My Review:
HERE: On The Otherside Series, Book One by Denise Grover Swank is a story about loss, love, friendship and the unknown depth of the universe. I was instantly drawn into this book, first by the amazingly alluring cover, then to the story itself. YA is a genre that I thoroughly enjoy and Swank delivered an amazing story with HERE. I find that teen angst, the struggles of negotiating young adulthood and young love to all be fascinating topics individually but then to mix them up with some paranormal aspects...genius. I could not help but to be pulled into the love that Evan shows Julia. Any girls heart would melt to be loved like that. HERE takes you on a journey far beyond what you can imagine and you will LOVE every minute of it! I cannot wait to see where this series will take us...if book two was out right now I would have continued right on reading. I HIGHLY recommend HERE and rate it 4.5 stars!
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Book Description via AMAZON
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Interview with Julia
What were you thinking/feeling when you first woke up inthe hospital after the accident?
Iwas scared and confused. I didn’t remember the accident at all so I wasn’t surehow I got there. And then when I found out that Monica had died and it was myfault...I wished I had died instead.
What were you thinking/feeling when Evan started payingattention to you?
MostlyI was suspicious. Why would he want to help me? But he seemed sincere, whichconfused me even more. I’d gone to school with Evan Whittaker sincekindergarten and he’d never given me the time of day. Why was he interested inme now?
What is your favorite memory?
Monicaand I had a sleepover and we’d stayed up late watching movies. It was thesummer before our sophomore year. The summer before... Anyway, we decided tosneak out and go to the park. We played on the swings for a bit then climbedthe giant slide and laid on our backs at the top, staring up at the stars.Suddenly I was overwhelmed, realizing how small and alone I was compared to theentire universe. When I told Monica, she turned her head to face me, grabbed myhand in hers and said, “You will never be alone. You will have me forever.”It’s both my favorite and most painful memory.
What is your biggest fear?
Beforethe accident, my biggest fear was dying, but I discovered you can feel deadeven if you’re still alive. After Monica died, I was completely alone. Now thatI’ve found Evan, my biggest fear is going back to the utter loneliness I hadbefore.
If you could change one thing what would it be?
Iwould never have driven the day of the accident. Then maybe Monica would stillbe alive.
If you could have one wish come true, what would you wish?
Thatmy father would love me like he used to before everything changed.
Book Description via AMAZON
Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.
Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.
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Come and check out some cool stuff over at Denise Grover Swank's BLOG
Come and check out some cool stuff over at Denise Grover Swank's BLOG
Denise Grover Swank lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She has six children, three dogs,and an overactive imagination. She can be found dancing in her kitchen with herchildren, reading or writing her next book. You will rarely find her cleaning.
Denise is represented by Amanda Luedeke of MacGregor Literary.
Youcan find out more about Denise and her other books at www.denisegroverswank.com or email her atdenisegroverswank@gmail.com You can also follow her on Twitter: @DeniseMSwankor friend her on Facebook
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Thank you for your review and for interviewing Julia!
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