Customer Reviews

Lori (The Circle of Friends, Book 1)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book needs an editor.

Following young lovers all the way through high school and university, it is an overlong tale of the mundane daily life as Jason and Lori grow from idealistic teens into young married adults. It's all tell and no show, and mostly consists of lists of their activities: Lori and Jack and Jill and Jane went to a party on Saturday. On Sunday Jack and Jill couldn't make it to the movies so Lori and Jason went on their own. The next week Lori and Jason and Jane went to a football game. Then it was Christmas and Lori spent it with her parents. Then the next Saturday Jack and Jane went shopping and then there was a party for everyone.
The entire book reads like that. It's a list of activities that takes place over a long time period - a far too long time period. There was no focus for the book - what was this? A teen romance, or a story about a strained marriage, or a book about aspiring athletes, or a long and drawn-out biography?

This book needed an editor, and the author needs some help with how to bring her characters to life. Everyone was perfect and therefore incredibly boring. There was no conflict and, basically, no point to the book.
Not recommended.

This first book in the Circle of Friends series, "Lori" not only focuses on Lori and her Olympic dreams, but introduces us to a wonderfully diverse and close circle of friends.

Refreshing and realistic, you're drawn into the story of a young woman who has trained and prepared for the Olympics since she was a small child. Romance and friendships intertwine creating a story of determination, prioritizing, and facing challenges head-on.

Not just for the YA reader, this book is an inspiration that dreams can be realized and the sacrifices we face in life are, in the end, worth everything we go through to achieve our goals.

Don't give up on your dreams! Go after them!

For anyone that says there are few young adult books out there with a positive message with little sexual content or foul language, then they haven't discovered THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS series by Ms. Wolfe yet. LORI is the first in the series.

Lori Anders is pretty, but she's always been shy and lonely. Neither of her parents are around all that often, so she has been given pretty much anything she's ever asked for. The house she lives in comes with an indoor pool that she uses every day for her training. She has dreams of an Olympic gold medal in swimming.

It isn't until Lori defends her friend, Maria, from bullies at school that the course of her life totally changes. The bullies retaliate against Lori and she is rescued by none other than the quarterback of the school's football team. Unbeknownst to Jason, Lori has had a crush on him. Jason is amazed that he's never noticed Lori before, because he finds her truly stunning. And she is totally different from any other girl he has ever met.

After he rescues her, Jason invites Lori to have lunch at his table. She is immediately welcomed into the group. It's not long after that that she and Jason begin to date. They quickly become an item, and a couple that everyone admires. But Lori tells Jason that she will not have sex with him. She explains that she believes in saving herself until marriage. Although Jason isn't happy with the news, he realizes that Lori is special and is willing to wait.

From that point on, the rest of LORI shares the trials and tribulations of the couple as they go from senior year of high school through their college years. The two struggle together to remain a couple and are determined to make their relationship work. Lori is at one university on a swimming scholarship and Jason is at another school, reaching for his separate dream of an NFL contract at the end of his college football career.

Life isn't perfect for Lori and Jason, but through love and understanding, they do the best that they can.

Lori Anders is such a positive influence for anyone. She shows complete devotion to those she loves, and an unwavering determination to reach her dreams. There may be hints at sexual situations, but they are done within the limits of marriage - and abstinence is the message until marriage.

Overall, anyone that picks up LORI will come away with a warm feeling by the end of her journey.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

This is a very well written, belivable story about a group of friends trying to establish themselves in the world, with all those challenges in life about being young and trying to figure out who you are.
You can very easily relate to the characters, and understand what they are going through, even the supporting cast is well developed. Many of the characters will remind you of someone you know, or maybe even yourself!
The positive spin is refreshing, and re-visiting the excitment
and the wonder of ones first true love is good for the soul. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series, and what happens next in the characters lives.

Love has a frightening tendency to screw with one's lifelong dreams. "The Circle of Friends" follows young Lori as she focuses on establishing her future as an Olympic-class swimmer. But her harsh training leaves little time for the opposite sex, and when another opportunity presents itself, Lori is split between what her mind wants and what her heart wants. A story that will ring well with young readers, "The Circle of Friends" is a strong piece.

What would you do if your life went in a direction you hadn't planned? Would you charge on forward? Would you have the confidence to continue down an unknown path? Or would you crumble under your own self doubt?

Lori Anders lives the good life. She is the child of wonderful parents. She has incredible grades in school. She is popular and well liked by everyone. She is also an amazing swimmer who has dreams of swimming in the Olympics.

But, even with all sorts of good things going for her, Lori still feels empty. Though she puts on a good face to the world, always appearing happy and content, inside Lori is unsure of herself and extremely unhappy.

That all changes when she meets Jason Phillips.

