'A Part to Play' Virtual Book Tour & Review

A Part to Play

by Jennifer L. Fry

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BLURB:

When fifteen-year-old actress Lucy Carter loses her older sister in a car accident, her mother shuts down and her father can’t hold the family together. Their only choice is to ship Lucy off to the Edmond School for Performing Arts. But boarding school is no cure for Lucy’s grief. With failing grades, wooden stage performances, and curfew violations, Lucy is threatened with expulsion. For the once talented Lucy, it feels as though she has nowhere to turn.

One night, Lucy hears mysterious music drifting through the school’s old heating system. The music leads her to a troubled but passionate songwriter whose brilliance gives her the strength to perform like never before. Yet their intense relationship puts Lucy in a precarious position: if she follows her muse, will she lose herself? And if she breaks it off, can she stand on her own again?

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Read an excerpt:

As Lucy sat down in the graveyard against an aging oak tree, she caught her breath and thought of all the ways Kate had helped her to be stronger. She thought of how hard her sister pushed her to go to ESPA because Kate believed in her so much. Lucy knew she'd disappointed her sister when she decided not to go to the school. She told herself it was because it was too expensive for her parents and she would miss her friends and family too much to go, but deep down, she knew it was because she was afraid that she wasn't talented enough and she would embarrass herself and her parents.

Imagining her life going forward without Kate, all she could see was a vast emptiness ahead. A throbbing pain started in her head, her stomach, everywhere all at once. Lucy hugged her knees to her chest and let the tears come as hard and fast as possible. She stamped her feet and pounded her fists into the moist dirt at the base of the tree. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair!

Her life came down to a before and after. Before accident, the bright world full of laughter, and after accident, the muted world through fogged up glass. Just when the glass started to clear up, something reminded her of all that she'd lost.

**My thoughts**

I really enjoyed this book. My heart hurt for Lucy. Losing your sister is hard enough, as it is. But she also lost the rest of her family as they were drowning in their own grief. It's devastating to lose close members of your family, and hard to start all over again.

Lucy has a lot of growing up to do in this book. She has to find herself again, and rediscover her passion in life. She finds her muse in the mysterious musician, whose ghostly melodies haunt her soul through the vents of the school. She is also encouraged by her new best friend, Isa, and pushed by her nemesis, Nicole.

I have to say that I do not like Chris at all, and didn't trust him from the start. He reminds me of a couple of guys I dated back in college. I wanted to jump into the book and take over the big sister role. But in a way, he is good for her. He pushes her in a way that no one else is able to do. I guess at some point, we all need a little Chris in our lives to spur us on.

I really enjoyed reading this young adult novel. The characters seem true to life and the story is intriguing enough to keep you turning pages until you are done. I didn't want to put it down until I was done. I look forward to other works by this author.

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jennifer L. Fry is a writer, artist, and teacher in Marin County, California, where she lives with her wonderful husband, two adorable dogs, and orange tabby cat. Though she has been writing since she was young, A PART TO PLAY is her first novel.

LINKS:

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-L-Fry/394827827250769

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/frygurl

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/JenniferLFry

Amazon Author Page:

amazon.com/author/jenniferlfry

Author Website:

http://www.jenniferlfry.com/home/

Buy the print book from publisher:

http://shop.roguephoenixpress.ieasysite.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=APARTTOPLAYPOD

Buy the ebook from publisher:

http://shop.roguephoenixpress.ieasysite.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=APARTTOPLAY

Kindle version:

http://amzn.to/Satsig

Nook version:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-part-to-play-jennifer-l-fry/1112451468

Jennifer will award 2 of each 8x10 autographed print of an original illustration of one of her characters to randomly drawn commenters on the tour, and a grand prize of an 11x17 autographed set of all three main characters in the book. (US/Canada only). Follow the tour for more chances to win! 

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