Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein – a Review

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Description:

What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?

You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.

You’d be wrong.

There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.

What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?

But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.

And yet I can’t help but wonder…what if?

Review:

DEAR CASSIE by Lisa Burstein is the follow up novel to Pretty Amy.  This takes place right after the girls are arrested for possession and intent to sell after they were stood up by their prom dates.  Cassie tells her own story starting from the airport until she arrives at Turning Pines Wilderness Camp.  She journals her whole experience at the camp. This is really Cassie’s story of going from a hurt and vulnerable girl, to one who learns to love and forgive in an unlikely setting.

Her fellow “campers” are an interesting mix.  There is Nez, the compulsive liar, Troyer, the girl who won’t talk and then there is Ben.  Ben is trying to break down the barriers that Cassie has erected around her heart. Cassie doesn’t want anything to do with him, because of the past betrayals in her life. 

Cassie is not always a sympathetic character.  She has been badly hurt in life and she lashes out at the people who are trying to help her heal.  Her vocabulary is peppered with the F bomb and she is constantly chewing her cinnamon gum, because she craves her cigarettes.  Once the author allows Cassie’s character to crack and begin to heal, the reading became easier and I started rooting for her success.  It’s hard to be a teenage girl and Cassie has many things that she needs to heal from and people she needs to forgive.  Cassie is a tough nut to crack!! 

Ben is a wonderful character, and he never gives up on Cassie!  He is funny, sympathetic and he needs to convince Cassie that he will not betray her.  He helps her to learn to move on in life, and to let go on some of her pain and sadness.  Lisa Burstein is very gifted with her character development.  She allowed me to go from hating a character to feeling nothing but love and admiration for Cassie.  This book would be great for teenagers who are feeling alone in life and for the adults that love them!  

 Reviewed by Jules

Copy supplied by publisher.