When Lori is attacked after helping her friend deal with some bullies, Jason Phillips comes to her aid. He marvels at the fact that Lori is able to stand up to so much pressure, so much tension and still think positively.

Lori immediately tried to pull within herself, unsure as to why one of the most popular guys in school would even stop to help her. As Lori battles her self doubt and her lack of confidence, her relationship with Jason develops into something more than friendship.

Jason's interest in her and their growing love help force Lori out of her shell and build up her confidence. But when something happens that tests her newfound confidence, will Lori give in to her old demons?

The Circle of Friends Book I: Lori is an absolute delight from start to finish. Never have I read such an emotionally charged wonderful book. Wolfe has succeeded in writing a book about people that matter, about people you can grow attached to. Real people.

What I found most interesting about The Circle of Friends Book I: Lori was its warmth. You can tell that the author has so much love for these characters that it is not possible to love them as well. It's rare for me to become emotionally involved with a book but, while reading Lori, I was hoping and cheering right along with the characters.

It's also rare for me to read a book with a message and not come away feeling as if I've had half a pound of sugar. Most books with a message usually hit the reader over the head from page one; but one of Wolfe's strengths is that she doesn't do that. She lets actions speak louder than words, lets the characters speak for themselves.

Wolfe manages to teach us some very wise advice while giving us an incredible story: never stop yourself from going after your dreams. Never give up on yourself. Never let lack of self-confidence stand in the way of achieving your dreams. It's an incredible, inspiring message interwoven into one of the best novels I have ever read. Period.

If you want to read an incredibly well written novel that will change the way you see yourself, this is the book for you. Once you become a part of The Circle of Friends, you will never want to leave.

The Circle of Friends Book I: Lori is an amazing book that will leave you breathless for more.

For anyone that says there are few young adult books out there with a positive message with little sexual content or foul language, then they haven't discovered THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS series by Ms. Wolfe yet. LORI is the first in the series.

Lori Anders is pretty, but she's always been shy and lonely. Neither of her parents are around all that often, so she has been given pretty much anything she's ever asked for. The house she lives in comes with an indoor pool that she uses every day for her training. She has dreams of an Olympic gold medal in swimming.

It isn't until Lori defends her friend, Maria, from bullies at school that the course of her life totally changes. The bullies retaliate against Lori and she is rescued by none other than the quarterback of the school's football team. Unbeknownst to Jason, Lori has had a crush on him. Jason is amazed that he's never noticed Lori before, because he finds her truly stunning. And she is totally different from any other girl he has ever met.

After he rescues her, Jason invites Lori to have lunch at his table. She is immediately welcomed into the group. It's not long after that that she and Jason begin to date. They quickly become an item, and a couple that everyone admires. But Lori tells Jason that she will not have sex with him. She explains that she believes in saving herself until marriage. Although Jason isn't happy with the news, he realizes that Lori is special and is willing to wait.

From that point on, the rest of LORI shares the trials and tribulations of the couple as they go from senior year of high school through their college years. The two struggle together to remain a couple and are determined to make their relationship work. Lori is at one university on a swimming scholarship and Jason is at another school, reaching for his separate dream of an NFL contract at the end of his college football career.

Life isn't perfect for Lori and Jason, but through love and understanding, they do the best that they can.

Lori Anders is such a positive influence for anyone. She shows complete devotion to those she loves, and an unwavering determination to reach her dreams. There may be hints at sexual situations, but they are done within the limits of marriage - and abstinence is the message until marriage.

Overall, anyone that picks up LORI will come away with a warm feeling by the end of her journey.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Lori is an interesting walk thru the life of a young woman with it all... especially the dedication it takes to make dreams a reality. It's a fun and enlightening read about the interaction of friends, how they handle life's lessons and their unending love and mutual support.

A hopeful book that encourages one to fulfill their dreams and to foster good relationships with the people in their lives.

I found this book to be a refreshing change of pace from a lot of the books out there. It's about everyday life and the typical struggles that people go through from day to day, and how people can have a positive impact on each other. The different characters in the book fit a range of personalities / archetypes, so that most anyone that reads the book will find someone they relate to, even if it's not necessarily the main character. (Even better - you can read about some of these other characters in Wolfe's later books!) I recommend it to anyone that might be trying to overcome challenges in order to reach a big goal, or anyone that just needs to realize that they really are special and can make a positive impact on someone else's life.

I definitely recommend checking out the other books in the Circle of Friends series, as well!

This book is amazing. I couldnt put it down once I started reading it. It was given to me as a gift, and what a gift it was. It is great to read a book that after the first couple of pages I was hooked. Wolfe's writing is great, and meeting her in person and seeing how passionate she is makes reading her stories even better!