"How It Ends" -- Blog Tour

How It Ends
By: Laura Weiss
Published by: MTV Books (Simon & Schuster)
Available: August 4. 2009
Pages: 304
Young Adult to Adult

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About "How It Ends"
(taken from Laura's Web Site)

All Hanna's wanted since sophomore year is Seth. She's gone out with other guys, even gained a rep for being a flirt, all the while hoping cool, guitar-playing Seth will choose her. Then she gets him – but their relationship is hurtful, stormy and critical, not at all what Hanna thinks a perfect love should be.

Bewildered by Seth's treatment of her and in need of understanding, Hanna decides to fulfill her school's community service requirement by spending time with Helen, her terminally ill neighbor, who she's turned to for comfort and wisdom throughout her life. But illness has changed Helen into someone Hanna hardly knows, and her home is not the refuge it once was.

Feeling more alone than ever, Hanna gets drawn into an audio book the older woman is listening to, a fierce, unsettling love story of passion, sacrifice and devotion. Hanna's fascinated by the idea that such all-encompassing love can truly exist, and without even realizing it, the story begins to change her.

Until the day when the story becomes all too real...and Hanna's world is spun off its axis by its shattering irrevocable conclusion.

My thoughts:

Hannah is the apple of her neighbor Helen's eye. From a very young age she practically brought her up. Helen is much more than a neighbor to Hannah, she's more like a beloved grandmother. And so the story is set. Hannah is your typical teenager. She's fun, full of spunk,energy and most of all, kindness. Of course at times, you can see Hannah's rebellious side and angst. And as Hannah gets older and grows older, you can see that she's still Helen's whole world. Unfortunately, Hannah makes Seth the focus of hers. Hannah's determined to make Seth her very own, and we as readers. get to enjoy the laugh out loud memories of growing up and being in "love" with a boy!

Also, as with most teenagers, their time for the adults in their life becomes less and less as they try to venture out more and more on their own. I couldn't help but cheer on Hannah as she did the things that made her smile and then cry with a broken -heart of my very own when she was sad or lost. It's at this point of the story that we learn that Helen has a dark past and a very deep secret that she's kept from Hannah. It's breaking her heart to watch Hannah grow up distanced and now somewhat 'apart' from her. But yet she understands that the cycle of life usually takes this turn. It becomes Helen's mission to make Hannah understand who she really is.

In the past when Hannah would ask about Helen's life, she would make up beautiful and brilliant stories about a wonderful well-adjusted life. These lies now eat at Helen and she's now determined to make it right. To document all the happenings of her past and let Hannah know the truth.

Author Laura Weiss created characters with such depth and realism that I literally forgot about everything else. I was suddenly lost in their world and needed to know all I could about each one. There were many times when I though I knew what was going to happen and to my surprise, it was not at all the way I thought it would be. Rich in emotion and dialogue, Weiss creates a story that will keep you thinking long after the book has ended. I'm still thinking about Hannah and Helen.

I laughed and I cried and then I cried some more. "How it Ends" would make the PERFECT book club read. There is so much to discuss. I would definitely not categorize this story as a 'light' or 'beach' read and it's just long enough to not make the story too taxing on the reader. You'll love "How It Ends" from page one to page 304.

I haven't read a story this beautifully told in a very long time. Heartwarming and Heartbreaking all inn one. This novel is about 'true' love, what it means and everything that comes along with it. I absolutely loved "How It Ends". Highly recommended!

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That's all for now...Happy Reading!

Kisses ~ XXX