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Growing Up Little Reviews
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ROMANCE JUNKIES REVIEW Title: Growing up Little Category: Contemporary Reviewer: Belle Rouge Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press Release Date: May 2006 Blue Ribbon Rating: 5 Content Editor: Jessica McCurdy Crooks On Nikki Braedan’s sixteenth birthday, her parents announced that they were moving. They had no plans to take Nikki with them. The only time Nikki’s parents had ever paid any attention to her was when they wanted a punching bag. They never cared for her and they never let her forget that she was an unwanted surprise. Jake, Nikki’s twenty-two-year-old brother, stepped up to take care of her just like he always had. The two of them moved in with Jake’s best friend, Charlie. Jake grew up hard as nails. The only love he ever knew was from Little, his affectionate nickname for Nikki. In trying to protect her, she is exposed to a side of life that she’s not ready for. When trouble between Jake and an old enemy spills over onto Nikki, she is hurt and terrified. Nikki finds her confidence and ability to trust destroyed. She has always relied on Jake. Now she is too scared to make a move without him. Jake has to convince Little that things will be all right and that she won’t ever lose him. But Charlie’s the one that teaches her that growing up is worth the struggle. GROWING UP LITTLE is one of those rare books that hold you spellbound from beginning to end. Lauren N. Sharman paints a vivid picture of a bittersweet time in Nikki’s life. Nikki shouts for the reader to care for her, to cheer for her to find a happy ending. The emotional connection between the main characters is a deep and true example of what love is meant to be at it’s finest. Although the romantic elements of this story aren’t seen until near the end, they are more realistic because of the wait. Jake’s love and tenderness for his sister Nikki show us all what we hope for in out own families, a solid and binding relationship. Charlie has never known what it was like to have a family of his own. When he meets Jake in fifth grade, he not only gets a best friend but a family. Charlie is the type to think before he acts and provides a good counter to Jake’s act before thinking personality. Then there is Nikki. Nikki has so much love to give, but was taught early by her parents to fear giving that love. She is sweet and, for Jake and Charlie, represents hope and love. Nikki, Charlie and Jake quickly learn that they can face any problem by leaning on each other, together they are unbeatable. Ms. Sharman has written a beautiful story that will have the reader hoping that Nikki will find her way to a happily ever after. This book is one that I will recommend for a long time to come. GROWING UP LITTLE has certainly earned a place of honor on my keeper shelf. Snippet: For Nikki’s sixteenth birthday her parents abandon her. Nikki moves in with her 22-year-old brother, Jake and his best friend Charlie. These two know more about hustling pool than high school Algebra. Looks like the next few years are going to be wild.
FALLEN ANGELS REVIEW Title: Growing Up Little Nikki’s life is changing too rapidly for her to keep up, but the changes are somewhat comforting and welcome. Her abusive parents have never wanted her, never appreciated or encouraged her; instead, her brother Jake, who calls her “Little”, has always been there for her. When her parents decide to move to another state, Nikki is left under Jake’s protection. Jake is a wild one, but is the only person who really cares for Nikki, and only wants the best for her. Jake and his best friend, Charlie, move in together and take over Nikki’s care, acting more like parents to her than hers every did. Jake does his best, but the only real money to be made is in running drugs, and so he does that from time to time on the side. This inadvertently involves Nikki in a dangerous turf war with a guy named Bret, who will stop at nothing to lash out at Jake. They continue in the endless cycle of partying, drugs, alcohol and the band lifestyle, but Jake and Charlie protect Nikki from the brunt of it. Nikki comes face to face with the harsh realities of life and death, and must grow up fast. Like always, though, things are destined to change, though, and they do... Growing Up Little is a coming-of-age story about the family you make for yourself when yours isn’t what you need. I was drawn into the plot and felt a definite sympathy for the characters’ plight, even as I rejoiced with them over the support structure they created for themselves. The theme of this tale is family, and, while unorthodox, Nikki, Jake and Charlie are definitely a unit. The relationships set forth here are complex and multi-layered, and readers will love the emotional punch of Growing Up Little. Providing a realistic and gritty look at life, Growing Up Little is a gem of a story, and proves that you can make a life out of the tatters of a bad childhood.
COFFEE TIME ROMANCE REVIEW GROWING UP LITTLE LAUREN N. SHARMAN ISBN # (E-book) 1-59374-472-2 (Paperback) 1-59374-471-4 May 2006 Whiskey Creek Press www.whiskeycreekpress.com Mainstream Fiction Rating: 5 “My life changed forever on my sixteenth birthday.” Nikki Braedon, never wanted from birth is abandoned by her parents on that very day and taken in by the only two people that have given a care about her. Life, never easy for her from the day she was born, has the potential to become even harder until her brother and his best friend make the decision to finish raising her until she of legal age. Jake Braedon, Nikki’s brother and his best friend Charlie Griffin decide on her sixteenth birthday enough has been done to Nikki and they move her in with them. It becomes an easy decision with hard consequences, but Nikki is just as much their world as they are to her. Older, more street wise and determined to make her life easier, Jake and Charlie set about to give her a better life. Nothing comes easy for any of them. They struggle through everything life throws at them. Jake and Charlie are not saints and their troubles inevitably trickle down to Nikki, but their protective streaks keep her as safe as she can be in their world. They give her the basic necessities of life, but moreover, they give her the love and care they know she deserves. This story is told through Nikki’s eyes and her perspective is gritty, raw and real. You get the sense you know these characters, they live in your neighborhood, they struggle through the same issues you do. Good, bad and ugly, this tale takes you through it all and in the end, leaves you smiling contentedly and feeling things will be okay. Put this one on your must read list. Charissa Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books
LIGHTHOUSE LITERARY REVIEWS FIVE BEACON REVIEW FOR GROWING UP LITTLEEver since the day that Nikki Braedon was born her parents never wanted Her only other choice is to be turned into Social Services or go live with
I could feel Nikki’s pain, her trepidation for not feeling like she belonged.
Once I started reading, I could not put the book down. This is one
Reviewed by: Linda Copyright 2003-2011 Lauren N. Sharman. All rights reserved. |