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Behind Closed Doors #1
Brave New Girl
Skipping school. Drinking. Partying with a fake ID. Taking the school’s driver’s education car for a joyride. It was all fun and games until a car accident changed everything.
Now Ashley Meyer was determined to forget her wild sophomore year and start anew.
No more hanging out with Roxanne Spencer. No more rebelling against her father and new stepmother. No more counseling. In a new town with new friends, Ashley hopes to leave her troubled past behind and move on to a more promising future.
But not everyone is welcoming to the new girl, and Ashley begins to wonder if moving to a new town really is the key to a better life…or whether things would be better if she went back to the city after all.
Now Ashley Meyer was determined to forget her wild sophomore year and start anew.
No more hanging out with Roxanne Spencer. No more rebelling against her father and new stepmother. No more counseling. In a new town with new friends, Ashley hopes to leave her troubled past behind and move on to a more promising future.
But not everyone is welcoming to the new girl, and Ashley begins to wonder if moving to a new town really is the key to a better life…or whether things would be better if she went back to the city after all.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2019
5 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Grace Herbst
7 books11 followersGrowing up in a small town in Illinois didn’t hinder Grace Herbst’s creativity or her passion for storytelling. Instead, she was even more inspired to write about the close-knit community of a small town. Since 2010, she has used her creativity to dive in fanfiction and turned the worlds of television shows One Tree Hill and Grey’s Anatomy upside down. Overcoming obstacles and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel has always been a prominent theme in her stories. When she’s not causing chaos in the fanfiction world or her original stories, she’s fighting off her weakness of chocolate. She currently resides outside of Detroit, Michigan with her Wonder Dog, Molly.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 9, 2022
BRAVE NEW GIRL is a really well written young adult contemporary that covers a wide range of issues facing teens today. Ashley moves to a new town after she gets into trouble at her former school. Her father has just remarried and while Ashley’s stepmom is nice enough, she isn’t sure how she feels about that. I really liked the whole feel of this book. There was a lot going on with a robbery and assault plotline, as well as other storylines that will appeal and be relatable to teen readers, but the general feel is very small town, close-knit, which the author states in her notes at the end of the book was her goal in writing the series. The friend group is fun to read about. The scenes at the diner over burgers and milkshakes were cozy and just made me want to spend more time in the pages, as did watching Ashley and Chloe shop for Homecoming Dance dresses. This is a series I would definitely recommend to others and I look forward to seeing what happens in book two.
May 18, 2020
Well written YA drama
Not my usual read but looked interesting and wanted to broaden my readership. I wasn't disappointed. The rebellious teenager is getting to be of an old trope for me. It was refreshing to see the girl Ashley trying to make a come back from those days of rebellion. I won't say if she succeed or not. It was a heck of a ride through the last part of the book. I enjoyed the story. I it's a good story for any age group.
Not my usual read but looked interesting and wanted to broaden my readership. I wasn't disappointed. The rebellious teenager is getting to be of an old trope for me. It was refreshing to see the girl Ashley trying to make a come back from those days of rebellion. I won't say if she succeed or not. It was a heck of a ride through the last part of the book. I enjoyed the story. I it's a good story for any age group.
February 5, 2021
Brave New Girl is a great read for teens and preteens. The main character Ashley has been through a lot and is working to process it. It is interesting to see her growth throughout the book. The story and the author’s writing style is captivating with lots of detail. It was quite an adventure throughout, especially during the last quarter of the book - I never knew what would happen next! All of the characters are interesting and the story itself is relatable, especially for a teen but I enjoyed it in my 30s. I’m excited to read the second and third book in the series!
December 11, 2019
An excellent read on a young girl's struggles with life. I was enthralled throughout and couldn't put the book down. I will surely read again. Thank you so much!
June 12, 2021
This book felt like a book 2. I really wanted to see Ashley go wild and hit rock bottom but the story starts after that, once the dust has settled. Except, Ashley hasn't really processed what happened.
Ashley integrates into her new school with ease. Her new house is in a nice neighbourhood and next door to one of her new friends. Everything is going good until the burglaries start.
Someone is breaking into homes and stealing peoples jewellery. Ashley can't help but think her past is catching up with her. When someone she loves gets hurt she decides its time to take responsibility for her mistakes. She runs away from home, back to her old town to deal with her past.
There were a few occasions I felt the story was too safe, and the author could have dug deeper into Ashley’s emotions and upped the stakes. It is a quick easy read and has a satisfying ending with no loose ends. It is part of a series but you can read it as a standalone.
Overall it is a good story about taking responsibility for you actions and forgiveness.
***
The book deals with or touches on the following topics; moving house & starting a new school, death of a parent, parent remarrying, a new baby to the family, going wild (stealing, drinking, drugs, sleeping around), miscarriage, gun crime, running away/homelessness, and needing therapy.
Ashley integrates into her new school with ease. Her new house is in a nice neighbourhood and next door to one of her new friends. Everything is going good until the burglaries start.
Someone is breaking into homes and stealing peoples jewellery. Ashley can't help but think her past is catching up with her. When someone she loves gets hurt she decides its time to take responsibility for her mistakes. She runs away from home, back to her old town to deal with her past.
There were a few occasions I felt the story was too safe, and the author could have dug deeper into Ashley’s emotions and upped the stakes. It is a quick easy read and has a satisfying ending with no loose ends. It is part of a series but you can read it as a standalone.
Overall it is a good story about taking responsibility for you actions and forgiveness.
***
The book deals with or touches on the following topics; moving house & starting a new school, death of a parent, parent remarrying, a new baby to the family, going wild (stealing, drinking, drugs, sleeping around), miscarriage, gun crime, running away/homelessness, and needing therapy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews