Review & Giveaway: TWELVE STEPS by Veronica Bartles

*The author is hosting a tour-wide Rafflecopter giveaway of an eBook copy of TWELVE STEPS & $10 Amazon GC (INT).

Title: Twelve Steps
Author: Veronica Bartles
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Release Date: March 25, 2014

Sixteen-year-old Andi is tired of being a second-class sibling to perfect sister Laina. There in Laina’s shadow, Andi’s only noticeable feature is her pretty awesome hair. And even that is eclipsed by Laina’s perfect everything else.

When Andi’s crush asks her to fix him up with Laina, Andi decides enough is enough and devises a twelve-step program to wrangle the spotlight away from Laina. After all, great hair must count for something.

Step 1: Admit she’s powerless to change her perfect sister, and accept that her life really, really sucks. OK, maybe that’s two steps in one.

Step 4: Make a list of her good qualities besides great hair. There have got to be at least three good qualities, right?

Step 7: Demand attention for more than just her shortcomings, and break out of her shell. Easier said that done, but worth the effort in the long-run.
When a stolen kiss from her crush ends in disaster, Andi finds that her prince isn’t as charming as she’d hoped, and realizes she may need a new program–perhaps with less steps!

As cracks in Laina’s flawless façade begin to show, the sisters work together to find a spotlight big enough for both to shine.

Buy Links:

Amazon | Amazon UK

My Review:

The story in a nutshell…

Andi has had enough of being in the shadow of her perfect older sister and she also tired of being second best especially when it comes to her crush, Jarod. So she vows to herself that enough is enough and devises twelve steps so she can come out of her sister’s shadow and get the boy of her dreams. But then things aren’t quite what they have always seemed and as Andi enumerates all these steps, she discovers more and more not just about sister, the boy she’s been mooning over for a long time, but also about herself.

What worked for me?

It was definitely a treat to be in Andi’s head. In the beginning, I was a little afraid I won’t be able to connect with her because her misgivings and ill-feelings towards her lot in life as the shadowed sister were a bit shallow and whiny. But as I get to understand her more, as well as her circumstances and situations, I began to really enjoy the story from her eyes. She’s not timid at all like I initially suspected. She’s brave, a little insecure, yes (but then again, who isn’t?). But she’s loyal, she’s smart, and she really cares about the people she loves. And I love all these things about her.

I also enjoy watching the dynamics unfold between the sisters, Laina and Andi. (And how pretty are their names: Alaina and Andrea ^_^) It was really a great reading experience to read more about this kind of relationship. Don’t get me wrong, I live and breathe romance in books but once in a while, it’s also great to read something other than romantic love. Family love, especially good sister relationships are rare finds for me.

I really love how the content and focus of Andi’s twelve steps evolved. You can see a lot of character growth through those short lines and it’s a great way to showcase Andi’s coming into her own, gaining confidence in what she can offer other people, and generally just learning to love and accept herself more. And I think that’s a really great message to the readers.

What didn’t work for me?

I have no major dislikes in this book. Although, there were times when I wanted to hit the guys in this book on the head with something, a book maybe, or just shake them so they come to their senses or grow a pair. They were a bit trumped by the girls in the character department but they’re still adorable in their own little ways so I’m willing to give them a little break. I do have to make an exception for one guy, who was a total dream in this book. I’m not going to mention his name because technically that would spoil the story for you. ^_^

My over-all take on it?

This is an very enjoyable read with very important messages about discovering that you’re worth something, finding and accepting the good in you, and not comparing yourself to others but building your own standards for yourself.

My rating:

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Yes, these are my honest and personal thoughts on this book.

About the Author:

As the second of eight children and the mother of four, Veronica Bartles is no stranger to the ups and downs of sibling relationships. (She was sandwiched between the gorgeous-and-insanely-popular older sister and the too-adorable-for-words younger sister.) She uses this insight to write stories about siblings who mostly love each other, even while they’re driving one another crazy. When she isn’t writing or getting lost in the pages of her newest favorite book, Veronica enjoys knitting fabulous bags and jewelry out of recycled plastic bags and old VHS tapes, sky diving (though she hasn’t actually tried that yet), and inventing the world’s most delectable cookie recipes. TWELVE STEPS is Veronica Bartles’s first novel.