Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti
Released: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Speak
Page Amount: 236, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Noelle)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-17/20
Characters-17/20
Creativity-17/20
Writing-18/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-10/10
=88/100 B
★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
The plot of this book was quite interesting. I love me a good bullying story and this one did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the journey of learning how to stand up in this book. It set it apart from other books about bullying. I loved the incorporation of writing and how Noelle slowly started to find herself because of it. It was a really great addition to this book. I loved the character growth in this book because I truly believe that that is what advanced this book's plot.

Noelle was a very intriguing protagonist. I loved reading from her perspective because it was very relatable. She started out a little shy and quiet about her rough home life and bullying, but I loved seeing her grow by the end of the book. Seeing her stand up at the end of the book really makes the reader feel the power of just speaking up for whats right. Her best friend, Sherae, was also a very interesting character that I really enjoyed to get to know. Her story of date rape was very honest and I could feel her pain. I only wish I could have read more about the repercussions it had on Sherae's thoughts. Speaking of guys, Noelle begins the book in a terrible relationship with Matt. I felt so bad for Noelle, but I wish she would stop thinking she was so unlovable. She let Matt love her so I didn't really understand why she couldn't be with Julian. It didn't make sense to me. Julian is an amazing guy and I sure as heck wish he went to my school. This world needs more caring gentlemen.

The ending was empowering. Noelle's strong attitude made me want to fight against bullying too. I loved how honest the last few pages were. Having been bullied my whole life, those words hit home and really made me feel less alone. This book is a perfect story of learning how to speak up and to feel your worth as a person. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is being bullied or has been bullied because the last couple of pages will really touch your heart, just as they touched mine. 

My Favorite Part: The ending being so dang beautiful and perfect.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes it's really inspirational.

Thank you all for reading! :D

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