Release Date: May 31, 2012
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Rating: YA 13+
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Pages: 224
A romantic and empowering book about bullying
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.
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.
For such a short book, Keep Holding On sure left a lot of serious damage. I honestly cannot remember the last time I read a book that resonated so deeply with me, and was as realistic and honest as this one. Showcasing the cruel, horrific realties of High School, but also the wonderful parts, this was like a punch in the gut; in a good way.
I'm in High School right now, and I've seen what Noelle, the main character goes through every day, happen close to every day right before my very eyes. And no one stops it. Because everyone is too scared. No one wants to be that person. So, they stand in the shadows, doing nothing.
There's a (really silly, in my opinion) saying that goes something like 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me'. I've heard it said to me before, I've seen posters in my brother's pre-school classroom. While I might not have experienced bullying on a really bad level, the way I know some people have, and while most of my experiences are not first-hand ones, I truly believe that words hurt just as much, if not more, than physical bullying. They hurt the heart, and the mind, and those two organs take much longer to heal than the rest of the body. Guys, emotional pain is just as bad as the physical kind.
Noelle is in a really bad place. Like, extremely bad. Her mother doesn't even notice she's there most of the time, her school lunches consist mainly of lettuce-and-mustard sandwiches, and she's constantly living in fear and hiding from Carly, the girl who's made it her mission to make sure Noelle's life is hell. As if that's not enough, Noelle's boyfriend, Matt, is embarrassed to be seen out with her and Noelle is convinced that the one guy who treats her like a normal human being, (OH, and who she's also madly in love with), Julian, is too good for her.
Thank god she has her uber rich (but not at all spoiled) best friend Sherae to stick up for her. If I was in Noelle's postition, ever, I don't know what I would do. Move schools, apply myself to the adoption agency (yes, it's that bad), and just maybe run away??? Gosh I feel tears coming along just thinking of Noelle's life.
People suck. And Keep Holding On is the book that reminds us of how extremely cruel and heartless people can be; but also how we have the capacity to hope, and love when the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be moving farther and farther away from us.
For those of you who have had experiences with bullying (almost everyone), beware because this book will make you bawl your eyes out, and make your heart clench. And for all those lucky and blissfully ignorant people who have always been on the other end of the spectrum, be equally cautious, because while this book is a breath of fresh air and a definite eye-opener, it's also very much (as I said before), like a punch in the gut.
5 Muffins - Positively Enticing!
If you like this, try:
The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt
If I Lie by Corrine Jackson
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
Related Works: Bullying and Suicide Statistics
-Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University
-A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying
-10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide, according to the study above
-According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying
-According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying
Riya, this is such a BEAUTIFUL review! <3 Very poignant and touching. :') I keep reading awesometastic reviews about this book, but I always put it off because I told myself that this book is too depressing for me now. But your review convinced me to give it a go!! Anything that you said is an eye-opener is sure worth a shot!
ReplyDeleteI always feel sad whenever I read books about bullying, because I wonder how come people can be that cruel? How come everyone act as if these bullied people don't exist? :'( Bullying is such a hard issue, but I see that the author tackled it amazingly. Fantastic review, Riya-dear! <3
Beautiful review, Riya. I read this book some time back and it really affected me too. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read it, but I decided to give it a shot. I think the book spreads a powerful message. Sherae was a really great friend. I'm glad Noelle had her as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear that you loved this so much Riya! :)
This is a really great review, Riya! I've been incredibly lucky throughout my life to have never experienced bullying, so I think this book would be a great eye-opener, like you said. I wasn't considering reading this at all but you have definitely changed my mind. :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic review! :) I actually have this at my library and now I have to read it!! It looks so inspiring and like a coming-of-age type thing :) And It sounds sooo moving and tear-inducing. *pushes all of current library books to the floor and runs to borrow Keep Holding On* It sounds like something a teen could relate to right? :)
ReplyDeleteRiya, your reviews are becoming more beautiful each time I visit <333 I agree that bullying is something we high school students can all relate to despite maybe not experiencing it ourselves and it is a serious matter that needs to be addressed. I'm intrigued to see how the author deals with such a tentative issue and I'm so glad it had such a profound affect on you! Noelle sounds like such a vulnerable character and I just want to meet her now and give her a hug - it's such a shame that life at home is just as bad as at school.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lovely review, Riya <3 I really want to read this - I always enjoy tear-jerking eye-openers :')
Books about bullying are hard to read but are often worth it.
ReplyDeleteYour review is amazing Riya! My heart goes out to victims of bullying. It's so heartbreaking what people do! And it's so senseless. I think this would be a hard story for me to read but I might just try it because your review makes it sound so wonderful and moving. :)
ReplyDeleteI had no idea this was about bullying, from the cover I guess contemp romance, so I'm happy to hear it tackles a much more serious subject as well. I really enjoyed your review, Riya and I will be sure to read this soon!
ReplyDeleteI think emotional pain is even worse than physical. You know how it eat up your brain and sometimes you almost think like what were said to you were real. Bullying is really an awful thing and should be really stopped. It always break my heart whenever I read a story about it. This is a lovely review, Riya. I've heard so many positive reviews on this one, I'll be sure to read this soon. :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful review Riya, this book affected me so deeply too, I remember staying up way too late finishing this off and having big puffy eyes in the morning. I love the strong message that Colasanti puts across with this book! :)
ReplyDeletebtw I love your new blog header! :)
DeleteFirst things first-aid Your new blog header is phenomenal! Love it, hun. :)
ReplyDeleteYour review of Keep Holding On is so poignant, so moving and beautifully written. Maybe I'm a wimp for putting off reading it for so long, but I definitely can't make excuses after your review. Bullying is such an important topic; I'm so pleased the subject matter was handled superbly in this novel.
*ugh, a typo! It's first, not first-aid. That's what I get when I have auto-correct installed on my phone. :)
DeleteLove your review! I've read one of Susane Colasanti's book, Something Like Fate. Although I gave it a 3 star, I still liked and enjoyed the book. She's a great author. I'll add this to my TBR list. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled to get my hands on this one! I have been waiting for a while to read it and your review was the final push I needed! I am very excited to see how this story turns out, especially since it's such a heavy issue to talk about! Thanks for the awesomesauce review! :)
ReplyDelete~ Maida @ Literary Love Affair
Thanks for the review. I love Susane Colasanti books, but i haven't read this one yet!
ReplyDelete