Consequences Can Be Deadly
Description
In the aftermath of a fatal texting and driving accident, a mother and daughter must come to terms with the real meaning of forgiveness.
Liz Johnson single-handedly raised an exemplary daughter. Jessica is an honor- student, track star, and all-around good kid. So how could that same teenager be responsible for the death of the high school’s beloved football coach? This is Texas, where high school football ranks right up there with God, so while the legal battle wages, the public deals its own verdict.
Desperate for help, Liz turns to a lawyer whose affection she once rejected and attempts to play nice with her ex-husband. Jessica faces her angry peers and her own demons as she awaits a possible prison sentence for an accident she doesn’t remember.
A tragic, emotional, ultimately uplifting story, Blind Turn is a natural book club pick.
Details
- Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Title: Blind Turn
- Author: Cara Sue Achterberg
- Genre: Coming of Age, Women’s Fiction
- Length: 319 pages
- Publisher: Black Rose Writing
- Release Date: January 6, 2021
My Thoughts
This story is a stark reminder of how one action can affect so many lives. While the saying don’t text while driving is well known, the possible consequence of that action isn’t. Achterberg presents a story that definitely won’t leave you guessing. Wrong moves, even if defined as mistakes, have the ability to touch many lives.
Though this is primarily character-driven, there is a hint of the unknown that kept me wondering, yet suspecting that I already knew the answer. This hint of a mystery began very quickly, as did the action. So be ready to be drawn into the cast of characters from the onset.
Liz Johnson single-handedly raised a good teenager, yet normal. And by normal I mean that she is an honor student and doing well on the track team. Yet she also is in the process of trying to pull apart and grow up, which to many can mean struggling to figure out who to be and how to act.
Above Average Student
So how can an above average student who is basically a good girl do something so out of the norm? She never texts while driving. But could she have made an exception this once? She can’t remember, but her best friend who was in the car with her confirmed that she had been reading a text. Could she have done that? Did she actually kill a person!
She discovered that living in a small town meant that everyone had an opinion. And most weren’t hesitant to share it. Jess and her family found themselves facing a long, uphill road as they attempted to deal with a mistake that ended up taking the town’s beloved high school coach’s life.
Cara Sue Achterberg pulls out all the stops as she brings us chapters from the viewpoints of Mother and Daughter. It was impossible to read this book without wondering how I would react if I were any character in the story.
My Concerns
It felt slightly slow toward the middle. The characters were extremely believable, but I needed a little something more included to encourage me to keep turning the pages.
My Conclusion
This book is absolutely worth reading. It’s not didactic but teaches so much without doing anything more than telling a story.
I’m not sure what age this is written for, but I would definitely encourage both YA and Adults to read this thought-provoking story.
My thanks to the author for a copy of this book and the ability to post a review without any stipulations.
Rating
4.5 Stars but Rounded up to 5
About the Author
Cara Sue Achterberg is a freelance writer, novelist, and blogger who lives on a hillside in South Central, Pennsylvania with her family, three horses, occasional foster dogs, and too many chickens to count. She is the author of two books. Her essays have been published in numerous anthologies and her freelance work has been featured in national magazines. She teaches workshops on Intentional Living and creative writing. Cara enjoys running, gardening, hiking, and trying not to fall off her favorite horse, True. You can find links to her blogs and inspiration for teen writers on her website CaraWrites.com.
….Quietly adds this book to the ever growing TBR….