A Little Help from My Friends

Miracle Girls #3

by Anne Dayton, May Vanderbilt

Zoe is used to being overlooked. As the youngest and shyest Miracle Girl, she was happy to fade into the background last year. But when she sheds her baby fat and shoots up four inches the summer before her junior year, everything changes. Now she's turning heads at school, and this new attention is beginning to strain her relationship with her sweet, serious boyfriend, Marcus. Pressure builds when Zoe's assigned partner for history class is Dean Marchese--a handsome New York transplant who isn't afraid to show her how he feels.
Just when she needs her three best friends the most, the Miracle Girls are suffering from boy troubles of their own. Even Zoe's rock-solid home life begins to shake underneath her when her parents' relationship frays in the face of serious financial burdens. As this uncertain year of growing pains comes to a frenetic head, the quietest Miracle Girl must find her voice at long last and take control of her own destiny . . . with more than a little help from her friends.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2009

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this third book in the series. It was a good time to fumble a bit as a) Zoe has always been kind of a retiring character and b) third of four is always challenging. As with the second, I feel that it is at least somewhat a victim of the setup—i.e. each book is set to take a full year and the emotional/story content is barely half that timespan (particularly for teens).

But if you compress it in your head to a single semester and ignore those times where weeks pass before some relatively simple matters are resolved, it works out quite well. I ended up liking Zoe more than I figured that I would. It helps that she underwent some large changes over the "summer" between books, and it's a tribute to the authors that those changes came across as natural and in no way manipulated for their convenience.

The other thing the authors did well was model teen romantic life realistically. I'm not going to go into details, but I really appreciate that the relationships in this series are fluid as the characters learn and grow and sometimes grow apart. Okay, one spoiler (suitably tagged): I never have liked Marcus much (he's too much like me at that age) so I was hoping he'd either grow into someone more interesting or that Zoe would give him the boot. I was pleasantly surprised when I got both. Well done! I'm glad, too, that the authors didn't revisit the interpersonal relationships between the four girls this time, either. The first book was kind of an establishment of them as friends and you really felt that they could easily fly apart at any moment. The second book showed some real rocky times with them varying between good friends and the brink of... well... not really caring much about each other. This third book shows their friendship stabilizing where the four girls are there for each other throughout—the natural result of their rocky times before.

I feel like I'm being too vague to be useful here because I'm trying hard not to spoil things for three books worth of High School friendships so I'll stop here. I felt this book was as good as the others, possibly marginally better, even if less seemed to happen. I can't wait for the fourth.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“Zoe is used to being overlooked. As the youngest and shyest Miracle Girl, she was happy to fade into the background last year. But when she sheds her baby fat and shoots up four inches the summer before her junior year, everything changes. Now she's turning heads at school, and this new attention is beginning to strain her relationship with her sweet, serious boyfriend, Marcus. Pressure builds when Zoe's assigned partner for history class is Dean Marchese--a handsome New York transplant who isn't afraid to show her how he feels.
Just when she needs her three best friends the most, the Miracle Girls are suffering from boy troubles of their own. Even Zoe's rock-solid home life begins to shake underneath her when her parents' relationship frays in the face of serious financial burdens. As this uncertain year of growing pains comes to a frenetic head, the quietest Miracle Girl must find her voice at long last and take control of her own destiny . . . with more than a little help from her friends.”


Series: Book #3 in “The Miracle Girls” series. Review of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Prayers; ‘H’s are not capitalized when referring to God; Going to youth group; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, youth group, & pastors; Mentions of miracles; Mentions of the Jesus movement; A few mentions of thanking God; A couple mentions of Christmas; A couple mentions of a cross necklace; A mention of Aaron in the Bible;
*Note: A few mentions of being born again & former lives; A couple mentions of a girl meanly calling another girl “God Girl”; A mention of people having their own demons to fight; A mention of a girl being called “Satan in cashmere”; A mention of a devilish look.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘darn’, a ‘dumb’, a ‘jeez’, an ‘OMG’, a ‘screwed up’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘shoot’s, three forms of ‘oh my gosh’, four forms of ‘idiot’s, and twenty-seven ‘stupid’s, A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Christine calls her soon-to-be-stepmother “The Bimbo” (once); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Zoe recalls when she was dragged by a horse (up to semi-detailed); All about many mention of & the emotions of Zoe’s parents divorce, their fighting, & the stress of it all (*Spoiler* at the end, they decide to try again *End of spoiler*); Mentions of wars & slavery; Mentions of hatred & mean girls; Mentions of manure; A few mentions of vandalism; A few mentions of alcohol & drinking; A few mentions of puke; A couple mentions of lies & liars; A couple mentions of gossip & rumors; A mention of a suicide attempt; A mention of finding a body in the ocean; A mention of wanting to scratch someone’s eyes out; A mention of a bar;
*Note: Zoe’s parents are ex-hippies who insist that she call them by their first names; Mentions of celebrities, singers, songs, TV shows, movies, books, & authors; Mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of looking like a zombie; A mention of a clothing brand; A mention of Starbucks; A mention of a skull and crossbones sticker.


