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Tracy B. (New Castle, DE)
Safe With Me
The story is an interesting look at both sides of organ donation. Maddie the teen whose life was saved struggles to be part of the real world. Life in the mansion was safe for her, but not for her mother. Hannah the mother of Emily, the of the girl who died, struggles with her grief.
Both Maddie Bell and Hannah struggle with the WHY ME question. How these families meet each other and the relationship that follows is a combination of friendship, hope, deception and fear.
The characters were well developed and the story a compelling one.
Barbara B. (Alta Loma, CA)
Who Is Me?
From the first page, this book is a real page turner. I read it non stop on a flight from LA to Chicago. Besides being exciting, it also brings up some serious subjects, such as, grief, organ donation, how an organ recipient feels emotionally after the transplant takes place, domestic violence & abuse , & finally something we can all relate to-friendship. I can understand where some readers may find it difficult to read, but these are things we deal with in our society. For this reason, I feel as though this book would be a wonderful book club selection. There is just so much to discuss. Hannah, Maddie & Olivia need each other to be safe.
The characters seem to be real & likable. I especially liked Noah,a true friend.
Jill S. (Eagle, ID)
Safe with me
This is an emotional, gripping story. It deals with so many social issues--loss of a child, abandonment, domestic violence, and organ donation. Some of these issues were dealt with well in the book, and others were not very realistic. As a result, that's why I gave it 4 stars.
It's a quick read, and I found myself in tears throughout this story. Overall, it's a good read, and I'll recommend it.
Patricia L. (Seward, AK)
Stay with Safe with Me
Safe With Me begins slowly. The first eighty pages are slightly tedious, especially one long paragraph detailing how to play Zombie Wars. A grieving mother donates her daughter's organs after a fatal accident. A year later she thinks she has met the girl who is a recipient and seeks to confirm her suspicions. While there are some improbable relationships, viewed with skepticism initially, they are easily dismissed as the plot develops. Once the settings and characters become familiar the atmosphere charges and the drama of family dysfunction and abuse unravels with chaotic suspense. In the end, Hatvany takes sorrow, grief, abuse, self-respect and acceptance and blends them into a fast paced study of perceptions and reality. This book is recommended for those seeking a suspenseful yet contemplative week-end read.
Ann S. (Shenandoah, IA)
Safe With Me
Two important topics - one treated very well; the other not as well. Safe with me is a good read. It does remind me to a degree of Jodi Picoult in that the author focuses on current social problems. I thought her handling of the organ donation issue was very well done. Unfortunately, I don't feel her handling of domestic violence was as well done.
Lynn W. (Calabash, NC)
Safe With Me
Although this was a bit of a tear jerker, I really did enjoy it. As a mother I think it was possible to relate to most of the storyline. It's a quick read, but not a light one.
Penny P. (Santa Barbara, CA)
A quick read
I sat down and read this book in a day. It was good for a quick read. I think it dealt with a lot of relevant topics such a losing a child, abuse, family dysfunction, fear of relationships and organ donation. To me, the most well developed character was Maddie, maybe because she was the only character written in first person. I did like the way the two stories crossed. I thought the book was an enjoyable read but I don't think I will recommend it to my book club since these days; everyone wants to read something truly memorable.
Judy M. (East Haven, CT)
Safe With Me
This book started with a bang, and left me in tears within the first few pages. Ultimately, it was a good read, and a quick read (which I do sometimes enjoy)
he book touched on so many great thought provoking topics, relationships, death, transplants ,and most importantly (to me) organ donation.
What I found was that I felt it dealt with too many things, making all of them seem less interesting to me.
Although the book tied everything together in the end, I felt like I saw it coming in about the first half. That left me without a suspense factor.
I also did not love the character's in the book, or their relationships.
So, I did give it a GOOD READ status, but for me it was so-so.