Blog Tour for The Sweetest Thing You Can Sing

I was lucky enough to be invited to participate in C.K. Kelly Martin's blog tour by reading her newest book - The Sweetest Thing You Can Sing.

In full disclosure mode, I love, love, love all of this author's books and, over the last few years, we have become nice FB friends - having quite a few things in common.  I am hoping to meet her at some point, since she lives in Canada.  In the meantime, I am thrilled to read The Sweetest Thing You Can Sign.

TITLE:                     The Sweetest Thing You Can Sign

AUTHOR:                C.K. Kelly Martin


GENRE:                    YA

RATING:                  

I am a huge fan of Martin's writing and I absolutely loved this book.

Let's start with the fact that Serena has body image issues - which is something that is very close to my heart.  Being overweight plays with your head and your emotions and everything else (some of it you don't even realize is being affected) and let's say that it will lead you to do things that you would never do, if you didn't feel so bad about yourself.  Oh and did I mention "things that you would not normally do if OTHER people didn't make you feel so bad about yourself".

So, I am not surprised that Serena showed some singularly poor judgment which, now is coming back to bite her in the ass.  "Watch what you ask for, you might get it" popped into my head and just would not leave throughout this entire book.

Body images are not the only thing Serena is dealing with and through all of it, her little voice keeps telling her there is better - which she finds in Gage.
What follows is a touching friendship/relationship with ups and downs - which serves to help Serena grow.

This book is touching because it deals with a young girl who is struggling on so many levels.  Having said this, however,  I have to admit that C.K. Kelly Martin's books are always deep and touching.  But I especially identified with Serena who is just trying to figure out where she fits in this life.

The writing is down to earth and sensitive and I love, love that Serena is flawed.  So often, authors try to make their characters either too perfect or horrible and Serena is neither.

Yes, there are other characters in this story, but Serena is the story for me.