18/50: Safe by Aviva Bel'Harold

Safe by Aviva Bel'harold

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Fifteen year old Meriah has nothing to live for. No friends, a neglectful mother and an abusive brother. But on the night when she decides to end it all, she finds Toby in her room. Just his appearance is not enough to deter her from her plans. It is only when he tells her that he died that very night that living feels important.


I enjoyed the dynamics between Toby and Meriah. He used to be a bully when he was alive, and Meriah is the victim in her life currently. Their lives are so intertwined, they don't realize it until they learn new things throughout their very short friendship. Not only did Meriah learn to love herself and find her self worth, Toby learned that the way he lived his life was wrong in a sense. Together they help each other find peace in their lives.
 
Meriah comes from a broken family. Her father left, her mother drinks and has no time for her and her brother is abusive and into gang life. Although she is a smart girl, I feel so bad that no one ever told her how beautiful she is or how smart she is. It takes a ghost to guide her and show her what having true friends means. Meriah is the kind of kid (yes a kid, she's only 15 years old) that you want to see succeed. You want to see her make something of her life and move on. I was pleased that Toby helped her see that life is worth living.
 
It's a good story and there are some good lessons in it. I would definitely think it's a good novel to have a teenager read when they are going through that age and dealing with this sort of thing. Bel'Harold captures pretty accurately what life at school can be here. She is a local author to me and I'm impressed!
I'm very excited to hear what a few of my Nesties think when they get around to reading it. I am sending the book out for a blog tour.

Follow Aviva on twitter and facebook and visit her website for some short stories and upcoming books. This is her debut novel!

SBC2011: Read a book set in high school - 10 points

Book Journey 2011: Calgary


This book was about bullies.  If you know someone who is a bully or is the victim, there is help. Look for anti-bully compaigns in your area.

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