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Spiralling Out of the Shadow
With her security tied up in great friendships, life for Tabbie was a breeze… until her best friend moved interstate. That’s when the exposing reality hit her. Who was she without her best friend?
Forced to stand on her own, Tabbie finds a new confidence and sees the world for what it really is, her new convictions enlighten her to see her friends through a different lens.
Is Tabbie strong enough to stay out of Stephanie’s shadow when Steph returns? Can Tabbie be true to herself without letting her friends slip through the cracks?
This YA Contemporary Realistic novel is set in Australia and uses Aussie terms and grammar.
Book 2 in the Spiralling Trilogy parallels book 1.
Recommended for readers 15+
Forced to stand on her own, Tabbie finds a new confidence and sees the world for what it really is, her new convictions enlighten her to see her friends through a different lens.
Is Tabbie strong enough to stay out of Stephanie’s shadow when Steph returns? Can Tabbie be true to herself without letting her friends slip through the cracks?
This YA Contemporary Realistic novel is set in Australia and uses Aussie terms and grammar.
Book 2 in the Spiralling Trilogy parallels book 1.
Recommended for readers 15+
- GenresYoung Adult
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2014
59 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 6, 2014
In Spirally Out of the Shadow, Michelle Dennis Evans takes up Tabbie's side of the story from her debut novel Spirally Out of Control. Tabbie is Stephanie's best friend but only when Steph moves away does Tabbie realise she is living in her shadow. While "the ridiculously beautiful and almost perfect" Steph fails to cope with the move, Tabbie finds new strength and new interests;struggles with boys and dating; and learns what it means to be a good friend. Tabbie has her fair share of teen angst, bad hair days and real tragedy, yet she never comes across as whining or too self absorbed.
While it did take me a few chapters to get into story, I was soon hooked, wanting to know how things unfolded and found it hard to put the book (or Kindle) down. Michelle manages to maintain suspense even though I already knew how things would end for Stephanie. She also weaves in faith elements with a light touch but this never dominates the story. As with Spirally Out of Control, Michelle deals with the realities of teens encounter with peer pressure, alcohol, drugs and under-age sex. I am glad she took the time to give us Tabbie's side of the story. And I'm looking forward to the sequel to see what happens to the characters I have grown to care about - there is a sequel right?
While it did take me a few chapters to get into story, I was soon hooked, wanting to know how things unfolded and found it hard to put the book (or Kindle) down. Michelle manages to maintain suspense even though I already knew how things would end for Stephanie. She also weaves in faith elements with a light touch but this never dominates the story. As with Spirally Out of Control, Michelle deals with the realities of teens encounter with peer pressure, alcohol, drugs and under-age sex. I am glad she took the time to give us Tabbie's side of the story. And I'm looking forward to the sequel to see what happens to the characters I have grown to care about - there is a sequel right?
January 21, 2016
Tabbie has always done things because her best friend, Steph, led the charge. Steph wanted to be a dancer so Tabbie took lessons too.
She and Steph were part of a quartet of girls - all friends - who are trying to negotiate the hormonal traps and rollercoaster emotions of their teen years. Along with a variety of manipulative predators all ready to take advantage of a single innocent misstep.
A companion volume to Spiralling Out of Control, this story relates many of the same events from Tabbie's perspective, rather than Steph's. It follows Tabbie's slow progress out of her friend's shadow into becoming 'her own woman'.
Tabbie struggles with her 'goody two shoes' tag. Not to mention the 'best friend code' - don't dob on a mate to the parents. The rule of silence is of increasing concern to Tabbie as Steph's lies increase. She becomes increasingly concerned for Steph's safety and no longer knows whether to keep silent or not.
Meantime she's rescuing self-destructive Janet from one boozy party after another. She's also organising the love life of her friend Suzy, so that Suzy's obsessively over-protective parents get to meet and approve of nerdy dancer, Joey.
Tabbie's also trying hard not to become boy-crazy every time a hottie turns his gaze in her direction. She's a rescuer. She can't help herself. After a couple of unsavoury dating experiences, she decides to look for a guy with more than perfect biceps to recommend him.
A sweet story, dappled with moments of darkness and tragedy.
