Torn [Kindle Edition]

Stephanie Guerra (Author)

Book Description

Stella Chavez is your classic good girl: straight As, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer trophies. You'd never guess that Stella's dad was a drug addict who walked out when she was a kid. Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more. New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella's polar opposite: cursing, smoking, and teetering in sky-high heels. But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another world a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn't be tried once. It's not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she's ever had and the friends she's known forever, between her family and her own independence, between who she was and who she wants to be. But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn't show anyone not even Stella. As Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the ultimate betrayal.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

***(Audiobook) Guerra’s gritty novel is a spectacularly realistic portrait of a teen torn between her former friends and the new girl in school, running the family household and having fun in high school, and being a friend who goes along with anything or one who really cares. Often stories like this are moralistic, with the good girl celebrated and the bad one shunned. But sometimes the choices aren’t so clear-cut. Stella is a senior, a soccer player, and has hung around with the same group of girls since elementary school. When Ruby arrives in school one day, Stella is intrigued by her aloofness and her disregard for the rules. Ruby is a wild child—she sneaks out, smokes weed, dates college guys, and seemingly has no parental oversight. Stella is a good kid and, despite knowing Ruby is “trouble,” she likes her and begins taking on the role of parent when Ruby acts out. Both girls have good hearts, and that’s the basis for their friendship. With Stella’s responsibilities at home, a little wildness is just what she needs and Ruby can provide it. However, when Ruby begins dating an older man and turns to drugs, Stella begins looking into his life. What she finds out is dangerous. Does she intervene to save Ruby and risk losing a friendship in order to save her friend? This is a wonderful story with real characters in real situations. Casey Holloway’s narration is as authentic as the story she is telling. A compelling listen that won’t stay on the self.–Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA School Library Journal starred review

From Booklist

Stella Chavez’s usual routine—going through the motions of dating, playing soccer, and hanging on the fringe of the popular crowd—forever changes after fiery Ruby Caroline arrives senior year. Instantly drawn to Ruby’s magnetic personality, Stella begins dating a college guy and palling around with Ruby exclusively, losing her former childhood friends in the process. It’s easy to see the attraction to Ruby, who considers high school “an incestuous, viperous little gossip pit” and emanates mystery and a confidence beyond her years. When Ruby enters an abusive relationship with a much older man, turns to drugs, and becomes a pariah at school, Stella must decide where her allegiance lies. Realism drives this debut novel in which Stella finds herself torn on other fronts, too: her Mexican identity and own issues with racism, her responsibility to help her single mother care for the family, and the connections between Ruby’s situation and her drug-addict father’s behaviors. The story’s strong voice and complex characters will convince readers to forgive the too-tidy ending.
— Booklist, June 2012

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 357 KB
• Print Length: 277 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: B0086E3N06
• Publisher: Skyscape (May 15, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007FXRWPQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,784 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and Gritty tale of friendship July 25, 2012

By brandileigh2003

Format:Hardcover

This was such a realistic and gritty read! I could totally relate with Stella, the good girl from rough circumstances who gets drawn into a friendship that is all encompassing and more edgy than she's used to. We read all the time about boyfriends who influence girls' lives and take over the relationship in ways that are not so positive, but in real life, there are girlfriends that can do that too. (This isn't BLGT by the way. I'm down with that, but that's not what I meant so no one gets wrong idea.)
It is a nice change to have a book that focuses more on friendship and family, because even though Torn does feature a romantic interest, it is not all consuming. Now, don't get me wrong I love a good romance, but sometimes it's nice to have a change of pace. But, anyways, back to Stella. I really admire how loyal she is, and how brave she is--the things that she does for Ruby in the end really are awesome, and I hope my friends would do the same for me if I were in that situation. I also really think highly of Stella in regards to her family. She is responsible, she complements her mom, and she looks out for her siblings. Stella is also stellar in how she deals with her boyfriend--I can't say a whole lot without spoiling, but I appreciate the writer having the guts to go there, and not keep everything peachy and predictable.
Ruby is well written too, she's wild and appears carefree. And I love how the layers are peeled from her little by little to show what makes her tick and what led her to be like she is. The way that she learned from her past and dealt with the bullying, well, let me just tip my hat.
Ms. Guerra's writing was solid, and the pace kept me interested the whole time, I didn't want to put it down, and wanted to know what would happen next.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars So good ... until the end June 3, 2012

By cupcake TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Torn is an excellent example of a book that is excellent up until its final act, when it all falls apart.

