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Title: In Leah's Wake

Author: Terri Giuliano Long

Narrator: Amber Wallace

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-13-13

Publisher: Terri Giuliano Long

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In this haunting coming-of-age novel, award-winning author Terri Giuliano Long delves into every parents' nightmare as a rebellious teenage daughter unravels before her family, forcing them to reevaluate the choices they've made....

Star player and captain of her soccer team, sixteen-year-old Leah Tyler has a bright future ahead of her. Though she's only in her junior year of high school, several colleges have already expressed interest in recruiting Leah--including Harvard, where her father desperately wants her to go. But when she meets bad boy Todd Corbett, her life soon spirals dangerously out of control. From ignoring her curfew to experimenting with drugs, Leah is breaking every rule. For the first time in her life, she feels like she's the one in control, making her own decisions instead of following her parents' dreams. But as Leah is about to discover, her actions have the power to forever fracture her family.

Members Reviews:

When Parents Push Too Hard

I enjoyed this book even though it was frightening since I'm the parent of a teen and a pre-teen. Reading about Leah, the "perfect child", falling off track was very believable and seemed to be the result of her parents pushing her too hard with their own agendas without listening to her. As parents, we want the best for our kids and often try to hard to help our children achieve to the best of their ability. Leah's father pushed her too hard with soccer and getting into the only college he felt was good enough and that really bothered me, this father trying to live his life through his daughter. Leah had way too much pressure placed on her to be the perfect daughter - to be the best soccer player, to earn her scholarship and the only thing good enough would be to get that scholarship for Harvard. Ultimately though, Leah was responsible for her own behavior. It's really no wonder Leah rebelled the way she did, although it's a shame she ended up destroying even the things that were important to her in the process.

It was difficult to read the parts when Leah actually tried to approach her mother without directly telling her what was wrong and her mother would put her off because she was busy. It strikes fear into my heart because I wonder if that has ever happened with my children. I always want to be available to them, but I get busy and don't always give them my full attention when they might need it. Unfortunately, kids often hint rather than directly ask for what they need and parents can't read their minds or know when we really need to listen.

This was an excellent book, but also a hard book to read because it is every parent's nightmare.

Great family drama

Do you ever leave a book on your Kindle or shelf for a while because you're not sure if you'll like it? I've done that several times, and every single time, I wish I hadn't. Last year, In Leah's Wake was offered for free one day, and after seeing it all over the blogosphere and Twitter for months, I thought I'd see what the fuss was about. But I'd heard it was sad, so I kept putting it off. I really have to stop doing that.

It was gritty and certainly not a fairy tale, but I didn't cry. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read it. It was so easy to empathize with the characters, while simultaneously wanting to throw something at them.