She and Steph were part of a quartet of girls - all friends - who are trying to negotiate the hormonal traps and rollercoaster emotions of their teen years. Along with a variety of manipulative predators all ready to take advantage of a single innocent misstep.
A companion volume to Spiralling Out of Control, this story relates many of the same events from Tabbie's perspective, rather than Steph's. It follows Tabbie's slow progress out of her friend's shadow into becoming 'her own woman'.
Tabbie struggles with her 'goody two shoes' tag. Not to mention the 'best friend code' - don't dob on a mate to the parents. The rule of silence is of increasing concern to Tabbie as Steph's lies increase. She becomes increasingly concerned for Steph's safety and no longer knows whether to keep silent or not.
Meantime she's rescuing self-destructive Janet from one boozy party after another. She's also organising the love life of her friend Suzy, so that Suzy's obsessively over-protective parents get to meet and approve of nerdy dancer, Joey.
Tabbie's also trying hard not to become boy-crazy every time a hottie turns his gaze in her direction. She's a rescuer. She can't help herself. After a couple of unsavoury dating experiences, she decides to look for a guy with more than perfect biceps to recommend him.
A sweet story, dappled with moments of darkness and tragedy.
February 26, 2014
I enjoyed this YA/coming of age novel about friendship on many levels. I enjoyed reading Australian English and trying to figure out what a doona was. (the author includes a glossary at the end for those of us unfamiliar with OZ terms) The main character is someone you can sympathize with, and if you have ever tried to help a friend who is making terrible choices, you can empathize with the main character. The writing is good, clear, concise, and believable. I got sucked into the story almost against my will, for I hate teenage drama. I hated it when I was a teenager. I wish I had had this book to read when I was a teenager, because I think it would have given me some insights I needed then.
Almost every teen girl will love this book, and maybe some mothers as well. This would be a terrific choice for a book club.
The author gave me a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. After reading it, I went to Amazon and bought a copy, I liked it that much.
Almost every teen girl will love this book, and maybe some mothers as well. This would be a terrific choice for a book club.
The author gave me a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. After reading it, I went to Amazon and bought a copy, I liked it that much.
April 23, 2014
Every parent's fears are realized in Evans's latest story in the Spiralling Trilogy.
Teen gal pals Tabbie and Stephanie have been joined at the hip in friendship until Stephanie's family moves north. Stephanie is miserable and makes sure her friends know it. Tabbie misses her friend, and cooks up a plot to get Stephanie back down to the big city. Meanwhile, Tabbie's other friend Janet is also losing a battle with her own personal demons, and to top it off, once Stephanie does come to stay and go to school with Tabbie, nothing works out.
Evans has done an excellent job getting in the heads of her teen characters—the angst, joy, naiveté; that time between dependency and young womanhood is brought to life with all the emotion and peer pressure and longings. There are some clues to the girls' problems, and Evans shows readers how easy it is to miss or choose to overlook those troubles. Tabbie was very fortunate to have good role models for parents, which I appreciated as a reader.
Spiralling out of the Shadow is book two, but also stands well alone. Tabbie narrates in first person; the writing is lovely, and readers will enjoy an impromptu visit to Australia. Well done. I think early teens and their parents will find a lot to think about and talk over from this series. Part of the proceeds go towards Soul Centre, a group providing programs for girls and women who have experienced life upheavals.
Teen gal pals Tabbie and Stephanie have been joined at the hip in friendship until Stephanie's family moves north. Stephanie is miserable and makes sure her friends know it. Tabbie misses her friend, and cooks up a plot to get Stephanie back down to the big city. Meanwhile, Tabbie's other friend Janet is also losing a battle with her own personal demons, and to top it off, once Stephanie does come to stay and go to school with Tabbie, nothing works out.
Evans has done an excellent job getting in the heads of her teen characters—the angst, joy, naiveté; that time between dependency and young womanhood is brought to life with all the emotion and peer pressure and longings. There are some clues to the girls' problems, and Evans shows readers how easy it is to miss or choose to overlook those troubles. Tabbie was very fortunate to have good role models for parents, which I appreciated as a reader.
Spiralling out of the Shadow is book two, but also stands well alone. Tabbie narrates in first person; the writing is lovely, and readers will enjoy an impromptu visit to Australia. Well done. I think early teens and their parents will find a lot to think about and talk over from this series. Part of the proceeds go towards Soul Centre, a group providing programs for girls and women who have experienced life upheavals.
