Emily Charles knows how to run away. Away from her overprotective, agoraphobic mother. Away from her biology-obsessed, autistic sister. Away from her quiet sheltered claustrophobic homeschooled life. When Emily's escape plan involves starting her junior year at Kennedy High School, she realizes she's no longer running away. Now she's running towards. Towards her quiet thoughtful cross-country teammate, August. Towards her zany enthusiastic lab partner, Miles. Towards friendship, love, independence, and life.
Thanks to her sister's special interest in biology, Emily knows all about the birds and the bees. Boys are a lot more confusing!
Readers who enjoyed Counting to D won't want to miss Scott's second novel, also set at Kennedy High School.
Kate Scott lives in the suburbs outside Portland, Oregon with her husband Warren. Kate was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child but somehow managed to fall in love with stories anyway. COUNTING TO D is her first novel. When Kate isn't writing, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, camping, and spending time with her friends and family. Kate also spends a lot of time doing math and sciency things and is a licensed professional engineer.
Kami Garcia, the NY Times bestselling author, has quoted about "teenagers" as:
“Teenagers. Everything is so apocalyptic.”
Kate Scott, the American author, who once enchanted us with her debut book, Counting to D, has once again left us mesmerized by yet another YA tale called, The Evolution of Emily . They say high school is one of the most bizarre periods of a person's life and getting and coming through it is one of the biggest challenges in life. Likewise, Kate's protagonist, Emily is one of teenager, who is going through the most bizarre periods of her life and Emily's decisions and life-altering changes will not only make you like her but will also enlighten you in a way.
Synopsis: Emily Charles knows how to run away. Away from her overprotective, agoraphobic mother. Away from her biology-obsessed, autistic sister. Away from her quiet sheltered claustrophobic homeschooled life. When Emily's escape plan involves starting her junior year at Kennedy High School, she realizes she's no longer running away. Now she's running towards. Towards her quiet thoughtful cross-country teammate, August. Towards her zany enthusiastic lab partner, Miles. Towards friendship, love, independence, and life.
Thanks to her sister's special interest in biology, Emily knows all about the birds and the bees. Boys are a lot more confusing!
Kate Scott has done it again by creating yet another skillfully crafted teenage story. She has one more time take us into those familiar halls and corridors of Kennedy High School. And this time, a teenager is on run. Emily is a socially awkward girl, and has been home-schooling along with her autistic sister all her life. Not only that, Emily’s mother is very overprotective of her daughters, filling them up with the horrific tales of high schools from bitchy cheerleaders to mean guys. But Emily has to run, run away from the very comfort of her house, run away from their mentally-challenged-biology-obsessed sister, run away from the sad walls of her home. And that's the best decision that Emily took in her 16years of life. Kennedy High School is her new family- a whole new bright, shimmering, full-of-promises world, but is it so easy for a socially- awkward girl like Emily to connect with her peers?
The author has stressed on the fact that being strong on certain subjects can help you win friends, so in way Kate has urged that teenagers maybe wrecking everything around them, but still they need to focus on their study to dwell in their life, especially tackle high school and I loved how Kate used biology as the bridge between Emily's awkwardness and shyness to make her popular among her peers. This book deals with number of teenage issues like homosexuality, learning to take mature decisions, tackling with every day issues, learning to see the world in a whole new perspective, etc. And Emily was the medium to show us all how the teenagers of these days cope with burgeoning issues of their life, family and the world. But that doesn't mean that everyone is crashing out because of issues, some teenagers like Emily can come out of the fall and still stand strongly on her feet. And that was the message that the author tried to give it to her readers.
What can I say about her story-telling and narrative style and prose; all were perfect just like the last time. She knows how to write a story smartly by making it so realistic. And with skillfully crafted characters, the book was a completely joy/enlightening ride for me. I think The Evolution of Emily Kate's best written book! This book is a complete eye-opener for parents as well as teenagers!
Verdict: A must read book for all the parents to learn that "teenagers' world is indeed not an easy place for them to survive without a scar" and I bet YA lovers can't miss out this book!
Courtesy: I'm very grateful to the author, Kate Scott, for providing me with a copy of her book, in return for an honest and unbiased review.
I shouldn't look at other reviews on a book before writing my own, because they make me doubt myself. For me, this is a 5-star book--a book that I was engaged in, kept reading past my allotted reading time, thought about between reading sessions, thought about after I'd finished the book and will happily recommend to others.
My only regret, that gave me any pause at all, was my feeling that the ending was a bit rushed. But all the right stuff was there, so I'm willing to forgive it.
Okay, so on to what I thought ...
I knew very little about the book when I first started reading, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that Sam (the main character in Scott's first book, Counting to D) played a part. I loved getting just a bit of an update on Sam's life and how she was doing beyond the ending of her story. So that was a really nice treat.
I enjoyed Emily's journey and how "running" was a theme used to show Emily's growth.
As in her first book I loved Scott's easy use of "smart" stuff which is so often absent from YA books. In this story Emily isn't the smartest one (though she's no slouch), but biology and chemistry are used to connect with her autistic sister--a way to bridge the gap between this socially awkward girl and the world around her.
This story deals with mental health, lifestyle choices, homosexuality, stereotyping ...You'd think a book with all of that in it would be heavy-handed but it totally isn't. It was light and easy and yet managed to touch on these issues (and more) with a kind of depth that seems improbable. Kate Scott has a deft hand at addressing many of the issues facing teens today, doing it in such a way that feels easy and real. She writes like a friend, someone you could trust your secrets with, someone you could trust your heart with. Yep, I don't regret my 5-stars. The Evolution of Emily is excellent. If you're a human and like contemporary YA fiction, you should read it. :)
I was hoping for a ‘smart’ story, with a character that, despite the issues in their life was moving forward, growing and learning. Not having read Scott’s earlier book, I was unfamiliar with her style and storytelling, and was surprisingly pleased with this gem of a book.
Emily is ostensibly a typical teen girl who has a series of issues that are becoming more common in today’s society: an autistic sister, an agoraphobic mother and having to learn the social coping mechanisms that are so unfamiliar since she was in a homeschool environment. If the social awkwardness isn’t enough – it’s a new school with new people, and everything feels new and different. Except her running – the one thing that keeps her grounded. And Emily is a runner: first away from the cloistered and confining boundaries of home and to new options, opportunities and a perspective on life.
Full of smartly inserted insets that use biology and chemistry to make points and add depth, Scott has developed a wonderful character in Emily, giving her depth and showing her growth as she learns to navigate the world outside her home, and developing new ways to relate and navigate the difficulties at home. The careful portrayal of her mother and sister add heart and a sense of honesty to both the emotional toll and the frustrations, from all sides. Learning and dealing with the social scene at school is wonderfully detailed, and gives an opportunity for the author to add in some fairly deep issues that are handled with care: neither becoming heavy-handed and preachy, nor passing them off as unimportant. From mental health to lifestyle choices, homosexuality and stereotyping, Scott touches on each issue with care, giving readers the opportunity to learn and understand more, while leaving them without judgment from the story of the ‘right or wrong’. Readers can learn, empathize, experience and start to understand the depth and difficulties in someone else’s life that may not be instantly apparent, and come out the richer for it.
My first opportunity to read this author and it is a story that I can’t recommend highly enough. While I did feel that there was a race to the end to wrap up several hanging threads, for the most part the text and pacing gave the characters plenty of time to develop and grow, with nice insets of friendship, learning and humor.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
This was loooong overdue, and in my defense, um. . i have nothing to say to defend myself except um sophomore year of uni was really hard, and so was fencing. :( (i suck)
Ok so I did part of the review on December 6th, and here it is.
I kinda screamed when it ended. More like a caw of “whaaaaat, I’m done?!?”. Dang. I read it on my mac, started in school before the pharmacy lecture and continued all the way in the train ride home where it ended, so that was a fast read :(
But hey, I miss having that funny feeling in your tummy when you read something so utterly poignant. (Been reading a lot of romance novels, so it was nice to feel something while reading hah.) Having read the first book, I was expecting some sort of secret to pop out (idk why I’m saying this I don’t even remember if there was a secret in the first book, I think there wasn’t).
But hey, I like blake. I want to hear his songs. Not that familiar with autistic themes, but the ones brought up in the book are not really something totally new, but I did learn a few new things.
The mother is interesting, and I could see how her actions would make sense. And having the father to help mediate is good, so was the psychiatrist. And so is Emily. The way that Emily belongs in this dysfunctional family is interesting; she's as much a part of it as she is apart of it.
Tristan and Miles are likeable characters. So was Sophie. I appreciated the effort in trying to break down typical american high school stereotypes, but why is it even needed in the first place? Like, I don't get the mention of the hierarchy again and again in YA books.
So my epiphany then was the whole "DO good/wholesome/perfect families exist?". I’ve been wondering about that ever since I read a book about a seemingly perfect family (forgot the title), and the conversations I’ve had about this goes almost as circular as the ones I’ve had on true knowledge (is what we know even concrete?) which is beside the point.
Basically, I really, really, really enjoyed reading the book. Maybe that's why it felt like it ended too fast :( or maybe it was the ending :( I REALLY WANTED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED WHEN OLIVIA CAME IN I WAS SO ANGRY WHEN IT JUST.. ENDED. Broke my heart, it did. Even her first day would have been a sweet treat. Sigh.
Sixteen-year-old Emily starts the story with a monumental step; she jogs right into the nearest high school and asks for an application form behind her mother's back. It's clear from beginning on that her family is not exactly ordinary--her mother has major social-phobia issues (really, she's certifiable) and Emily's younger sister, Olivia, is autistic. But this isn't the story of how Emily gains courage to break free of her isolated, home schooled life. This story covers the next step: what ripples her actions create and how she deals with them.
This is a heart warming, enjoyable story. Emily's act of bravery immediately demands sympathy, and her loving personality doesn't let the reader go. She forces herself to embrace a new life, but at the same time, is unsure how to really pull it through. When things seem too much, she runs. Literally. This sudden, somewhat insane reaction gave a great twist to her otherwise pretty level-headed personality. It makes her realistic. After all, who could lead such an insanely isolated life and come out completely 'normal'?
