Daphne Da Silva’s Reviews > When Smiles Fade > Status Update

Overall, this book was a great book. I really enjoyed it because it showed how two girls under age got beat up and were abused everyday. Their mom was a bystander and didn't do anything but just look and watch the girls suffer. The girls met others that suffered from problems like theirs but different. People may be different but may have similar problems. I really enjoyed this book even though it is really sad.

Emma doesn't care about other things. She cares about what she wants to do meaning she wants to reach her goals.
1.)"She didn’t care what obstacles she had to overcome to achieve her goal; Emma was determined to make Jay love her and Brianna. They would learn how to work the crowd, no matter what it took."
This shows that they are concentrated and wants to aim their goals and dreams. NEVER SAY NEVER. NEVER STOP!

So far, this book has been awesome! The girls have moved out, Emma killed Jake (the pervert) and Emma is getting stronger. Grace got raped by 3 boys she met. They went to the hospital and she was okay. Emma and Briana found a job and they feel like they are home. They need money to survive and they want to rent an apartment.
1.)"Emma felt comfortable and could see herself easily fitting into this life... =>"

Into this life. Looking around the dressing room, Emma sensed that the other dancers were similar to her. They went about doing what needed to be done, but something deep inside each of them had been stolen. For the first time in her life, Emma felt as if she was where she belonged."
This shows that Emma feels like she is actually worth anything and that its not only her that feels the way that she does... =>

I think that Emma is having more confidence and growing to being stronger. Based one the text, Emma realizes that others are alike and she's not the only one who appears to be the way she is. I think that Emma should keep on going and keep on growing stronger because she will get he dreams. She's taking her path to her dreams and wishes. Her 2 so called "Fathers" are both dead and she has FREEDOM to do things her way

Emma ended up killing her dad by putting rat poison on his food everyday because she couldn't take all the beatings anymore. When her dad died, Valerie, the mom, came with a man in the house. She had been secretly dating him for 6 months. The man is abusive too but he is perverted and doesn't like Gracie, the younger sister, but he likes the older sister.
1.)"As she removed the container from the bag, she..." =>

"she noticed the skull and crossbones that accompanied the warning on the label. Underneath the image was the word, “TOXIC.” For the first time in her life, Emma felt a surge of pure power sweep over her. She read through all of the warnings on the label and grew more delighted by the minute. She knew then that God was finally answering her prayers. The information on the container said FATAL"
This shows that... =

This shows that she really wanted to kill her dad. Another example the text states is, "Over the next week, Emma fed her father large doses of rat poison every day. Slowly, he started showing signs that the poison was taking an effect on his body. It began with uncontrollable nosebleeds. Halfway into the second week, and to add to his horror, his gums began to bleed, then blood on the stools." This shows that... =>

Emma's and Gracie's dreams are actually coming true and as the book keeps on going on, the father dies because of the rat poison.

Now they have to deal with the "new man" in the house that the mother has been dating secretly for 6 months. The "new man" is a pervert and he should go to jail because of that. There is also a part that states that he works for the police and things like that...

The chapter I read was about the negihbor confronting the the father of Emma and Gracie saying that he needs to stop beating them or else she will tell her 3 sons to beat him up or she will call the cops on him and how Emma got confident since Mrs, Tisdale died.
1.) "What I need is for you to keep your goddman hands off that child of yours! She doesn't know I'm here and if I find out that you laid one finger.." =>