Dedication [Paperback]

Nicola Kraus (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 373 pages
• Publisher: Simon + Schuster Inc. (2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416556826
• ISBN-13: 978-1416556824
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revenge, Forgiveness, or Closure?, June 4, 2007

By 

Tamela Mccann "taminator40" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dedication (Hardcover)

If someone you loved had wronged you so intensely that it changed the course of your life, would you seek revenge? Or forgiveness? Or just closure? This is the central theme of writing duo Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus's excellent new novel, Dedication. The pair spin an entirely believable tale about spurned love and anger that burns unabated for thirteen years, and they bring it full circle with an excellent ending.

Katie Hollis first falls "in love" with Jake Sharpe in sixth grade, and their relationship is a series of ups and downs over the course of their school years. Told in chapters that alternate between 2005 and those growing up years, we follow the development of the characters as Jake begins to realize his love of music and Katie's family life falls apart. Then the unthinkable happens: Jake hits the big time, and he leaves Katie and his friends behind, not even recognizing his fellow band mates' contributions on his first hit single and thus denying them any of the significant royalties. When Jake finally returns to his hometown 13 years on, Katie is alerted and, in true hell hath no fury form, she finds herself ready to confront him and "make him regret his entire existence"...or does she? Can she actually let the past go in order to form a future?

This is a page-turner of a novel, with lots of little 80s details thrown in and an enduring love story as the backbone. It will make you question what you would do if facing the same obsession; would you be the bigger person or would you fight back for the life taken from you? And is it all worth it? Definitely a good summer read, and a heart-wrenching one at that. Recommended.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacularly Funny and Smart, June 5, 2007

By 

MSF (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dedication (Hardcover)

I absolutely loved it. It has all the humor and intelligence of the Nanny Diaries and Citizen Girl and deals with a topic everyone can relate to: the desire to be able to go back in time and right the cosmic wrongs of adolescence. While this book could be very funny while staying on that topic, it manages to weave in a very real and complicated family dynamic that adds a deep level of complexity to the book. The book splices from the past to the present and yet never loses the reader who is eagerly awaiting the outcomes of the interconnected plots. I loved it and would highly recommend it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second Chances, August 1, 2007

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Donna A. Berrodin "Donna B." (Moorestown, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dedication (Hardcover)

This book was great and so much better than their previous, "Citizen Girl"! Not hefty lit or complete fluff, for me it was the perfect in-between. Loved the characters (and their true-to-life angst and stroll-down-memory-lane bad fashion moments!)and her missed connections with Jake over the years, culminating in losing her heart to him and his abandonment of her the night of their high school senior prom, on his way to find fame and fortune in the music business.
I thought the authors did a great job with their history playing itself out in Jake's songs, and gave you a chance to envision how you too would react if you were given the opportunity to resolve things with The One Who Got Away. I was torn about how I wanted it to end, but found myself very satisfied with the way it played out!