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Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone is a novel that will definitely leave you thinking long after reading it. The concept of faith is explored in an interesting way that will have readers question their own beliefs. Friendship and what it takes to maintain a relationship with your friends is a theme that also runs deep through the book.
Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Also by this author: Every Last Word
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Rating:
Next-door neighbors and ex-best friends Hannah and Emory haven’t spoken in months. Not since the fight—the one where they said things they couldn’t take back.
Now, Emory is fine-tuning her UCLA performing arts application and trying to make the most of the months she has left with her boyfriend, Luke, before they head off to separate colleges. Meanwhile, Hannah’s strong faith is shaken when her family’s financial problems come to light, and she finds herself turning to unexpected places—and people—for answers to the difficult questions she’s suddenly facing.
No matter how much Hannah and Emory desperately want to bridge the thirty-six steps between their bedroom windows, they can’t. Not anymore.
Until their paths cross unexpectedly when, one night, Hannah finds Luke doubled over in his car outside her house. In the aftermath of the accident, all three struggle to understand what happened in their own ways. But when a devastating secret about Hannah and Emory’s argument ultimately comes to light, they must all reexamine the things they hold true.
In alternating chapters, a skeptic and a believer piece together the story of their complex relationship and the boy caught somewhere in the middle. New York Times best-selling author Tamara Ireland Stone deftly crafts a moving portrait of faith, love, and friendship.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Review: Little do we Know by Tamara Ireland Stone
When a book involves faith and religious beliefs, I am always a little bit worried about how far the author will go with it. It is not often that I read books with this theme, but I really enjoyed Ireland Stone’s other novel, Every Last Word, so I thought I would give this a try. I am so glad that I did because the book doesn’t speak to one religion, it actually questions it. I really enjoyed how different concepts and belief systems were introduced throughout the story.
❀ Theme of Friendship
Friendship is a theme that I have always loved, and there is no shortage of it in Little Do We Know. The book is told through alternating perspectives of Hannah and Emory. The girls have been best friends since childhood, however at the beginning of the book it is revealed that the girls have had a falling out. As the story progresses, the mystery surrounding why the girls’ friendship is broken is slowly revealed. It is a very explosive revelation, and without spoiling the plot, I will say that it might be difficult for some readers.
❀ Sensitive Issues
It is sometimes hard to review a book that has a sensitive issue. I am not a trained psychologist and I cannot accurately assess if a book has dealt with the issue appropriately. However, I felt as I was reading that there should have been more support offered to guide the character, especially in a YA novel.
❀ An Interesting Story
Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone is an interesting story that explores the themes of faith and friendship. Readers will definitely be left questioning their own beliefs as the book unfolds. It is an enjoyable contemporary that is sure to be a favourite if you are a fan of the author’s other novels.
About Tamara Ireland Stone
TAMARA IRELAND STONE writes young adult and middle grade novels. Her New York Times bestseller, Every Last Word, won the Cybils Young Adult Fiction Award, the Georgia Peach Book Award, the Buxtehuder Bulle German Youth Literature Award, and was a YALSA Teens’ Top Ten pick. She is also the author of Time Between Us, which has been published in over twenty countries; its sequel, Time After Time; and Click’d, the first book in her new middle-grade series.
Before she began writing fiction full time, Tamara spent twenty years in the technology industry. She co-founded a woman-owned marketing strategy firm where she worked with small startups as well as some of the world’s largest software companies. When she’s not writing, she enjoys skiing, seeing live music, watching movies, and spending time with her husband and two children. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
About Lori
Avid reader. Contributor to The Candid Cover. Educator.