Sexual Content- an almost kiss (up to semi-detailed), two cheek kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Tingles, Embraces, Heat, Hand Holding, Winks, & Blushes (up to semi-detailed); Noticing, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Prom; Zoe has a boyfriend but starts to like and hand out with another guy (she says she has never cheated); Many mentions of boys, boyfriends, dating, dates, prom, crushes, cheating, break-ups, & exes; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & kissing noises; A few mentions of seeing a couple making out; A few mentions of flirting & teens being all over each other; A mention of a couple not allowed to be in his room alone together; Teenage attraction, dating, & the emotions;
*Note: Mentions of when Zoe used to be a little overweight (she does not like the word ‘fat’); Mentions of bras & underwear; A couple mentions of an outfit that’s tight but not too revealing; A couple mentions of cross-dressing in a play; A mention of a pain in the butt; A mention of lowering a butt to the ground; A mention of urinals.

-Zoe Fairchild, age 16
1st person P.O.V. of Zoe
??? pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
{Add a full star for girls in Public/Private School }
Even though this was not my favorite book in this series because of some of Zoe’s actions and attitudes--I understand due to what’s she’s going through, but most of the time it wasn't the right answer--it still a good read. All the relationship stuff really didn’t interest me by the end, so I didn’t have an opinion on who Zoe should end up with, but I guess it ended well. Looking forward to finishing this series with reading the fourth book soon.


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Tawallah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book works well as a stand-alone within the series. I started here and it was easy to follow the story. Here we follow high school’s friends through the eyes of shy Zoe Fairchild. She fits the mold of a typical American white teenager. She is growing up and coming to grips with relationships and love. It looks at relationships- family, friends, teachers and of course teenage love. Though the novel is contemporary, it has a light tone to such difficult topic of love, not just romantic types. This is not meant as a slight, it is difficult to write about nuanced topics in a simplified manner and including Christianity without being preachy. The narrative does suffer as it is more plot driven and tends to tell more than show. It does suffer from being too tidy with certain aspects but one worth reading. Even if it falls into the trap of making every character gorgeous and slim. It would be have been better if concept of beauty standards had been more rigorously challenged. But the main focus is on teenage friendship which has been done well. It is a clean novel better targeted to pre-teens and older.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun read. I have not read the first two books in the series but that didn’t seem to matter much. At first I didn’t know who the “miracle girls” were but this is explained later in the book so you could probably jump in at this book if you really wanted to. I loved Zoe and her friends. Each girl is unique and has to deal with their own issues yet they are always there for each other. I think this is a story that many young girls can relate to as some of the characters break up with their first loves or suffer their first heart break. I also really enjoyed Dean’s character although I wish we could have seen a bit more of him and his life instead of him just being the love interest of Zoe. I felt like there is a lot there to like about him. The one minor detail I disliked was how easily the issue with the lawsuit against one of the teachers was resolved. Throughout the book it seemed to be a major issue that seemed unresolvable and then at the end all of a sudden all was fine. It seemed to abrupt. Other than that this is a quick, fun read for the teen age girl.

[Lulufrances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the least exciting book so far in this series but nevertheless still pretty enjoyable!

[Danielle Turko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that Zoe has the Miracle Girls, her life seems like it's set. Her 3 best friends are always there when she needs them, and her boyfriend Marcus is as loyal as the day is long. She's starting her junior year now, and with Ms Moore not at school, her parents separating, and the mysterious new bad boy she can't seem to shake, she needs the Miracle Girls more than ever.
This book is not quite as connected as the first 2 felt. it still kept on with the story, but it seemed more disjointed from the story. There's only one book left in the series after this, and I will read it, but just like with the previous 2 books this is a book I purchased several years and never got a chance to read it until now.

[Janelle Hammonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable, a great show of how friendships should be, healthy, supportive, and mutual. I didn't read the other books but I could still follow the story.

