Review: Saving Francesca

One day, Francesca's mother doesn't get out of bed.  Crazy, hilarious, alive Mia sinks into a depression so deep she won't walk, talk, or eat.  Francesca was already lost, adrift in an almost all-boys Catholic school.  Her old "friends" have forgotten her, and the only girls that talk to her in her new school are psychotic feminists, nerds, and sluts.  After Mia's breakdown, Francesca's family starts to fall apart.

But sometimes you can find friendship - and love - where you least expect it...

Entertainment: ★★★★★

This wasn't exactly a 'happy' book - in fact it was a bit depressing at times.  But it was powerful, and touching, and I loved it.  The romance seemed one hundred percent real - not at all scripted or cliche - and the characters were wonderful.  Saving Francesca is an excellent book.

Plot: ★★★

I gave it only three stars because there wasn't a whole lot of plot, other than Francesca's struggles to survive.  But what plot there was was interesting and enjoyable.  Also, the romance was sweet and quite well done.

Characters: ★★★★

Francesca was incredibly relatable for me.  I don't know if everybody will sympathize with her as much as I did, but she was a very powerful character nonetheless.  Her growth and change over the course of the story was amazing.  The side characters as well were interesting, unique, and had depth to them.  All of the characters had their quirks and flaws, and all of them felt like real people.

Writing: ★★★★

Very, very powerful.

End Result: four stars.  A good book, definitely worth your time.