All-American Girl Blog Tour - Review and Giveaway

At the age of thirty, with two failed marriages and a tanking writing career, Samantha Moore deals with the world with the only tool she had left: anger. And she's tired of it. When her grandmother's near-death sends her rushing back home to Vermont, she hopes for the chance to overcome the rage ruling her life. 

Once she's home, Lance Cummings becomes a constant source of indigestion. Lance is a single father who learned first-hand the devastating effects of a damaging relationship. He sees through Samantha's nasty temper-straight to her cry for help. He wants to help her, but he also wants to know why Samantha ran from him-and their future-twelve years before. 

Taking care of her Grams, dealing with an alcoholic brother, and getting Lance to remove his annoyingly attractive nose from her business is draining on Samantha. And she's only got three weeks to finish her stagnated novel or her publisher will drop her. No pressure. To top it off, pretending to hate the man she actually loves makes each day in Vermont harder than the last. Especially when Lance turns up the heat.

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Let me just start off by saying that I really liked this story.  One of the reasons was because I liked Samantha.  I could totally relate to her.  The story starts off with young Samantha, the prom queen, the perfect girl who is getting ready to find her dreams.  She is off to her dream school to pursue a writing career.  Things are looking up for our dear Samantha.

Then reality hits.  She's been divorced twice, her writing career is failing and to make matters worse, she gets news that her grandmother has fallen ill.  She leaves New York and rushes back home to Vermont to take care of the woman who has taken care of her. 

While back in Vermont, she runs into Lance Cummings, someone from her past.  That boy who she dreamed of being with when she was younger.  Now the sight of him repulses her.  And no matter where she turns, he is always there.  She tries to hold onto her hatred, but then it becomes a struggle the more time she spends around him.

One of the reasons I loved Samantha is because she reminded me of me!  I remember being young and naive and having that attitude like you're going to take over the world.  Then you realize the universe has other plans.  She becomes angry and bitter because of what the world has thrown at her.  I mean, isn't that someone most of us can relate to?  So many stories have these young naive girls who haven't had any exposure to how unfair the world can be and this story places it center stage.  Samantha struggles with relationships, even the ones with her friends and family.  She can't find the courage to trust anyone, so she puts up walls to keep everyone at bay.  A part of me became protective of her as I read the story.  Every time someone tried to talk to her, I wanted to climb into the book and give them the third degree because I didn't want her to get hurt anymore!

Then in walks Lance.  Helllooooo Lance.

Lance knew Samantha when they were younger.  He remembers what she was like before she went off to school.  So when she returns after 12 years and he sees how much she has changed, he wants to help.  He knows that she wants and needs help, but is too stubborn to accept it.  He and Samantha were once so close but she left without saying goodbye and now wants nothing to do with him.  Lance is confused and hurt by her coldness towards him.  All he wants is to help her and find out what has hurt her enough that turned her into a completely different person.

Justine Dell writes a very simple story about love, relationships and life.  I could not put it down.  Well, actually, I had to force myself to put it down, because it was 3:30am and I had to be up early in the morning.  But other than that, I was hooked.  

Justine also adds quotes from various souces before each chapter to  give you a little synopsis as to what is about to transpire.  And if you know me...I'm a big quotes person.  I love highlighting them, writing them in my journals and pondering which one I will finally have tattooed on me, but that's another subject.  Every quote was perfectly chosen for each chapter.  I applaud her for that effort.  These little details made me love the book even more.

Overall, I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.  I know a lot of my friends are afraid to read the books I really like because I tend to be drawn to the ones that frustrate the hell out of you.  This one is a very sweet story.  If you're like me and you read a ton of angsty/frustrating books, this one is a perfect change of pace.

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Giveaway has ended!

Now for the giveaway!

One winner will receive a digital copy of All-American Girl, postcard with book cover and Maple Candy in baggies of 2.  

There are two ways to enter.  Enter by March 1, 2013:

~Leave a comment on this post about what is your favorite quote from a book.  Any book.  Don't forget your email address so I can contact you if you win.

~Retweet the following (include the hashtag, it is how I will keep track of entries):

"Go to http://www.choochootre.com/2013/02/all-american-girl-blog-tour-review-and.html for a chance to win a digital copy of All-American Girl by @justinedell #choochoogiveaway"

About the Author:

Justine lives in the Midwest, happily catering to her family, which consists of a horse-obsessed teenage daughter, four dogs, and a husband who is too good to be true. She’s never moved from her hometown, but hopes to grow old in a much warmer climate. During the day she works a normal job with college students who try their best to keep her young. They’ve done a good job thus far. At night, said teenage daughter and her horse require mounds of love and attention. The weekends belong solely to her and her writing. That’s when she morphs into a sticky bug, unable to leave the confines of her computer chair. She started writing three years ago after seeing a movie that set off a chain reaction she couldn’t have stopped if she’d wanted. It’s not a hobby for her; it’s an obsession. One she loves and one she loves to share. Her debut novel, RECAPTURED DREAMS, is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and wherever books are sold. Her second book, ALL AMERICAN GIRL, will be published Feb 26th, 2013 by Omnific Publishing.

Author Links: Blog - Facebook - Twitter

Check out the rest of the blog tour for All-American Girl hosted by the oh so fabulous Literati Literature Lovers!