From the Bookshelf of Turning Pages At Midnight…

Making Faces

Amy Harmon

Start date: January 15, 2015

Finish date: January 31, 2015

Discussion: Buddy Reads

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* September 2025 Buddy Reads
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What Members Thought

Jan 14, 2015 Laura Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, sweet-hero, sweet-and-cute-heroine, zero-cock-count, six-star-read, fight-for-me, ex-military-hottie, hero-disabled, young-adult

For a book with a cock count of a big fat Zero, this is a rare six star read for me. Beautiful original story. Beautiful writing. Just read it. Note to those of you who ugly cry over books......get to store for tissues prior to opening book.

Fav line from the book:"You have a tattoo, a black eye and I just saw your bra. You are getting to be very hardcore Fern."~Ambrose ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Mar 28, 2015 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned-books, ebooks, signed, gr-group-reads, 2016-mods-bad-ass-heroines, vixen-authors, vbb-recommendations, 2016-lop-winter-challenge, 2016-read

A marvelous, heart-wrenching story!
At it's heart, a coming of age story, with a beautiful love story skillfully interwoven. The author creates such complex characters, and captures the very essence of life in small town America.

I am not embarrassed to admit my eyes leaked quite frequently during the last 15% of this book.

“Victory is in the Battle”

Amy Harmon can do no wrong, in my opinion. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 22, 2014 Beth McCraw rated it it was amazing

Wow. Books like this is why I read. Absolutely loved this! I've cried and highlighted, highlighted and cried. Read this people!! ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

May 04, 2014 V rated it it was amazing

Shelves: love-drama, favorites, young-college-romance, navy-war-soldier

Uh. Just….uh! I’m at a loss for words. Well this certainly snapped me out of my funk. I wanted a book with an actual story, something that I could connect with, enjoy, want to read and forsake everything else going on around me. And that’s what this book did. The story was brilliant and the writing even better. The way the author told the story, moving between present (senior year at high school in 2001-2) and the past (early 1990s) to provide some background on how the two MCs met and how the h Uh. Just….uh! I’m at a loss for words. Well this certainly snapped me out of my funk. I wanted a book with an actual story, something that I could connect with, enjoy, want to read and forsake everything else going on around me. And that’s what this book did. The story was brilliant and the writing even better. The way the author told the story, moving between present (senior year at high school in 2001-2) and the past (early 1990s) to provide some background on how the two MCs met and how the heroine (Fern’s) love for Ambrose develops over the years. I was captivated by the characters. Really, they were just so likeable and my heart went out to Fern so many times throughout the book, with her ‘UGS’ or Ugly Girl Syndrome and ability to write beautiful poetry/books. Ambrose had so much more to him than most other 18 year old boys. No, he doesn’t have a dark past, but he just has something about him, other than his looks, that make him stand out, and Fern sees this. I loved how the two got to know each other through love letters, much to Ambrose’s ignorance – he doesn’t know that Fern is actually writing them on behalf of her friend who also has a crush on him.
After the clever, yet haunting reference to 9/11 (still 13 years later I get chills thinking about this), I saw where this story was going and how Ambrose ends up with the facial disfigurement described in the blurb. At this point I was at full speed, trying to get to the end of the book because I just couldn’t stand the thought of what the two would face in the coming chapters. And yes it is every bit as emotional as I thought it would be. My respect for Fern grew as she accepted Ambrose and his broken personality, proving she really does love him and not his outer shell. She does this with the help of her cousin – Bailey, who was an awesome secondary character. Usually, in the books I tend to read, the secondary characters have their own story as part of a series, but I knew this wasn’t the case with Bailey. His circumstances (i.e. his illness) make for yet another emotional facet to the book, one which I dreaded since it is pretty clear what was to come for him. Yet I was excited at the same time, especially when one of his last goals in life was to be a hero and save someone. Sigh. I thought I knew how this was going to play out, something on the lines of his input in Ambrose’s recovery and/or getting the two MCs together. What I wasn’t expecting was the actual way in which Bailey achieved this goal. My heart was beating so fast as this part of the story unfolded and I was torn between not wanting it to happen, to not wanting the alternative either. Sounds cryptic I know, but I don’t want to elaborate otherwise it’ll spoil the story. Needless to say, I was heartbroken. Truly.

But as with everything, things happen for a reason and this bittersweet tragedy had a purpose, which is explored in the last 20% of the book. The ending. Perfect. The last word sending tears to my eyes.

This is a must read, i cant emphasise how this book has made me feel. You have to experience it for yourself.

5+ stars. Amazing! ...more

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Jul 05, 2014 Tonya rated it it was amazing

This book is an ugly duckling meets Beauty and the Beast type of book. I really loved reading it. I was teary eyed a lot through out the book, after they all graduated highschool. I especially cried for Bailey.

Fern is the ugly duckling, but when she is older and beautiful, she still doesn't think she is and sees herself as ugly still.

"If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?"

Fern can see the good in everyone though and the beauty that they have inside, which is a great thing. ...more

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Nov 22, 2013 Miss Adeo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Outstanding! One of the best books I've read this year if not the actual best. ...more

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Feb 23, 2014 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

I absolutely loved this book. I have to say that this book has become one of my favorite reads of 2013 and it was so worth the tears. Amy does an outstanding job grabbing your emotions...I cried a lot, I laughed, I was anxious, I was frightened, and over all happy. An author who can do that in one book is really an outstanding author. You all have to read this in order to get it. I highly recommend this book.

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