Customer Reviews

Miracle Girls #2: Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: A Miracle Girls Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anne and May capture the essence of contemporary teenagers--their sense of humor; their complicated relationships with friends, family and parents; and their struggle to develop beliefs and values. The authors don't dumb down their language or weigh down their prose with out of place "teenisms." In short, Anne and May just get teenagers. Their main character, Christine, is realistic and engaging. This second book in the Miracle Girls series is another example of Anne and May's stellar writing.

As always, our heroes have come up with another fast-paced tale, one that's well-told, believable, and often laugh-out-loud funny. It's a fun read for any age -- which is a tribute to the talented authors. Nicely done!

For the Miracle Girls' sophomore year, we hear their story through the voice of Christine, a unique member of the group who lost her mother in a car accident the year before and has struggled with a sense of loss that affects even her personal identity. This is evidenced through her unique look, her somewhat lonely place in high school, and weekly sessions with the school counselor. Christine tells us the Miracle Girls had a great summer of bonding, but from the first page we see they might struggle to stay together through the school year. Sure enough, Riley and Ana compete with each other over school, all the girls have their own issues with family, and each of them sometimes chooses a boy over the group.

Christine, however, needs the group more than anything. Her father is marrying a woman she sees only as The Bimbo. Her step-sister to-be has moved into her room. She can't bring herself to talk about her mother's death in the accident Christine miraculously survived, and she gives her already fragile heart to a boy who may be less than careful with it. If the Miracle Girls can't come together and be there for her when she needs them, Christine may be lost for good.

Christine has far more doubt than faith throughout the book, and I appreciated the way this was not neatly resolved through typical answers and cliches. However, the efforts by God to keep Christine are so evident and moving. He is evident through the memories of her mother and in the help of a few important people in Christine's life.

Christine's journey in this book is beautiful and poignant. The Miracle Girls represent a kind of friendship every person needs and so few of us actually have.

After reading Emily Ever After, Consider Lily and The Book of Jane by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt, I couldn't help but read the Miracle Girls series, and believe me, the books do not disappoint! Breaking Up Is Hard to Do was a definite page turner and I stayed up quite late finishing it.

Christine is very relatable just as Ana was in the first book. The hardness that she displays on the outside is just the beginning. I really liked how her story and her past were slowly revealed over time instead of a mass replay of history at the beginning. It was heartbreaking to find out the story of the loss of her mom and the struggle to have a relationship with her dad. The bond that Christine had with Candace's daughter, Emma, was very sweet and unique. It was great to see the relationship go from an annoyance for Christine to something that she clearly valued, a bond that in the end she seemed to even cling to. And of course there has to be some sort of a love story, but as much as you always want the heroine to end up with the hero, life is not always like that, so this story line made the book seem all the more real. The friendships between the Miracle Girls goes through both highs and lows just like normal friendships. But these girls know that their friendship is like an anchor in their lives and in the end they will do anything to be there for each other.

I love that we are getting to know each one of the Miracle Girls and that there is a focus on one specific girl in each book. I am looking forward to the next book with Zoe as the focus, she always seems to be the one that openly will do anything to keep the Miracle Girls intact, but her life is always a bit of a mystery. Keep the books coming Anne and May, you have one faithful reader that will always be anticipating the next great read from you.

I'm quite a fan of Anne and May - I've read all their books, and I think they just get better. After reading Miracle Girls #1, I was anxious for the next chapter in the girls' adventures. And the authors deliver. We get the privilege of peeking into the mind of Christine, who so carefully guards herself from everyone, even her friends. She's a real character, her angst balanced by her love for her friends and her grudging friendship with her little stepsister, Emma.

These women remember what it was like to be teenagers. The girls, and their perceptions of each other and adults, are dead on. There's humor, pain, tender scenes, teenage romance and friends who save the day. Another brilliant offering from a fabulous pair of authors.

Miracle Girls #2 Wins Again- Anne and May are a delight to read. They capture the teen scene realistically without being preachy. I was immediately caught up in the girls lives and found myself reading into the wee hours of the night. Great book for teens and their moms. Both groups will love it. Thanks Anne and May. I can't wait for the next installment.

Christine has finally found a group of friends with the Miracle Girls. Instead of being a loner, she's learn to bond and trust Anna, Riley and Zoe. These girls become her lifeline as she tries to adapt to her father dating a women she doesn't like and the changes that come with that situation. Unfortunately the other girls seem to be drifting away from each other, no matter how hard Christine tries to keep them together. Will this be the end of the Miracle Girls?

The problem with a lot of YA books these days are that they try to be too trendy, with constant label dropping and made up slang. It gets to the point where these things take away from the story and become so distracting that the reader gets turned off. However, this book does not follow that formula. As always, Anne and May have turned out an amazing work that is a hard-to-put-down page turner. This book brings me back to days in high school where you want to stick close to your group of friends and worry when everyone starts to drift apart. In this story, it's easy to relate to Christine as she tells the reader what her life is like and how she's trying to cope with her father dating a woman she doesn't like. I was glad to see that Candace was not a "mean stepmother" type but I do agree with Christine's nickname for her. The registry scanner scene was hilarious, it's something I might have thought of in my younger days.

