The Ugly Tree

by Tamara Lyon

Considering Cane Kallevik's rocky start, her life has been normal under the watchful eye of Grandma Betty. When shes not running five miles at a crack, shes riding her bike around the rural farming town of Savage, Illinois and engaging in a secret warfare with her former best friend, Mikayla Atwood. The biggest thorn in her side is Jenny Ryanne Schaeffer, her employer, who Cane has nicknamed Jelly Roll. When Justice Price, Jelly Rolls gorgeous, older nephew rolls into town, Cane is convinced that their age difference is a minor inconvenience.
After a disasterous tornado, Cane's house is destroyed, and Grandma Betty is in a coma. Out of necessity, Cane moves in with the Schaeffer family and spends the summer falling in love with Justice, keeping vigil at Grandma Bettys side, fighting with Jelly Roll, walking a fine line between love and hate with Mikayla, and discovering scandalous secrets about Mikaylas mother, Annette. Cane endures a summer of waiting, loving, and longing. In a dramatic conclusion her world literally goes up in flames, but instead of losing everything, she finds exactly what shes looking for in the most unexpected way.

230 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Post-Traumatic Brazilian Wax Syndrome (May 2015 release) is loosely inspired by an unfortunate, painful event that occurred three years ago and is critically acclaimed author Tamara Lyon’s sixth novel. Her previous works include The Ugly Tree series, a Flamingnet Top Choice Award winner, 2011 Next Generation Indie Finalist, Eric Hoffer Finalist, and Midwest Book Award Finalist. In 2010 her novel, Fixing Forever Broken, earned an IPPY Award for romance. Lyon has taken her recent books in a decidedly chick-lit direction and creates characters and stories that are refreshingly and humorously real. She makes her home in Wisconsin with her talented husband, cycling-superstar son, and counter-surfing golden retriever, Macy.

Reviews

[Debbie]

"On the night that I was born, the circle of life sucker punched my family in the face. Grandma Betty stepped up to the plate, and out of her iron will to make lemonade out of lemons, she named me Cane, claiming it was because I was as sweet as sugar."

A compelling beautiful coming of age story, this book deserves much more reviews than it currently has. This is a story of Cane, a girl who is trying to survive her life without a father and mother. With just her Grandma Betty, Cane is devastated when the old woman is hurt in a tornado and is in a coma. The summer stretches on and Cane has to live with a woman who hates her but Cane can't figure out why. On top of all this, her ex best friend and her are still waging wars on each other. This is a coming of age story but not a typical one at all.

"My past is ugly and beautiful and my future, nothing but risky, defiant hope"

So many great quotes in this novel to share. Pick this book up. I promise you won't regret it. This first book touched my soul, I can't wait to read more of this series.
Stay tuned for my full series review when I get through with all these beautifully written novels.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I met this author's parents on a tour my husband and I took of the southwest national parks. They, and the couple they were traveling with, are all avid readers, and I had a lot of fun discussing books with them. They recommended I read Tamara Lyon's books (she has written six). I started with this one because it was the first in a series of three. It is a coming-of-age tale in which the female protagonist, Cane, age almost-sixteen, falls deeply in love with Justice, a young man five years her senior. He is drawn to her, but recognizes the age difference is a problem. Other complications deepen the story--the accident that killed Cane's parents and for which she feels responsible, a tornado that destroys part of the town and seriously injures Cane's grandmother/guardian, and an ongoing feud with her best friend. I was very entertained by the story. The characters are interesting, and the book was paced well, keeping me turning the pages. I plan to read the others in the series as well.

[Jessi Dazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought that Tamara Lyon did a beautiful job of writing the scenes in a way that makes the reader feel present and part of what was happening. It was entertaining and kept me reading to find out how everything would work out in the end.

I found the main character, Cane, to be spunky and believable. She has a lot of hardships to deal with and is a bit of a loner with an unconventional family life since she lives with just her loveable grandmother. It was entertaining to read about her battles with her ex-best friend and when life got serious I found myself really wanting things to work out well for her and her grandmother. The romantic plot line was especially unique because of the age difference and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with that in the sequel, Cane’s Justice.

This was a book that didn’t take me much time to read since it was pretty hard to put down and I’m looking forward to starting the sequel soon!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I was a little backwards and read Book 2, then 3, and last (1). It was very interesting to read how Cane's character had progressed through the entire series. I don't regret my backwards reading at all, it was great to see how all the pieces fell together. Two thumbs up, and I definitely recommend.

[Joanna Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings back all the angst of the early teen years when you can’t understand why others don’t see you as a capable adult. Cane is one of those characters that stays with you long after your finish the book.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great beach read

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent!!!!!

[Victoria Hyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[Nicole Mckernan-mccluskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! Quick read too! It sucks you in