Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
In HARD LOVE, the reader got to meet Gio. Gio fell in love with Marisol Guzman, to no avail. Not that Marisol didn't like Gio, maybe even love him. But not in that way. For Marisol likes girls. Now, Ellen Wittlinger gives the reader a chance to get inside Marisol's head. This is Marisol's story.
Marisol has decided to defer Stanford for a year. She's got the idea that she's going to write a novel. And she can't do that if she's worrying about her schoolwork at the same time. So she moves out of her parents' house and into a grungy apartment with her best friend, Birdie. With some under-the-table financial assistance from her mother, Marisol works a waitress job at a small coffee shop while trying to write her novel.
She signs up to take a Saturday morning writing class to aid her in the endeavor. There, she first encounters her old friend Gio. Things were left unsettled between them after a falling out in the spring when Gio revealed his true feelings for her. Hopefully, they can begin again as friends with a firm understanding between them this time around. Marisol has truly missed Gio, but she knows she never led him to believe anything else would happen between them.
As they settle into their seats, in walks the most beautiful woman that Marisol has ever met, their teacher, Olivia Frost. From the first moment, Marisol is struck and becomes obsessed. Marisol begins to imagine being with Olivia, and before she knows it, Olivia is returning the attention.
But life isn't perfect or easy for Marisol. Olivia is hiding something and none of Marisol's friends trust her. Added to that, Marisol has befriended Lee, a shy girl that has begun to hang out at the coffee shop after school. Lee has recently announced to her family and friends that she's gay, and things haven't been easy for her. Marisol tries to encourage Lee in her new world, without encouraging her affections. She can see the situation turning into a repeat of her troubles with Gio in the spring.
As Ms. Wittlinger crafts her story, Marisol is forced to deal with her own issues and struggles to stay who she is as she struggles with her need to be loved. It's only after Marisol loses what she truly needed that she realizes what she has to do. LOVE & LIES: MARISOL'S STORY is a great continuation to HARD LOVE. Fans of the first one will definitely love this one just as much. And for those that have never read HARD LOVE, they will easily pick up the flow of the story and want to join the crazy bunch of people that are Marisol's friends.
In HARD LOVE, the reader got to meet Gio. Gio fell in love with Marisol Guzman, to no avail. Not that Marisol didn't like Gio, maybe even love him. But not in that way. For Marisol likes girls. Now, Ellen Wittlinger gives the reader a chance to get inside Marisol's head. This is Marisol's story.
Marisol has decided to defer Stanford for a year. She's got the idea that she's going to write a novel. And she can't do that if she's worrying about her schoolwork at the same time. So she moves out of her parents' house and into a grungy apartment with her best friend, Birdie. With some under-the-table financial assistance from her mother, Marisol works a waitress job at a small coffee shop while trying to write her novel.
She signs up to take a Saturday morning writing class to aid her in the endeavor. There, she first encounters her old friend Gio. Things were left unsettled between them after a falling out in the spring when Gio revealed his true feelings for her. Hopefully, they can begin again as friends with a firm understanding between them this time around. Marisol has truly missed Gio, but she knows she never led him to believe anything else would happen between them.
As they settle into their seats, in walks the most beautiful woman that Marisol has ever met, their teacher, Olivia Frost. From the first moment, Marisol is struck and becomes obsessed. Marisol begins to imagine being with Olivia, and before she knows it, Olivia is returning the attention.
But life isn't perfect or easy for Marisol. Olivia is hiding something and none of Marisol's friends trust her. Added to that, Marisol has befriended Lee, a shy girl that has begun to hang out at the coffee shop after school. Lee has recently announced to her family and friends that she's gay, and things haven't been easy for her. Marisol tries to encourage Lee in her new world, without encouraging her affections. She can see the situation turning into a repeat of her troubles with Gio in the spring.
As Ms. Wittlinger crafts her story, Marisol is forced to deal with her own issues and struggles to stay who she is as she struggles with her need to be loved. It's only after Marisol loses what she truly needed that she realizes what she has to do. LOVE & LIES: MARISOL'S STORY is a great continuation to HARD LOVE. Fans of the first one will definitely love this one just as much. And for those that have never read HARD LOVE, they will easily pick up the flow of the story and want to join the crazy bunch of people that are Marisol's friends.