I really like how in this book, the girls have become close friends despite their differences. Riley has pretty much given up on the popular clique and bonded with Christine, Zoe and Anna. This is poignant for Christine because she wants to be able to keep this close knit relationship and have everyone be together. However situations arise where the other three seem to drift apart leaving Christine alone and feeling left out, something I could totally relate to. It's a predicament many teen girls find themselves in and the authors portray that feeling excellently. There were times though when Anna got on my nerves. It would annoy me when she kept bugging Riley about her grades. I mean, yes it'sok to be concerned about them, but it was the way she kept wanting Riley to do bad just so she could get first in the class. I just wanted to take her and tell her, "Look JUST CALM DOWN!!" Riley, on the other hand, while she wants to do well also, does not let school become an obsession in her life. She will try her best but if she does not come out on top every time, she won't stress about it. Anna should take note. I also didn't like how Anna kept pestering Riley about liking a guy. It just kept throwing me for a loop because Riley and Anna have gone from being enemies to being good friends and Anna seems like she's putting a barrier in between them on purpose.

Also, call me slow and not observant, but I honestly had no idea that Christine was Asian! While I do like it when Asian culture is on display full blown, it's also nice to see race issues just blend in the background. I thought this was great because it was a book that went against the stereotype that all Asian teens are either adopted into a white family or immigrated when they were very young. Christine was just a normal average girl who just happened to be Asian. Not every Asian family speaks with accents or has overachievers.

This is another wonderful book by Anne and May and it's a book any YA or chick lit fan will enjoy. It's a fun read and it's always great to read books that tell things like it is. I am eagerly awaiting to read the next book so we can discover Zoe's story. HIGHLY recommended.

The Review


If you didn't happen to catch my review of The Miracle Girls, the first book in this wonderful YA Christian series... you may want to check that out first and then read about this AWESOME book!

I have just so much enjoyed reading both The Miracle Girls and Breaking Up Is Hard to Do. Both are great stories with good morals to them. This book takes off just where The Miracle Girls leaves off... the beginning of their sophmore year. However, this one is told from the viewpoint of Christine Lee... the eccentric one of the bunch. Her mother died in a tragic car accident in which she survived. Her father falls for another woman very shortly into his grieving period. Christine doesn't take well to the fact that Candace (aka "The Bimbo") is engaged to her father and will be marrying him sooner rather than later. Christine hasn't fully dealt with her mother's death and is nowhere near ready to let The Bimbo into her heart and life. So, she's determined to break them up before the impending wedding.

The Bimbo isn't quite as dumb as she looks. She is clever and really does try to blend her family with her fiance's. Candace has a daughter, Emma, who is in the 7th grade. Emma really looks up to Christine and is falling in love with being her little sister. Speaking of which, this is the only part of the book that I couldn't fully release my imagination to. I'll explain why... I've got two of those 12 year old 7th graders. They are much more mature than how Emma was portrayed. And, it's not just my 2... I know a lot of those 12-year-old-7th graders. I just truly feel that Emma's character behaved more like a 10 year old than a 12 year old. But... that is the only issue that I had with the book and, again, it's just because I'm surrounded by them. Besides that, I really loved the story and felt it was just as strong of a book as The Miracle Girls.

So... guess what's coming up next? Miracle Girls #3: A Little Help From My Friends!!!! Oh, Yes-O-Ree! I'm excited.

On Sher's "Out of Ten Scale:"
I loved the fact that Christine has to learn to open up about her great hurts, learn about relationships with boys, and find her way to rely on God more in this book. She's got real issues that teenagers face and I think that this novel shows that there is a way to navigate through these hardships and trials in life. Parents are tough when you're a teenager... you need them and yet they just suck! Your younger siblings are little pains in your tushie. And, boys will make those cheeks burn and your head spin. Despite all of these things, God will deliver you through safely and surround you with friends to protect you.

Anne and May get my applause, again, on a job well done. Like the first in the series, this book gets a my rating, genre: Fiction:YA/Christian, a 9 OUT OF 10. I would NOT HESITATE to share this series with tweens & teens alike. My twins both read The Miracle Girls in 1 day and loved it. They can't wait to read and share this one!

Breaking Up is Hard to Do by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt is the second book in the Miracle Girls series. This volume focuses on Christine Lee, the rebel of the group with her thrift store wardrobe and nose ring. Christine is angry with her father for getting engaged just a year after her mother's tragic death in a car accident, so she's taking it out on stepmother-to-be Candace. She's struggling to deal with her mother's death along with the possible break-up of the Miracle Girls as each has boy issues and long-dead rivalries spring up again between them. When Christine hits bottom, she thinks that she has no one left to turn to, not the Girls, her father, or even the God she swears she doesn't believe in. I like this YA series. Each girl has a different personality and interests, allowing just about every teenage girl to find a character to relate to. I've watched my own daughter and her friends drift apart and come back together as boys come and go, and the authors portray that confused loyalty well. Christine's longing for a place to belong is the crux of this story, and author do a terrific job of keeping the other storylines tied to it. Her questions about God are ones that I think a lot of teens face, and they are answered well at the end of the book. Definitely a book I'd recommend to teen girls (and tell their moms to sneak a read when the girls are finished).

This was a wonderful story. I actually got tears in my eyes at the ending. Any book that makes me sniffle from happy tears is a good book. That means I cared enough to feel something for the characters. These authors did a great job pulling me into Christine's world. She was very much a typical teenager so their perspective from Christine's point of view was excellently done. Those heart-engaging endings are the kinds of endings I love seeing in inspirational books. One that offers hope and healing and encourages young adults. It's so much the opposite of what teens read in secular YA fiction.

Anyway, because this story wasn't typical YA fiction I enjoyed that slight difference. There were no pat answers and healthy grieving was encouraged. The struggles the teens experienced were typical and well-done. Everything is "embarassing" at that age. Also, I didn't feel like a bunch of girls of verying ethnicities were thrown together to make a multicultural book happen. It flowed naturally and didn't seem forced. I appreciated that. I also appreciated the subplot involving Riley's brother Michael. I can't wait until that story comes out. I think it will be the best story of them all.