[Christi Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for teenagers



Simply a good book about teenagers and their normal struggles of friendships and relationships. Would recommend for kids in junior/ high school

[Jess (Shepherdjel) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about friends and relationships

[Rhys-Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first book in this series seemed pretty good to me. It had a well-written protagonist, an interesting character voice, and most importantly, a good quantity of Christian content. Then came the second book in the series–it was like the authors changed their minds about this being a “Christian” series in anything more than name. I disliked it, but was willing to give the next book a try so I could see if it was better.

Alas, it was not. I thought, since the main character was a Christian, that this installment would have more spiritual content than the one before it, but I was disappointed. While God, church, and prayer were mentioned, it felt like they were awkwardly tacked on, not a true part of the character’s life at all or a support she relied upon in her times of intense hardship. It felt very insincere and flimsy.

The characters weren’t great either. I wish I didn’t have to say this, but Zoe might be my least favorite Miracle Girl. She started out promising, but changed a lot. Ana, who will always be the best Miracle Girl, was barely featured in this book at all. I still firmly believe this series would have been better off if she narrated the whole thing. Christine and Riley also seemed flat.

Then there was Dean. Wonderful, swoony, adorable Dean–okay, I’m being sarcastic. I don’t see why Zoe ever liked him. What lovely standards this book sets for girls! Our swoony romantic hero makes out with his girlfriend on school property and later spends time alone with Zoe in clearly date-like settings while still with said girlfriend. Oh, and it is never even mentioned whether or not he is a Christian!

Here’s a quote I disliked: “It’s kind of hard to tell who’s right here. Maybe they both are.” How does that work? Either Dave should be flirting with another girl or he shouldn’t be. Two people can’t be “right” at the same time when their viewpoints oppose each other.

David Copperfield is called a “horrible, snoozerific book by Charles Dickens” and “torture”. That really irked me. I’ve never read David Copperfield, but the other Dickens books I’ve read have been amazing, hilarious, well-written, and captivating works of literature. Have the authors even read Dickens? This might be fair or it might not be, but I would take a star off for that comment alone if I wasn’t already rating this book one star.

So to sum this review up, I don’t recommend this book because it disrespects its name of “Christian fiction” with inconsistent, tacked-on faith content. I’m going to read Love Will Keep Us Together, but only because I bought it in paperback a long time ago when I had no idea this series was going downhill. Okay, I’m gonna go start reading David Copperfield now.

[Keiki Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A delightful story of a shy teenage girl facing some family, school, relationship, and even financial issues. Drawing on her faith, she discovers how to overcome her shyness and make some bold decisions.

In Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt’s newest novel, A Little Help From My Friends: A Miracle Girls Novel #3, the Zoe Fairchild is the focus. She’s the shy one. The often unnoticed one who looses a little weight over the summer and discovers the meaning of friendship in a variety of ways.

Zoe is the youngest of the Miracle Girls. Her parents are from the ‘Jesus Movement’ of the ’60’s and ’70’s as indicated by their names: Dreamy (the mom) and Ed (the dad), who insist that Zoe call them by their first names.

Zoe sets off on a mission to save her parents marriage and reinstate one of her favorite teachers dismissed for unknown reasons.

With all this on her mind, she encounters a new boy in school, a New Yorker named Dean. Having been assigned his partner on a school project, she finds her relationship with her boyfriend Marcus ‘challenging’. New Yorkers are not known for their shyness.

All three of these major events force Zoe deeper into her faith as she will now have to overcome her shyness if she is to accomplish her goals. Together with her Miracle Girls friends, Zoe learns that she can make it, with a little help from her friends.

This was quite an adorable story. Reading it made me think of my high school days and the teenage angst I felt. I loved the wide mix of characters such as Gus, Mrs. Lovechuck, and of course the horses named Dox and Mama Cass.

A very enjoyable read. I’d highly recommend it for any teenage girl.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS is the third installment of the MIRACLE GIRLS series. Here are three things that the book's narrator, Zoe, will face:

1. Her parents' love for each other is on the fritz. Could this marriage that would seem to last forever already be cut short?

2. Two boys are vying for Zoe's interest - that's right, count them, TWO! First, there is her boy-next-door boyfriend, Marcus, who isn't enjoying all this attention that Zoe is getting. And then there is Dean, the new guy who has more guts then most of the guys at the school... even Marcus. You can already smell the trouble when more than one boy is involved!

3. Along with the other three Miracle Girls, all four will try to get justice for their teacher, Ms. Moore. However, they are going to need some serious help. Who knew that help can come from the most unlikeliest place.

Ana had to cope with moving to a new school, Christine had to move on along with her father, and now Zoe must deal with problems at home, at school, and in her heart.

