22 February 2014

Review - Elevated By: Elana Johnson

Title: Elevated
Author: Elana Johnson
Publisher: 300 Pages (February 14th, 2014)
From: the Author
Format: eBook
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Kobo, iTunes

Synopsis: The last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she's been avoiding for five months.

Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him everyday.

But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still loves.

Review: 4 Stars - Elevated by author Elana Johnson is a story written in few words yet those few words have a strong emotional impact for the reader.

One thing about this title is that it’s written in-verse. Johnson took her idea for a contemporary young adult title and did something pretty amazing. It’s within those few words that gave this overall story a deeper impact. I felt that with the story scaled back I was able to feel more for the characters, which sounds kind of backward I know but it was easy to feel the pain the main character Elly was going through.

Elly is pretty much a typical teen with typical teen issues. One of the things she’s dealing with is the fact that she has a crush, who just so happens to be one of her best friends. The bad part, Trav her crush, is also her female best friends’ boyfriend. Trav has his own set of things he’s dealing with in his home life and Elly has always been there for him.

This is Elly’s story and it’s told after everythings happened. It’s told as she’s dealing with memories of sorts, while trapped in an elevator with Trav one day. It’s during this time, stuck in the small space where Elly can’t hide from what’s happened and secrets come out that confirm that lives will never be the same.

I think for me the fact that this title was written in-verse turned out to be a plus. It really focuses on the important parts of the story on a much smaller scale. There’s a flow that starts at the beginning and in a few short worlds I was able to paint a much larger and extremely vivid picture. Johnson should be given much praise for what she’s crated in Elevated and I’m grateful I was able to read this title for her.

In the end I believe that this is a wonderfully written young adult title that shouldn’t be overlooked. If you are looking for a story that you can read in one sitting, this one is for you. With quick scenes and issues many teens have to face covered and strong teen characters learning to navigate life, this title fits the bill perfectly. I highly recommend this book and believe others will come to recommend it as well. Enjoy!

Praise for ELEVATED:

"ELEVATED will take you on an emotionally gripping journey through the highs and lows of first love."
~Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There and Forget Me Not

"Poignant, raw, and intense, ELEVATED is a novel that will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page." ~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of Audition and The Sound of Letting Go

About the Author:

Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for free download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.