Her Mother's Diary by David Curry Kahn

Synopsis from the back of the book: Alison Etcheverry is homeless, estranged from a wealthy family that refuses to acknowledge her, and on the run from the drug lords responsible for her parents' deaths. But she has more than her own survival to think about. To fulfill her late mother's last wish, Allison needs to find the money her mother hid before the killers do.

An unlikely haven appears in the form of an elderly man, devastated by the loss of his wife. As Allison reaches out to him and his family, she finds that she has the strength not only to overcome her own struggles, but to help others do so as well.

Her Mother's Diary combines suspense and romance in a tightly woven, fast paced story that you won't want to put down.

My thoughts:

Her Mother's Diary was a definite departure from the books that I've been reading lately.  I've been reading a lot of quirky, fun and slightly fluffy novels.  This one was darker than anything I've read for awhile.  At first I wasn't sure that I wanted to read it, but I kept coming back to it and finally gave in. I was drawn to this book by several things.  The first was Allison herself.  Even in the blurb above you can tell that Allison is not your typical 18 year old girl.  I was also drawn to the relationship between Allison and the "elderly" man (from blurb above). I was curious how a male author would handle writing from more of a female perspective. I have been reading a lot of work written by women lately.

That being said, I feel like this is one of those books that is not n easily reviewed without giving away a few things but I'm sure going to try.  I don't want to give away too much because I do feel like it is worth a read. 

The things that Allison endures throughout this story are simply mind boggling.  The fact that she is still standing by the end of it is tribute to the type of woman she is becoming.  there are a lot of unfathomable things happening throughout the story.  The way that Allison handles them might not be entirely realistic, but id does definitely teach a lesson in perseverance and determination.   I wholeheartedly agree with the blurb, it is extremely fast paced.

I believe that this book is marketed toward teens.  Considering that, I had some question about the romantic aspect of this story.  I've wondered whether it is appropriate or even necessary to the story.  I guess it goes to prove the message that even though one goes through all of these things, there is a life worth living on the other side.

My "final say" on this story keeps changing the longer I ponder it so I'm really not sure what to put here.  I'll say this.  If you get a chance to read it, let me know what you think.  Did it stick with you for awhile after you read it.  Do you agree with the romance or did you find it kind of peculiar?  I'd be interested to hear how it affected others. 

Disclosure:  A copy of this book was provided to me by Paula at AME in exchange for my honest review.  Thanks Paula!