Turn Here

by Jackson Pearce

A contemporary short story about a girl, her mother, a busted cell phone’s GPS, and Jimmy Carter’s head.

Genres: Young Adult, Short Stories, Contemporary

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

I am not very active on Goodreads-- this is largely a placeholder account! Therefore, I do not read Goodreads mail. If you want to get in touch with me, please go here: CONTACT ME!


Jackson Pearce currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy and currently works for a software company even though she auditioned for the circus (she juggled and twirled fire batons, but they still didn’t want her). Other jobs she’s had include obituaries writer, biker bar waitress, and receptionist.

Jackson began writing when she got angry that the school librarian couldn’t tell her of a book that contained a smart girl, horses, baby animals, and magic. Her solution was to write the book herself when she was twelve. Her parents thought it was cute at first, but have grown steadily more concerned for her ever since.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little too cutesy and neat for my taste, but it was overall an interesting story with a unique plot. The main character, Alex, does beauty pageants; the story opens after she has won her most recent by excelling in the Interview portion, where she says that she doesn't believe in true love. This worries her mother, who divorced her father a few years ago. The story mostly deals with them as they talk through Alex's resentment and her mother's nostalgia, while they go on a quasi-adventure that, in the end, predictably reaffirms Alex's belief in true love.

[R.J. Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted at: RJ Does Books!

TURN HERE is a short story about pageant queen Alex and her mother taking a short road trip/adventure from Atlanta to Savannah as they follow the directions dictated by the GPS in a broken phone Alex found on the side of the road, curious to see what they might discover and the lesson that awaits to be learned.

It is a short and sweet read that I finished within a few minutes and really enjoyed. Jackson's talent is endless and versatile, spanning across a wide range of genres from her supernatural/urban fantasy novels As You Wish, Sisters Red, Sweetly, and the forthcoming Fathomless, to contemporary reads like this short story, and Purity, which releases April 24th, 2012. She is a fantastic author who avoids falling into a "mold" and sends into the world, quality writings with eminent storytelling that can be enjoyed by a variety of people. I look forward to seeing Jackson release more of these "experiments" in-between the wait for a new novel.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jackson Pearce. I really do. This book was just random enough for me to love it! It did make me cry though, when Alex talks about her parents' divorce. And I felt like she was pretty rude to her mom during that part. But for a short story, this was really cute! If you are a Jackson Pearce fan like me, you will probably love it.

[Jessica Lewenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Loses a star because there are some problematic comments (like slut-shaming) in the beginning. Otherwise, it's super cute. I have a huge weakness for road-trip books. I also loved the mother-daughter relationship that was explored.

[Jess Schira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and clever story

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute! I can definitely see this being a full story! :)

[Amber Rouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little short story

[Holly Ryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love road trips and cute stories of people falling in love, READ THIS. It's adorable.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most enjoyable short stories I've read and it had the sweetest ending!