Stella Chavis is a high school senior, seemingly content with her friends, family and future. Yes, she still suffers lingering affects of her father's behavior and abandonment of his family. And, yes, she has had the same friends since kindergarten, and she sometimes resents having to take care of her younger sister and brother. But life, for the most part, is good for Stella.

Until, in a frenzied burst, Ruby Caroline enters Stella's life.

Ruby is what we call Troubled. She dresses provocatively, smokes and drinks. She's also drawn to older boys, beginning with the Notre Dame students living in the girls' town of South Bend, Indiana. Through Ruby, Stella discovers that an occasional stiff drink helps you feel better, college boys are fun (Stella meets Mike, who becomes her boyfriend), and there is a lot more excitement to life than Stella has experienced.

But ...

There is always a but.

Ruby likes to get in a lot deeper trouble, is drawn to a much hotter flame, than Stella. Yet Stella can't stay away from her. She tells herself that Ruby needs her and her friendship, that she can't abandon her new best friend, even as she abandons the friends she's had forever. As Ruby sinks deeper and deeper, Stella is there, enabling her all the way.

What author Stephanie Guerra does well with this book is create fairly realistic characters. Ruby is a little over the top, but I've seen girls like her strolling the halls of the high school where I work. She's outlandish, but some girls are. And Stella is beautifully conceived.... She does not realize she is mired in ambivalence until she meets Ruby, and her reaction to this enlightenment results in fairly typical high school behavior.

Peppered throughout Torn are gentle urgings to seek comfort in God. For example, when Stella talks to Mike about applying to Notre Dame, he tries to comfort her by saying that she will get in, if 'God wants you to, you will.'" Stella's response is one we understand: "Boy, I hated when people said that. Of course it was true, but what if God didn't want me to get in? Or what if my college career was too insignificant for God to worry about? That was a distinct possibility, too."

The story chugs along, with Stella feeling the push and pull of friendship with Ruby, as well as her relationship with Mike and her family. But then we get to the last few chapters, and this wonderful story just sort of wraps up, end of scene. It's almost as if Stephanie Guerra got tired of writing, or had a word count she couldn't exceed. The rationale behind the tidy resolution of Ruby's and Stella's problems is unsatisfactory. The weakest is the playing out of Stella and Mike's courtship. What happens make sense, but not Stella's apparent emotional distance.

The thing is, this book was really good up until the end. That's what makes it frustrating, and that's why it gets the three cupcakes it does. It's a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise engrossing novel.

Published on cupcake's book cupboard. @VivaAmaRisata
Thanks to NetGalley for the preview. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A realistic, yet raw, look at teenage life. July 5, 2012

By kim

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is labeled as young adult fiction. I am not a young adult and rarely choose to read fiction. A friend of mine read this book and raved about it so I thought I would give it a try. It was awesome! I haven't read young adult fiction since the babysitters club and this was no babysitters club. The characters were strong and three dimensional and believable. The story and the situations were raw, but realistic. This book was entertaining, intelligent and relatable. I also think that parents of teen girls should read this so that they have a glimpse into the lives of so many girls today.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable for older teens, but a great read for adults, especially parents July 3, 2012

By Victoria

Format:Hardcover

By caring about someone who has leaped into the adult world and provides her with the chance to tag along, a young woman unwittingly finds herself moving away from the safe and predictable world of her early adolescence. Although the young women's attendance in high school is central to the plot, this is not a book tied to place or time. The actions and the thoughts of the characters occur universally, and so the story holds interest for adults and has staying power, and is much bigger than a teen novel. It is about being true to oneself and handling complicated situations while being in a caring relationship. Major and minor characters alike are realistically complex, and continue to live in my mind. The events of the book are not overdone, but there are plenty of tense moments when you care about the people and what may happen, and so you are driven on to keep reading while wondering how you yourself might best respond. Without being pedantic or judgmental, the author enables the reader to care about the main characters and to rejoice in their authenticity and competence as friends and as human beings. I look forward to this author's next publication.

More About the Author

Stephanie Guerra has an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame. She teaches children's literature at Seattle University and is the Seattle Host for Readergirlz, a blog about young adult fiction. She also teaches creative writing at King County Jail, and researches and speaks about literacy instruction for at-risk and incarcerated teens. Stephanie lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and children. 'Torn' is her first novel.

You can visit Stephanie's website at www.stephanieguerra.com