April 28, 2014
It was fabulous to get Tabby's story this time. Michelle is a great advocate for teenage behavior. All her books are wonderful for teenagers.
April 5, 2022
I wouldn't normally read teen/YA romance, (I'm not sure now how I ended up with this book) and I'm not sure if it was meant to be a romance story, but it was good. It delves into some issues facing teens today and, I think, handled them well.
April 24, 2014
Wow! I wasn't very far into the story before I was reliving my middle/high-school years. Like the main character, Tabbie, I was part of a group of four that whittled away one by one until only I was left. As I read Tabbie's story, I was reminded of the pain and confusion of those mid-teen years. Not a child, but not quite an adult. Curious about life, yet taught to be cautious. Struggling to discover where one fits in the world while still maintaining some self-discipline. It's a difficult journey, and Evans paints such a vivid portrait of that in this book.
Even though I haven't read the first book, I had no trouble following along with the story and/or relating to the characters. After reading this one, I would like to go back to see where it all began and, of course, read the last book in the trilogy to find out what will happen with the remaining characters. Will Tabbie stand her ground and make the right choices? Or will she give in to the temptations that have torn her friendships apart? I'm looking forward to finding out.
If I had one qualm with the story it would be the lack of distinction between salvation and going to church. Perhaps the author covered this in the first book or plans to cover it in the next, but in reading this book alone, I got the impression that Tabbie's visits to church and youth group were synonymous with salvation. She spoke of feeling such peace and joy every time she was there or around others from that group, but there was never any mention of her actually receiving Christ as Savior. In fact, I only recall one time that the name of Jesus was mentioned. I understand that this is a fictional book meant for enjoyment rather than "preaching," but as a Christian reader, I would have enjoyed a clearer picture of salvation. I fear people getting the wrong idea that simply joining a church or youth group is enough to gain them access to the throne room of God. All that being said, I feel that the author did a good job of adding Christian elements to the story without shoving them down my throat. They flowed naturally through the story.
Spiralling Out of the Shadow was a very compelling read, and I highly recommend it, especially for teen girls. Not only do I believe it will offer them some insight into their feelings, but I think it will also highlight some of the consequences of poor choices and giving in to the wrong feelings.
Even though I haven't read the first book, I had no trouble following along with the story and/or relating to the characters. After reading this one, I would like to go back to see where it all began and, of course, read the last book in the trilogy to find out what will happen with the remaining characters. Will Tabbie stand her ground and make the right choices? Or will she give in to the temptations that have torn her friendships apart? I'm looking forward to finding out.
If I had one qualm with the story it would be the lack of distinction between salvation and going to church. Perhaps the author covered this in the first book or plans to cover it in the next, but in reading this book alone, I got the impression that Tabbie's visits to church and youth group were synonymous with salvation. She spoke of feeling such peace and joy every time she was there or around others from that group, but there was never any mention of her actually receiving Christ as Savior. In fact, I only recall one time that the name of Jesus was mentioned. I understand that this is a fictional book meant for enjoyment rather than "preaching," but as a Christian reader, I would have enjoyed a clearer picture of salvation. I fear people getting the wrong idea that simply joining a church or youth group is enough to gain them access to the throne room of God. All that being said, I feel that the author did a good job of adding Christian elements to the story without shoving them down my throat. They flowed naturally through the story.
Spiralling Out of the Shadow was a very compelling read, and I highly recommend it, especially for teen girls. Not only do I believe it will offer them some insight into their feelings, but I think it will also highlight some of the consequences of poor choices and giving in to the wrong feelings.
May 4, 2014
Tabbie, a soon to be sixteen year old is devastated in Spiralling Out of the Shadow. Her best friend, Stephanie, and her family have moved twelve hours away. Stepping out of her friend's shadow for the first time since seventh grade, Tabbie learns more about the kind of person she wants to be after she begins attending a church youth group. In this Australian setting, she works her way through some deep issues with her friends as well as some issues of her own. Will Stephanie be all right? Tabbie seeks the answers about love, life, and teenage sex. A great read for middle to late teens.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews