A Twist in the Story

by Sophia Olson

After living a horrid past full of torment and depression, Adelaide Cooper ended up on the streets of D.C., letting herself get sucked into the world of drugs and alcohol, in fear that nothing would get better.

One unusual day a stranger decided to give her a chance. There was just something about Nathan Ashby’s charming smile and welcoming attitude that let Adelaide trust him.

What started as a simple act of kindness soon turned into a romance that neither one of them would forget.

254 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2014

About the author

Sophia Olson is a retired fiction novelist currently residing in Oregon as a college student.

Reviews

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Some people just care too much.”

3 1/2 stars. What an unexpected, heart wrenching, and truly wonderful book this turned out to be! The writing was gripping and made me feel like I had to know what was going to happen next. I literally could not put this book down.

The plot was well-executed, intriguing, and very mysterious. At first glance, this is just another contemporary romance/realistic fiction story. But once I got reading, I realized it was anything but. There are tons of hidden layers and themes going on that you won't normally find in the average young adult contemporary novel.

The story opens by describing the main character, Adelaide, as a dark-haired, pale-skinned girl who is wandering the streets of Washington, D.C. for she has no place she can call home. After she stops in an alley to sleep for the night a stranger stumbles upon her and takes pity on her. Nathan decides to show Adelaide one of the first acts of kindness anyone has ever bestowed upon her in her life.

Nathan and Adelaide had one of the most realistic, healthy relationships I've ever read in a young adult book. The way they were portrayed really made me sit back and realize that so many romances in books aimed at teens are so fake and absolutely ridiculous if you just take the time to compare them to real life.

Nathan and Adelaide joked with each other and they actually did more talking than kissing! (Such a shocker for a YA novel, I know.) They also respected each other by not crossing one another's boundaries. For example, Nathan knew Adelaide didn't like to talk about her horrible past so he didn't badger her with questions about it.

“I’m sorry if I made you mad or sad—” Adelaide began, but Nathan cut her off, holding up his hand.
“No, it’s absolutely okay,” he reassured. “You are human and you have feelings. I may not understand them, but you do.”

They supported and comforted one another through thick and thin and there were some scenes that were just plain adorable. The bookstore one was definitely an "aww" moment. Although there was this one weird instance:

“This is my first date ever,” she admitted, not able to meet his eyes.
“Seriously? Like no Valentines or anything?” Nathan asked.
“Nope. You sound surprised.” Adelaide finally looked up, a slight blush to her cheeks.
“I am. You’re very pretty and I am absolutely shocked that guys aren’t crawling all over you,” Nathan said.
Adelaide chuckled and blushed. “Thank you,” she said.

Um, I'm not sure that was a compliment, darling. I, for one, wouldn't want guys crawling all over me.

Though the romance was wonderfully written, my biggest surprise was the humor. I expected sadness, dark themes, and maybe even a scene that would make me cry, for sure. What I didn't expect was for it to be so stinking funny. I loved the characters' quirky personalities that made me laugh so much. When Adelaide told off the sexist waiter at the restaurant I cracked up so hard.

Adelaide was freaking awesome. She had this quiet confidence with herself and wouldn't let anyone else deter her from what she thought was right—not to mention her hilarious, sarcastic personality. Adelaide stuck up for herself when everyone else was trying to put her down, she was sweet to Nathan, and she didn't obsess over how he looked.

Oh, Nathan. That dear boy was such a loving and truly kind person while still so obviously being a teenage boy who played video games, consumed a crazy amount of food, and enjoyed spending time with his girlfriend.

I have showered this book with nothing but praise so far, so you may be wondering why I only gave it three and a half stars instead of a full four-star rating. I will address that reason now, which basically boils down to one thing: the editing.

First, I want to make it clear that this is not the author's fault. It's too bad for her that she didn't hire a better editor, though. To clue you in:

“Listen, buddy. I think your nice and all, but everyone I knew or ever loved has gotten hurt in some way, so I’m better off alone.” Adelaide finally said to him.

I believe that should be you're and there should be a comma after "alone." These are basic editing mistakes. But if you can get past all the typos—which I did—the story is really good.

A couple other problems I had were:

1) I thought Adelaide got over her drug and cigarette addiction too quickly (although I wouldn't be an expert in that field).

2) The characters acted younger than nineteen—Nathan acted about sixteen, and Adelaide fourteen or fifteen.

I think the best way to describe this book is messy and awkward and totally gorgeous. It was super sweet, fun-loving, and intimate. I loved how the author superbly managed to avoid YA clichés, but most importantly, created a rarely realistic romance between two young people that could actually happen in real life and was the exact opposite of something you'd find in a Hollywood movie.

The ending turned into a dramatic and emotional flood which tore my heart apart and stomped on the pieces. It was devastatingly tragic. To traumatize the readers even more, in the Trivia About the Novel at the back of the book, the author wrote: Did I even for a second consider a happy ending? Nope.

There was this brief little comment Adelaide made that I absolutely loved and had to include:

“Adelaide look down at herself. Compared to Serena’s thinness, she had filled out a tad, but she would rather be curvy than ultra skinny, and that was okay.”

I have nothing against thin people, I just think super-skinny girls is something the media promotes a little extremely. So thumbs up to the author for adding a little diversity!

This book left a lingering trace of itself on my heart and will continue to haunt me for a long while. It really was an extraordinary, self-published debut with a unique narrator while also being a mysterious contemporary romance. You should give it a try.

[Kelly Prososki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, oh my Adelaide. This book left me sobbing. The author writes in such a way that you can feel what the characters are feeling. I can't tell you how many times my heart rate skyrocketed with Adelaide's or Nathan's, I sobbed with Nathan, I worried with Adelaide. This was amazing.. I just... wow. You go Sophie!

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my book, I wrote it! I'm just adding it to get it out there. All feedback is appreciated!


Also, I am terribly, terribly sorry for the editing. There are a few issues in the book but I will eventually go through and edit it myself and get that out there too. I apologize for if the editing caused you to think less of the book.
Long story short, I will not be hiring that editor again, but I still hope you enjoy the book itself.

Also, a few people have pointed out to me that there seemingly was a direct quote used from "The Fault in our Stars" (the famous Okay? Okay thing) and I just want to say as the author that that was unintentional, and I only really noticed after the book was published.

If you have any questions and/or comments about anything (the editing for instance) stop by my website and you can send me an email. http://sophiaolson.webnode.com

ALSOOOoOooooOOOoo. (I'm just putting stuff in here because I don't know where else to post it)
People have also said that Adelaide and Nathan did/do not act their age, and I am well aware of that :) I wanted them to be old enough to be (Adults) and out on their own, but not so old that they should be expecting grandkids, but at the same time I wanted them to be young enough for YA readers to relate to. I hope that helps or gives you some more insight on the book! :)