Hello lovelies! Today I am delighted to be participating in this fabulous tour featuring Laura Lascarso's debut novel, Counting Backwards. Today I have a review and fabulous interview!
Counting BackwardsRelease Date: August 14, 2012
by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Goodreads / Amazon
Three weeks ago I tried to run away from home. Now all I want is to go back.
When troubled Taylor Truwell is caught with a stolen car and lands in court for resisting arrest, her father convinces the judge of an alternative to punishment: treatment in a juvenile psychiatric correctional facility. Sunny Meadows is anything but the easy way out, and Taylor has to fight hard just to hold on to her sanity as she battles her parents, her therapist, and vicious fellow patients. But even as Taylor struggles to hold on to her stubborn former self, she finds herself relenting as she lets in two unlikely friends-Margo, a former child star and arsonist, and AJ, a mysterious boy who doesn’t speak. In this striking debut, Laura Lascarso weaves together a powerful story of anger and self-destruction, hope and love.
When troubled Taylor Truwell is caught with a stolen car and lands in court for resisting arrest, her father convinces the judge of an alternative to punishment: treatment in a juvenile psychiatric correctional facility. Sunny Meadows is anything but the easy way out, and Taylor has to fight hard just to hold on to her sanity as she battles her parents, her therapist, and vicious fellow patients. But even as Taylor struggles to hold on to her stubborn former self, she finds herself relenting as she lets in two unlikely friends-Margo, a former child star and arsonist, and AJ, a mysterious boy who doesn’t speak. In this striking debut, Laura Lascarso weaves together a powerful story of anger and self-destruction, hope and love.
* A copy was provided by Laura Lascarso for review purposes*
I’ve been on a contemporary run these past few weeks, and this is yet another one to add to the list. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This book is sad, sad, sad. But it was still a good idea, and I loved how Lascarso wrote it very well. The story line was great, and the staging for the escape was really good too. I loved that Lascarso didn’t make it too easy and the events just came together perfectly. I always love happy endings, and this one was certainly happy, but also kind of sad. I really want to find out what happens to A.J.!
I’m going to mention Margo because I just really liked her. She’s feisty, funny, kick-butt, and defiant, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her.
The romance in this book was written perfectly. I liked how Lascarso kept it clean (no adult content) and made it sweet and soft. A.J. was perfect; he was cute, funny, sweet, and totally swoon-worthy.
And I also liked Taylor. Yes, she messed up, but seriously, it wasn’t really that bad, and it was her parents’ fault anyway. She was cool, nice, strong-minded, and kick-butt, and I really enjoyed reading about her road to recovery.
I can safely say I’ve never read a book like this before, with the same idea and all, and I really liked it. I also really want Lascarso to write a second book because I need to know if A.J. and Taylor can keep in touch and get back together. *hint, hint* aimed at Lascarso ;P
This book is sad, sad, sad. But it was still a good idea, and I loved how Lascarso wrote it very well. The story line was great, and the staging for the escape was really good too. I loved that Lascarso didn’t make it too easy and the events just came together perfectly. I always love happy endings, and this one was certainly happy, but also kind of sad. I really want to find out what happens to A.J.!
I’m going to mention Margo because I just really liked her. She’s feisty, funny, kick-butt, and defiant, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her.
The romance in this book was written perfectly. I liked how Lascarso kept it clean (no adult content) and made it sweet and soft. A.J. was perfect; he was cute, funny, sweet, and totally swoon-worthy.
And I also liked Taylor. Yes, she messed up, but seriously, it wasn’t really that bad, and it was her parents’ fault anyway. She was cool, nice, strong-minded, and kick-butt, and I really enjoyed reading about her road to recovery.
I can safely say I’ve never read a book like this before, with the same idea and all, and I really liked it. I also really want Lascarso to write a second book because I need to know if A.J. and Taylor can keep in touch and get back together. *hint, hint* aimed at Lascarso ;P
4 pink flowers
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
1. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Here are two truths and a lie:
My sign is Aquarius
I once lived on a sailboat.
In high school I dated a vampire, but we decided we were better as friends.
2. What do you like most about being a writer?
Writing! It’s the best—creating the world and characters, listening to them joke around, argue and challenge each other. Seeing them rise to the occasion, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing miserably. I have so many voices in my head and so many stories to tell.
3. Who are your biggest influences?
I love Dr. Suess and the way he used humor and word play to deal with mature content. My favorite book of his is the Sneetches with the Lorax being a close second.
I’m also a big fan of the late, great Kurt Vonnegut. I like how sparse his writing is, yet he can still evoke so much emotion. His voice is very clever with the right dose of world-weary cynicism.
But I have so many influences in the YA world as well—Laurie Halse Anderson, Walter Dean Meyers, MT Anderson, Sara Zarr, John Green, AS King, Suzanne Collins… You know, all those players.
4. Do you have a special place you like to write?
I have a desk at home where I write and also a coffee shop in town for when I need to be alone in a crowd. I’m here right now, drinking a peppermint mocha and eating a Dynamite Tuna sushi roll—yum!
5. When and how did you get the idea for Counting Backwards?
I was listening to the radio when Tracy Chapman’s song Fast Car came on, one that I’ve always loved. For me, the song is about a girl who dreams of something more, but is limited by her life circumstances, which are largely out of her control. I think it’s a really relevant theme to teenagers, so I began ruminating about a girl who wants more than anything to escape—her family, her home, even at times, herself. From that, Taylor Truwell was born. The setting of Sunny Meadows came second, as a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, the polar opposite of freedom.
6. What are some of the things you like to do in your spare time?
Read books, listen to music, watch movies, go to the beach, drink coffee. I enjoy taking road trips and mindless highway driving. And hanging with my family and friends—that’s the best.
7. What is your favorite candy?
I’m not much for fruit candy unless it’s Twizzlers, but I will consume pretty much anything chocolate. Although I know it’s not technically a candy, I’m a big fan of Nutella, because of the spreadability factor.
8. Favorite color?
Purple. No, aquamarine. No, purple.
9. Favorite movie?
Ack, a tough one. My taste is pretty eclectic when it comes to movies, but here are a few—Edward Scissorhands, Great Expectations, Fools Rush In, Stand by Me, Mean Girls, Malice, Kill Bill 1&2, Out of Sight, Gattaca, Truman Show, Bridesmaids, The Grinch, High School Musical 3…
10. Are you currently working on another book?
My agent is currently shopping around a completed manuscript about love and obsession. Hopefully an editor will pounce.
Book Trailer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Laura Lascarso
Find Laura at:
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I love the interview and the book sounds amazing! :)
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