A Candle in the Wind

by Vanessa Orivolo

Aria Brooks is a 17-year old girl in a new town with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Dealing with the recent death of her father while struggling to befriend her new step father, nothing seems to be going her way. Aria is afraid to trust people and is angry at everyone around her. Then Aria meets Matt Lawson, who is unlike anyone she has ever met before; he immediately gets her attention and she slowly starts to let him in. Aria and Matt instantly connect, and they soon become an inseparable pair. Matt helps Aria deal with her buried emotion regarding her father’s death and to slowly start to trust the people around her. When a tragic accident shakes Aria’s world again, will she be able to persevere or will it close her off from the world even more?

282 pages, Paperback

First published December 25, 2012

Reviews

[Tera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book.

Aria moves with her mom and sister to their new home with her new step-dad. Aria still has reconciled that her dad has past away - so there is conflict between her mom, Robert (the new stepdad), and Aria.

Aria starts school and becomes friends with Matt. He becomes her new world and helps her come to terms with her feelings about her dad. She is in love and all is right in the world. Then the unthinkable happens and Aria must deal with another big loss. This time will Aria be able to pull through or will she let it pull her under?

This is a great story and really pulls at your heartstrings alot. I love Aria and Matt characters.

[Jackie Weger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Candle in the Wind is perhaps touted as young adult. That is what I loathe about tags...An adult might not pick it up. This is not a silly book. It is wonderful. The protagonist is seventeen years-old. Her voice is just right. Get past it. There are good people in this book. No hot sex. No Goths painting their faces black and slogging through bushes or chopping up parents. Nope. This book is full of ordinary people raised to the level of word art. If you have ever loved and lost, this is a book for you.

[Deedee · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. Kindle Audio.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down until I finished it! The character development in this book was great; I really loved the main character Aria Brooks. She was very relatable. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that this isn't your typical young adult novel. The storyline is very deep and meaningful, and Orivolo does an excellent job at exploring the complexity of the life of a teenage girl. This book is full of emotion and had me hooked until the very end! This is the kind of book I would read again and again; and I can't say that about too many books. As this is her first book, I'm really looking forward to seeing what else Orivolo writes in the future.