we never really get to know them intimately. The dialogue leans toward the generic and stilted, with the conversation capturing more the gist of a type of person. What results is perhaps the lack of embracing of these characters, since they feel a bit two-dimensional and not fully fleshed out. I never really became drawn into their world, and felt more like an outside observer. We probably invest emotionally into the characters when the senses are evoked, and the depiction of these individuals felt more clinical and sterile.
If the goal is to read a book with a takeaway, then that objective can be met. It's a matter of whether you want to join these characters on the journey towards that end.
The protagonists are painted with broad strokes, represented more as archetypes rather than as individuals with idiosyncrasies. They can be viewed more as categories of people, such as the Popular Mean Girl Cheerleader, The Jock, Mousey Nerd, Sarcastic Sidekick, and so on. In this way, they represent universal characters, but we never really get to know them intimately. The dialogue leans toward the generic and stilted, with the conversation capturing more the gist of a type of person. What results is perhaps the lack of embracing of these characters, since they feel a bit two-dimensional and not fully fleshed out. I never really became drawn into their world, and felt more like an outside observer. We probably invest emotionally into the characters when the senses are evoked, and the depiction of these individuals felt more clinical and sterile.
If the goal is to read a book with a takeaway, then that objective can be met. It's a matter of whether you want to join these characters on the journey towards that end.
March 23, 2016
I was given a copy of the book by the publisher, and my first thought was, this is a young adult book. I am nowhere near being a young adult, what am I supposed to do with this? I read a little bit of the book, and found myself being drawn into it.
At first I thought the main character was weak, and just loved to complain. As the book progressed, and you find more about her past, everything seems to open up. I also started to realize that I could very much relate, coming from a bleak hometown, with seemingly little in the way of opportunity for all but a select few. I recall so many wanting to leave as soon as they graduated. Those who went back were often viewed as failures, unable to break away.
This is a great read that shows how chaotic and petty life can be. I think it was the reality of human nature in this book that really hit home for me. So often people do not strive to better themselves, but instead try to drag down everyone around them. In children and young adults this can often manifest itself in bullying and meanness.
This story deals with the aftermath of that childhood bullying, and how it can leave lifelong scars, and change the course of lives, for better or worse.
Angel Rock Leap is a must read for not just young adults, but for anyone who can appreciate a finely crafted tale that is written in such a way, that you feel like you are there with the characters, living their story.
At first I thought the main character was weak, and just loved to complain. As the book progressed, and you find more about her past, everything seems to open up. I also started to realize that I could very much relate, coming from a bleak hometown, with seemingly little in the way of opportunity for all but a select few. I recall so many wanting to leave as soon as they graduated. Those who went back were often viewed as failures, unable to break away.
This is a great read that shows how chaotic and petty life can be. I think it was the reality of human nature in this book that really hit home for me. So often people do not strive to better themselves, but instead try to drag down everyone around them. In children and young adults this can often manifest itself in bullying and meanness.
This story deals with the aftermath of that childhood bullying, and how it can leave lifelong scars, and change the course of lives, for better or worse.
Angel Rock Leap is a must read for not just young adults, but for anyone who can appreciate a finely crafted tale that is written in such a way, that you feel like you are there with the characters, living their story.
March 1, 2018
A quote from Angel Rock Leap by Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe is at the core of this well-written, page-turning, coming of age story. “It seemed so easy to feel sorry for oneself. And to blame others for a life not fully lived.” Growing up, we all experience childhood traumas. These inner wounds, if not healed, erode our self-worth leading us to search externally for the validation we crave. Inner wounds become an integral part of how we see ourselves and form the paradigm with which we establish relationships. Returning to her hometown, Sarah faces her past with the help of her best friend Scott – a delightful character and “Greek chorus” who is insightful and adds comic relief. Letting go of the past, and healing the wounds is at the core of this story which effortlessly weaves humor, anger, pain and suspense. 5/5 Stars from Luna Saint Claire – author of The Sleeping Serpent
July 23, 2016
Angel Rock Leap takes readers on a vivid, heartfelt journey inside a young woman's sincere quest for self-realization. Weisberg's and Yoffe's novel is not only touching and refreshingly honest, but also richly infused with intricate portrayals of relatable characters, leaving you wanting more. Remind yourself of life's amazing ability to surprise and guide us towards what is good and true.
December 2, 2016
Writing is serviceable but not particularly striking. That said, the story has interesting turns when a young woman who flunks out of college goes home to make amends with her high school tormentor who barely remembers her. It isn't what I expected and while it has dips in cliches here and there (what story hasn't though), it has just enough unexpected twists that I ended up liking it a lot.
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June 26, 2016A very fulfilling and realistic story. It really flows well and gives the reader the feeling he or she is right there with the characters, liking and, yes, sometimes disliking them. A great read for many age groups!
June 26, 2016
Great great great!
I really felt I got to know these guys and girls! Hated Pamela but felt bad for her and of course Doug was scary at first. Amazing how much they were so much like my friends and myself at times! Read it because I don't want to spoil it.
I really felt I got to know these guys and girls! Hated Pamela but felt bad for her and of course Doug was scary at first. Amazing how much they were so much like my friends and myself at times! Read it because I don't want to spoil it.
June 28, 2016
My 16 year old read it. She really enjoyed the flash backs, how the characters all connected together.
She didn't like the character Sarah ended up with, but that made it a neat surprise.
The message was appropriate for this age group and she really recommends it to other teens and young adults.
She didn't like the character Sarah ended up with, but that made it a neat surprise.
The message was appropriate for this age group and she really recommends it to other teens and young adults.
