I really liked the characters, including Rochelle. I especially liked the different personalities in the Jennings family. Even though I hard time keeping up with their names and who was who, but their personalities stood out to me and so I could easily recognize a character based on their actions/personality quirks. As for the Chandler family, I also liked them but Dawn herself was a little less concrete than the other characters. In the beginning of the story, she seemed pretty set on being upset about moving but then she doesn't really display the same stubbornness through the rest of the book. So that was a curveball I wasn't particularly expecting, and it threw me off about her personality for the first few chapters, but throughout the rest of the book she has a steady trend of flip-flopping about her feelings on moving which I think stabilized her character well.



The biggest problem I had with the book was in the story structure. It wasn't bad, but I did think the conflict wasn't strong enough, and for someone who focuses on plot and story structure as a main "love" factor in a book, it fell short for me. I thought it had so much potential, but it just wasn't taken all the way. There were some sections that would have been perfect for some sort of drama to pop up, but then nothing happened it felt slightly anticlimactic. Everything was almost too calm, too perfect. That might just be me because I have a penchant for drama, but everything felt so stable and for two life-changing events interrupting the story of a twelve-year-old girl, I expected a little more emotional spiking.

I liked the conflict about moving—it's super relatable and something I've personally been through. I think Eliza set that up very well, and once I got familiar with Dawn's personality, I think her flip-flopping feelings were very accurate especially since she made friends almost immediately and that lowered her stress. However, I did think that the public-school-to-homeschool conflict was more secondary because it was not played on very strongly. To me the homeschool transition sounded more like an explanation or demonstration about how homeschooling works and that took away some tension from the plot. At the same time, I did appreciate it because it's a fun way to inform some people about the the reality of homeschooling. I think maybe she didn't have enough objections to homeschooling relative to how big a part it played in the book and what public school meant for her, and I just think maybe it could have been incorporated into Dawn's conflict more deeply.

However, the ending of the book was a pleasant surprise! I loved how just when I thought everything was going fine and dandy, Rochelle walks in and she's like, "Aw naw, Dawn, this isn't over." I genuinely am curious to see what's going to happen between these two in the next book, especially since there relationship already has natural tension to it. I think it was a perfect lead/hint into the conflict of the next book!


Now this book is middle-grade, so it is written for middle-graders. But I really liked the style. I liked how Eliza introduces events very smoothly, and I loved her characterizations of all the Jennings and Chandlers! I thought Uncle Wesley was a classic character, but not overly cliche. Some of the phrases she uses to describe the characters are different and they fit a perfect picture in my imagination. Lone Pine was also super duper easy to imagine, even though I've never been to California before. I had some trouble imagining details of some scenes, but that's not that big of a deal considering the vibe she set for the whole story was cozy and comfortable. Like a retreat, which I know technically it was, but wow it felt like one and that I liked! Eliza described rock formations and I was feeling the sand between my fingers. I didn't even have to go anywhere!


Hmmmm...do I sense growing crushes??? *wiggles eyebrows intensely* I'm sorry, but I miss the drama of middle-school "romance." XD

This book is middle-grade, guys. Pure as Aquafina bottled water. So let's go ahead and give this section five stars for being one of the few books on the planet without ridiculous romantic relationships that still managed to capture my heart.


Overall, I though this was a great read for younger readers because it's super age appropriate, very clean, easy to read, has Christian themes, great emphasis on family, and deals with relatable and realistic conflicts in terms younger readers would understand. I think it would be a great family book, and one I would suggest for any reader interested in a Christian MG contemporary! Click here to order the book, and don't forget to congratulate Eliza on her debut novel! *tosses confetti*