The school scenes are well-done, making it easy to get lost in Emily's world. The dialogue is realistic and the other characters are likable. There's a sweet romance and a lot of confusion, perfect for this age group.
Probably one of the most driving things about this story is the weaving in of people with different outlooks on life and/or challenges. Not only are Emily's mother and sister portrayed with different challenges, but the people Emily meets at school don't fit in the normal, perfect high school image. Although I found this array of characters almost too colorful , the author manages to weave them together so that it never really feels like it goes over-board. Obviously, there's a lot of issues with acceptance, fitting in and learning to embrace ones self. In other words, great themes for teens.
Summed up, this is an enjoyable read. I can especially recommend it to teenage girls who like real life stories about high school with a nice dab of boys and first-love thrown in.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Another great coming-of-age and coming-to-terms-with-your-life story from Kate Scott, author of Counting to D. 16 year old Emily makes the momentous decision to defy her agoraphobic mother and attend the local high school. Once she gets there she discovers that none of her mother's fears are real: no mean cheerleaders or obnoxious jocks in this school. Instead, Kate Scott creates a school full of real people, people who have many aspects to their personalities. The smartest girl in the school can't read. The perky cheerleader really is nice, and would love some help with her science class. Emily discovers that although people are friendly, she has no idea how to make a friend or how to be a friend. Some slightly mature activity makes this book a high school pick. This review is based on an ARC provided to me by the author.
Another great coming-of-age and coming-to-terms-with-your-life story from Kate Scott, author of Counting to D. 16 year old Emily makes the momentous decision to defy her agoraphobic mother and attend the local high school. Once she gets there she discovers that none of her mother's fears are real: no mean cheerleader or obnoxious jock stereotypes in this school. Instead, Kate Scott creates a school full of real people who have many aspects to their personalities. The smartest girl in the school can't read. The perky cheerleader really is nice, and would love some help with her science class. Emily discovers that although people are friendly, she has no idea how to make a friend or how to be a friend. Some slightly mature activity makes this book a high school pick.
The Evolution of Emily has a protagonist who has a lot on her plate—an overprotective mother who believes in homeschooling, an autistic sister, and a world of friends and cute boys at her new school. I liked the metaphor of her as a runner, not just in exercising, but as a person running towards independence and a new life. This is the type of writing that feels light but has deep issues. Emily is a character to root for and I enjoyed being in her world for a few hours.
Just within the first chapter I'm already loving Emily and her want for more. I can tell she's a brave lady. It feels good to read about a quiet main character. There isn't many of them in YA fiction. Her writing style is reflected.
I felt as though that Olivia was the main character, as well. And how could I forget Sam (from the first book)? It was great to be able to catch up with her on her life after the book.
Kate Scott is back at Kennedy High with more characters for you to fall in love with--and many familiar ones from her debut COUNTING TO D. I liked this book even better than the first, and found Emily's struggle incredibly relatable. Kate's use of Emily's love for running as a metaphor for her tendency for running away from difficulties weaves through the book and pulls it together into a book that is fun to read, yet also tackles some deep issues.
Emily transfers to a large public high school after a life time of homeschooling with an agoraphobic mother and an autistic sister. Finding friendship and romance, pushes her family in many ways--like it or not.
Fast read, with an enjoyable cast of supporting characters. Recommended for fans of contemporary/realistic YA, ladies supporting ladies, or family drama.
I really enjoyed this book it has a lot of great characters and kept me engage in the story. For a YA novel it was really well written and a good length.
Emily is believable and her journey is an important one. Her helicopter mom (a very extreme version) has kept her in homeschooling but Emily wants to change that. I like smart girl protagonists who aren't perfect, but worthy of rooting for! Looking forward to the next one from Kate Scott!
"4 out of 5 stars! Emily's life has been within the confines of her home. With a mother who fears the outside world and a younger sister with her own special needs, Emily is very lonely. Her only reprieve from her everyday life is running. During one of her running excursions, she runs by the local high school and decides to get paperwork to enroll. After convincing her father that going to high school is what she needs, she begins her new school year that fall. Now Emily is faced with her greatest dream and biggest fear ... socialization. Will it all turn out the way she hopes? Can her family come to terms with the life changes she's throwing their way? And is the cute guy on the cross-country team everything she believes he is?
This was a uniquely intense YA romance that makes the readers think, helps them learn, and gets them addicted to its inspiring characters. I was truly surprised by the direction this novel played out but I couldn't have been happier with its outcome!"
The book was a cute story and I was immediately drawn to Emily's voice. Emily's journey from super sheltered home schooled kid to better adjusted teen was engaging. It's a great YA coming of age with romance thrown in. Didn't love the steaminess of her relationship with Austin and think the story would have been stronger if it had been toned down a bit. There were also major formatting errors with the drop caps at the beginning of the chapter that wore on my nerves the more I read.
Overall a decent YA read, though I think it would be better enjoyed by teens than adults.