With a completely new look, it's time for Zoe to shine. And even when the lights begin to dim just a little, it's good that she has a little help from her friends. Three words to describe this installment: heartwarming, powerful, and inspiring!

[Valeria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through goodreads in exchange for a review.

Ann Dayton and May Vanderbilt’s third installment in A Miracle Girls series is called A Little Help From My Friends and features all of the same characters from the first two books. This installment focuses primarily on the trials and tribulations of Zoe Fairchild with the rest of the Miracle Girls including Ashley in supporting roles. An easy and breezy read that was enjoyable – the book portrayed idealized teenagers. What I really appreciated about the book was that the teenagers came from all types of families and socio-economic backgrounds. Spoiler Alert: Zoe’s own family is going through a separation and a possible divorce and are struggling economically. Zoe get’s a job to help out financially and along the way gains self-confidence and the ability to stand up for herself. I also liked the fact that none of the teenagers were engaging in heavy petting or sex – it was all focused on staying true to yourself and exploring who you are and that’s not to say it wasn’t without all the crazy hormones but it wasn’t so blatant. I’d definitely feel comfortable suggesting and recommending this book for my daughter to read. There are so many good life lessons to be learned by reading this book.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forewarning: If you are at all offended by Christianity or the mention of God, church, or prayer, do NOT read this book. A lot of this book takes place in church, and the main character prays often.

In this third book of the Miracle Girls series, the girls are facing junior year. Zoe tells the story this time and from the beginning, Zoe feels her entire world is falling apart. Her parents announced they are divorcing, her brother suddenly moved home, and her favorite teacher is still out of a job. To make matters worse, she is stuck between two boys: her devoted boyfriend who smothers her and the new guy in school who acts like the rebel, but is really smart, funny, and pretty great. Over the course of the story, Zoe leaves behind her shyness and fear, and gains confidence. With her friends at her side, she stands up and fights for what she believes in. Keeping with the theme of the previous two books, this story has a fitting ending that makes you believe everything is going to be okay for these girls.

I have yet to be disappointed in this author or this series! I can't wait to read the next and final book of the series. I have been itching to read things from Riley's point of view!

[Christy Trever · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Help from My Friends by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt is the third book in the Miracle Girls series. This volume focuses on Zoe Fairchild, the red-headed, formerly chubby band geek with hippie parents has her world turned upside down when Dreamy and Ed, her folks, announce that they are getting a divorce. Her romance with neighbor Marcus is on the rocks as well after she is paired with new boy Dean on a history project, and the Miracle Girls are still working on restoring their beloved Ms. Moore to her former status as teacher and counselor at their school. Zoe is portrayed as a real teenage girl with all of her insecurities, mood swings, and worrying about making everyone around her happy. She gets so caught up in trying to fix her parents and her teacher, that she has a hard time seeing her own needs and desires. It's a great addition to a terrific series.

[Karie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I'm still thinking a bit about this book a week later. It's the third in the series, so I didn't catch all the background details, but there was more than enough to work with. I admired the growth of the characters and their determination against great odds to see justice done. The Christian aspect was woven in well--it was a part of their lives instead of a stick the author beats the reader over the head with.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great continuation to the series. It has been a very long time since I've read the first two novels. Some parts of this were a little to "young" for me. My reading tastes have matured, but I over all enjoyed this one. Zoe always was in my opinion the least interesting miracle girl. What I love most about these books is they follow such realistic topics... I.e divorce, 1st heartbreaks, or stuff a typical teen deals with.

[Minty McBunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow this book was boring! I really enjoyed the first two but this one just dragged, I felt like it was never going to end. Every time I put it down I had no desire to pick it up again. I appreciate that the authors do a good job of changing the narrative voice for each book but Zoe was just dull. Hopefully Riley's story will pick up the pace in book 4.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I posted my review @ http://13r3asonswhy.livejournal.com/2...

[~Hanna Mays!!! :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was about true friendship, even though,at the time,life sucks, you still have your best friends there for you.

[Dipali · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was great. It had a nice plot to it, and ofcourse, lots of drama.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good

[Erynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love this series!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite one yet!!! Can't wait for the next one!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2015 Reading Challenge - A book set in high school

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book to a very cliche book series I like to call "The Cliche Girls". Again, I love it!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a while since I have read this novel, before posting a honest review, I need to reread this novel again.

[Kaitlin Beck]

this book was really fun to read i could never stop reading it .

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Zoe really changed throughout the book and the series! i also really love Dean!!!!!!

[Emmah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars