Date: October 6. 2013
Heart on A Chain
by:Cindy Bennett
5 Stars ★★★★★
Blurb ~ 17-year-old Kate has lived her whole life in abject poverty, with an alcoholic father and drug-addicted mother, who severely abuses Kate. At school, her second-hand clothing marks her as a target. Her refusal to stand up for herself makes her the recipient of her classmates taunts and bullying. That is, until Henry returns.
Henry Jamison moved away six years earlier, just as he and Kate had begun an to develop feelings for one another. He returns to find the bright, funny, outgoing girl he had known now timidly hiding in corners, barely speaking to anyone around her, suspicious of even him.
Kate can’t figure out what game Henry is playing with her - for surely it is a game. What else would the gorgeous, popular boy from her past want with her?
Kate finally decides to trust Henry’s intentions, opening her heart to him. Just when it seems he might be genuine in his friendship, tragedy strikes, threatening everything Kate has worked so hard to gain. Can Henry help her to overcome this new devastation, or will it tear them apart forever?
My Review
Hands down Heart on a Chain
is one of my all time favorite books EVER. I can’t believe this book
is not more popular than it is because it will grip you from the start
and you won’t want to be freed. Your emotions will be all over the place
combined with feelings of love, passion and absolute hatred for the
pain the main character is suffering. Where some might call this book
overly sweet, which at times it is, the overall dynamic and progression
of character development trumps any and all bad, at least in my opinion.
So I don’t know why but I’m a sucker for any type of damsel in distress/ abusive situations. Even though this book is YA, much of the drama is more adult in nature and the overwhelming feelings of hate towards Kate’s mother make it appear more Adult in nature. Those who are easily turned off by any type of abuse, I warn you to steer clear, because there are some very graphic scenes in the book which could be hard to read.
Since she was a young girl, Kate has been on her own. Not that she lives alone or anything, more like her parents checked out. Her mother is a stay at home alcoholic whose every breath is used to torment Kate and when the mood strikes she takes out her pain and suffering on her underage daughter, often using her fists or anything else she can find. Kate’s mother is truly evil. Some crucial part of her humanity has been wiped away and Kate is left to suffer the brunt of her mother’s wrath.
As a young girl Kate met Henry and she loved him even then. When Henry moved away the light in Kate’s world went out. Growing up was hard on her own and the other kids never made it easy on her. Where her home life sucked, her school life was an easy comparison with all the bullies making Kate’s life even more unbearable. She’s teased, beat up on and has had many questionable substances dumped on her in the lunch room.
The last thing Kate expects is for Henry to return. Even more than that she can’t imagine this grown up version of Henry would want anything to do with her. Surely the other kids would make sure of that. Henry is one determined boy and he remembers Kate clearly. In fact he has never forgotten her. Returning to his old school and reconnecting with Kate is something Henry never thought would happen. He couldn’t be happier. That is until he sees how everyone treats her. To say Henry is angered is a huge understatement. Not a violent person himself, Henry can’t understand how anyone could be so cruel, especially to someone like his Kate.
I could go on and on about how beautiful this book is. It wouldn’t be a lie either. From the abuse to the romance every page is a reading delight. It’s too bad there is not more written by this author. I have easily read this book 5 times if not more and I know I will continue to read it many more times in the future. There’s just something about it that will suck you in and charge your emotions to revolve around these characters and everything that is happening. I wish there were more books written this well about such a touchy subject matter that still manages to catch the heart and soul of the reader. Unfortunately there is not much more out there from this author but I will continue to love, appreciate and share this book until the universe (if possible) finds something better.
So I don’t know why but I’m a sucker for any type of damsel in distress/ abusive situations. Even though this book is YA, much of the drama is more adult in nature and the overwhelming feelings of hate towards Kate’s mother make it appear more Adult in nature. Those who are easily turned off by any type of abuse, I warn you to steer clear, because there are some very graphic scenes in the book which could be hard to read.
Since she was a young girl, Kate has been on her own. Not that she lives alone or anything, more like her parents checked out. Her mother is a stay at home alcoholic whose every breath is used to torment Kate and when the mood strikes she takes out her pain and suffering on her underage daughter, often using her fists or anything else she can find. Kate’s mother is truly evil. Some crucial part of her humanity has been wiped away and Kate is left to suffer the brunt of her mother’s wrath.
As a young girl Kate met Henry and she loved him even then. When Henry moved away the light in Kate’s world went out. Growing up was hard on her own and the other kids never made it easy on her. Where her home life sucked, her school life was an easy comparison with all the bullies making Kate’s life even more unbearable. She’s teased, beat up on and has had many questionable substances dumped on her in the lunch room.
The last thing Kate expects is for Henry to return. Even more than that she can’t imagine this grown up version of Henry would want anything to do with her. Surely the other kids would make sure of that. Henry is one determined boy and he remembers Kate clearly. In fact he has never forgotten her. Returning to his old school and reconnecting with Kate is something Henry never thought would happen. He couldn’t be happier. That is until he sees how everyone treats her. To say Henry is angered is a huge understatement. Not a violent person himself, Henry can’t understand how anyone could be so cruel, especially to someone like his Kate.
I could go on and on about how beautiful this book is. It wouldn’t be a lie either. From the abuse to the romance every page is a reading delight. It’s too bad there is not more written by this author. I have easily read this book 5 times if not more and I know I will continue to read it many more times in the future. There’s just something about it that will suck you in and charge your emotions to revolve around these characters and everything that is happening. I wish there were more books written this well about such a touchy subject matter that still manages to catch the heart and soul of the reader. Unfortunately there is not much more out there from this author but I will continue to love, appreciate and share this book until the universe (if possible) finds something better.
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