June 14, 2016
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I believe the authors had the best of intentions when they wrote this book, so it is hard to leave such a negative review. Unfortunately, I thought this book was terrible. The narrator is depressing and her bad choices defy logic. People who have suffered abuse can usually read a bad scene better than anyone else, so when she consistently places herself in situations that scream danger I was bewildered. I understand that this character is meant to help people who have been bullied, but she doesn't read as a person who wants to stop the treatment so much as a person actively seeking to be a victim. If she had been anxious and running in the other direction or plotting her amazing proved-you-wrong reveal (even if it was doomed to fail), I could have bought it. Inviting visibly unstable people into her home and getting a job that places her in the path of a lifelong nemesis is hard to swallow. The bizarre plot points didn't help matters. From the strange candy incident to the clothing fueled fire and hand walking debacle, I just couldn't wrap my mind around what I was reading. It was too weird to be believable. The unrealistic ending did little to give the story credibility. I agonized over this review longer than it took me to read the book. I hate being mean about something that I believe someone put their heart and soul into, but I can't in good conscience recommend this book.
March 14, 2017
I had read Ellen Weisberg's book earlier, but now I read it again, just to determine if I had missed anything. The subtle bullying which became evident as the story unfolded told it all. When young people begin to feel lost and then go on a search for that elusive happiness and the need to belong, they don't always do their search in a straight line. People show up in their lives and clues are present -- the tortured person seeking sanity may be afraid to assemble the pieces. But hope for the future must never be lost. Ms. Weisberg certainly captured these truths in her wonderful story about young people searching for love. The natural and scenic location she chose in the setting is vividly portrayed the way it should be for the reader in order to be transported to the place and identify with the characters.
September 8, 2019
Although this is supposed to be from a Christian point of view it is a story that is told and easily relatable to anyone regardless of faith. This is a great look at life, how petty things can be so enormous to us, especially at such a young age. How what we experience as children can have a lasting and devastating influence on us as adults. Bullying can come from many different people and in many different forms and it’s never right.
June 17, 2023
Emerging adulthood is a time of exploring "who am I?" and the tension of closeness vs. isolation, which is explored through MFC Sarah's return to her hometown filled with memories. I think anyone who is familiar with the "quarter life crisis" could relate to this story.
December 12, 2023
This is an amazing book .I would highly recommend this .I couldn't put it down .This is a great author
March 14, 2016
Angel Rock Leap was an enjoyable read with a lead character that most will be able to relate to if they give her a chance. I believe most people end up in a seemingly desperate and hopeless situation like those outlined in the book . This story can give hope to those people who believe they have run out of second chances and have no place left to go. The transformation of the main character Sarah among others shows us that it is always darkest before the dark. The prose is elegant and one is able to easily infer the meaning of any advanced vocabulary that appears in the text. The main characters are given sufficient back story and give the reader a chance to grow to like them while they themselves grow as characters. Overall, Angel Rock Leap is definitely worth your time especially for those in the young adult demographic.
January 15, 2024
Descriptive and well-written, this novel explores nineteen-year-old Sarah’s life and emotions when she flunks out of college and returns to the hometown she hoped to never see again. Everyone from the class bully to the boyfriend who broke her heart is back in town. How can she figure out what to do with the rest of her life when the past keeps intruding with all the messy emotions she’d run away from? Should she give up? Blame herself? Blame everyone else? Succumb to anger or despair? Or is there a way forward that will heal her heart and give her the future she’s secretly always wanted?
ANGEL ROCK LEAP reminds us that, even when we think we’re lost, sometimes our best guides and allies are the people we least expect.
ANGEL ROCK LEAP reminds us that, even when we think we’re lost, sometimes our best guides and allies are the people we least expect.
May 19, 2019
I found this book to be difficult to follow at times. The main character, Sarah, was a mess. I’ve read plenty of books with characters whose lives were messed up, but the way Sarah goes about trying to resolve her problems is unbelievable. I read this book because a friend asked me to do so and as a teacher, I hoped I might develop some new insight about bullying, but I didn’t glean anything new from the book.
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December 19, 2023I loved this book. I think we all had and have unpleasant memories of our childhood/youth. It's how we come to terms with them as we grow up that decides if we will be happy and enjoy what we have or will stay constant miserable victims, even if it's only in our heads. This is a very nice story on how create the perfect place to move forward and create a happy self. Rediscovered and deepened friendships are the added bonus.
April 22, 2019
I enjoyed this book the only thing it jumped around d from present back to high school back to present then past again, maybe middle school? The message regarding self worth, pride and how bullying affects people is strong but I had to go back and think who dated who? Who wronged who? It jumped around a little too much but would recommend to others.
June 16, 2024
I could really relate to this story. Bullying can last a lifetime and change your perspective in life. Jealousy can ruin someone's life to the point of no return.
Quick read, Sarah returns to her hometown after she leaves college to confront all sorts of things from her high school years. Young Adult read
Quick read, Sarah returns to her hometown after she leaves college to confront all sorts of things from her high school years. Young Adult read
December 12, 2023
I purchased this for my niece and she really enjoyed it! Highly recommend.!
February 12, 2017
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.
This book didn't hold my attention too much. It kind of felt like a stereotypical story of "where are they now", and Sarah seemed whiny at times and not too relateable to my age group.
This book didn't hold my attention too much. It kind of felt like a stereotypical story of "where are they now", and Sarah seemed whiny at times and not too relateable to my age group.
June 14, 2016
I was really disappointed by this book. It started out with so much promise but fell flat for me. I loved how the book started out, it really drew me in and I wanted to know more about the main character. However, as the book continued I lost interest in the character, she went from a likeable character to an unlikeable character and I just didn't like her or want to finish the story.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews