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I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sam's finally starting to get her life under control in her junior year of high school, after all she's finally been accepted to join the Sherpas, the most popular girls in school. Her best friend, Madison, who put in a good word to get her into the Sherpas in the first place, has made it her mission to find a boyfriend for Sam. Things get complicated when Sam realizes that her new boyfriend, Zach, grew up Amish has chosen not to end his Rumspringa possibly bringing complete shunning from his family. Of course, Sam's friends can't help but torment her about all of this. Sam's carefully constructed world begins to collapse due to cyberbullying, never coming to terms with her parents' divorce, and Zach's apparent return to the Amish community. As a result she return to her old shoplifting habits. I mean, does she even want friends like the Sherpas anymore and will Zach find his way back to her?
As soon as I saw this YA Contemporary, I knew I wanted to try it. I mean, when's the last time you saw a mainstream YA Contemporary featuring the Amish? I live in rural central Ohio, not too far from Amish country, and it's always interesting to visit the area. I have to admit that I particularly liked how the Dodds explores Amish culture and religion in Amish Guys Don't Call. In fact, Zach is easily my favorite character in the novel and I really enjoyed following his journey over the course of the story. However, I just wish Sam didn't have to spend 49% of the novel wondering what Zach's deal was since she didn't realize he's Amish until half of the book has gone by. Personally, I thought that made her kind of foolish since there are so many hints aside from the fact that the story is set in Lancaster, PA. Actually, I think the summary and the title give a way a little too much, and I wasn't surprised by any of the turns in the novel. I may have preferred to see this story told from both the perspectives of Sam and Zach. My favorite thing about Sam is just how big of a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel she is. Now, if only her mother and friends weren't so terrible and useless.
I read this eARC from June 7 - 8, 2017 and my review is also available on Goodreads.
Not perfect, but a cute debut from Dodds. There were parts I loved to shreds, and parts I could have done without, but overall, I was entertained, and I really liked Zach.
ReplyDeleteSam @ WLABB
Agreed - Zach really made the story for me! :)
DeleteThis sounds really interesting! I've only read one book about the Amish (A World Away) and ever since I read it, I've been wanting to learn more about the Amish culture. While it sounds like this book could have done a better job with the whole 'immerse the reader in a new culture' bit, I still think it'd be an interesting read. Lovely review, Lauren!
ReplyDeleteLaura @BlueEyeBooks
The author does a good job of working in Amish culture considering that character is leaving that lifestyle. Thanks for coming over, Laura. I'd definitely be interested to hear what you think of it.
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