Review & Giveaway: WANT by Stephanie Lawton

Want by Stephanie Lawton 

Publication Date: June 7, 2012
Imprint: InkSpell Publishing 
Audience: Young Adult

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WANT Synopsis:

Julianne counts the days until she can pack her bags and leave her old-money, tradition-bound Southern town where appearance is everything and secrecy is a way of life. A piano virtuoso, she dreams of attending a prestigious music school in Boston. Failure is not an option, so she enlists the help of New England Conservatory graduate Isaac Laroche.

Julianne can’t understand why Isaac suddenly gave up Boston’s music scene to return to the South. He doesn’t know her life depends on escaping it before she inherits her mother’s madness. Isaac knows he must resist his attraction to a student ten years his junior, but loneliness and jealousy threaten his resolve.

Their indiscretion at a Mardi Gras ball—the pinnacle event for Mobile’s elite—forces their present wants and needs to collide with sins of the past.

Will Julianne accept the help she’s offered and get everything she ever wanted, or will she self-destruct and take Isaac down with her?

WoW! That was INTENSE!

I think this review will have a few confessions in it. For example… I confess that prior to this book being released I was drawn immediately to the cover. I confess that I passed on it because books like these are the reasons why I also hate to watch the news; hate to be emotionally and mentally beat up (the real world can be ugly). I confess that I hate to see people suffer and although the characters in this book are fictional, it had the possibility of it all being too real. I confess that I broke down and read the book because I wanted to be part of this wonderful tour. I confess that my initial predictions of this book being all too real… were true. AGH!

“If you want vampires and werewolves, faeries, fallen angels or zombies, you won’t find them here. I know a real-life monster. She drains the life out of me and tears at my flesh with words and fingernails that sink deeper than fangs ever could. I’m not her only victim, just her favorite. “

That, my dear friends, is the opening paragraph and it set the mood for the rest of the book.

Julianne is a piano virtuoso, whose dream is to attend the New England Conservatory in Boston. Her life, already a bit complicated, spirals into a whole other complicated when she begins to be tutored by the mysterious Isaac Laroche, another piano virtuoso.

This was a brilliantly written story that ebbs and flows, taking twists and turns and not once would you have imagined that it could have been possible. It takes a broken young lady, breaks her some more and then slowly allows her to mend. It speaks of a first love between a girl and her music, a girl and herself, a girl and a boy. It speaks of the complexities of family, community, wants and needs and everything in between. This book is about a life that too many know to be true. Want took me back to my counselor days when I wanted to scoop up "my kids" and adopt them all. I wanted to scoop up Juli and take her away.

At the end of this book, I was sleep deprived (having stayed up all night because I could not put this book down), numb, crying… In very simple terms… I was a HOT mess.

My final confession… This is an amazingly wonderful read that shows evidence of great world building and character development. Its painfully believable plot and poetic flow guarantee a storytelling time full of intrigue and a ton of other feelings. I guarantee every reader will walk away moved by this read but I also guarantee no two readers will walk away feeling or thinking the same emotions or thoughts. Completely worth all the angst, tears, heartache and lack of sleep. I recommend this book to everyone.

I didn’t want to include too many details because I sincerely believe that you should experience this book  without spoilers of any kind so that you too can enjoy and appreciate all of the wonderful surprises revealed within. However, if you really want me to tell some more, hit me up so we can discuss. Quick note from the mommy in me... Mature readers only please. J 

I leave you with one of Julianne's favorites, Rachmaninoff. 

ARC was provided via InkSpell Publishing for the WANT Blog Tour.

Author Bio:

After collecting a couple English degrees in the Midwest, Stephanie Lawton suddenly awoke in the deepest reaches of the Deep South. Culture shock inspired her to write about Mobile, Alabama, her adopted city, and all the ways Southern culture, history and attitudes seduce the unsuspecting.

A lover of all things gothic, she can often be spotted photographing old cemeteries, historic buildings and, ironically, the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast. She also has a tendency to psychoanalyze people, which comes in handy when creating character profiles.

On her thirtieth birthday, she mourned (okay bawled) the fact that in no way could she still be considered a “young adult,” so she rebelled by picking up Twilight and promptly fell in love with Young Adult literature.

She has a love/hate relationship with Mardi Gras –where does all that money come from?–and can sneeze 18 times in a row.

Connect with Stephanie Lawton

via

Website| Twitter| Facebook|Goodreads

Giveaway Please!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway/gift is open Internationally to anyone that can receive and E-book format. This giveaway is for mature readers. Must be 13 or older to enter with parent permission if you're a youngin'. Winner will be announced on July 30. 48 hours to reply.