In the Wind by Lillianna Anderson---A Review

SYNOPSIS:

A storm raged the day she moved to our small town on the east coast of Australia. When we saw her, she was staring up at the sky with her arms outstretched, letting the torrential rain pour down on her as she laughed and spun around with absolute abandonment. Zeke and I watched her, mesmerised, until she spotted us and went still. It was that moment that everything changed for us. Up until that moment, Zeke and I were best friends - it was all we'd ever been, even though I’d always wanted more. Shea changed all that when she moved into the house next door.
If there was such a thing as magic then Shea held its source. She was light and laughter and everything everyone ever wished they could be. We were spellbound. Awestruck. Desperate to bathe in her light.
She would teach us about life. She would show us what was really inside our hearts, while forcing us to see the world through her free-spirited eyes.
She would teach us about love.
She would teach us about heartache.
She would teach us about loss on the day she disappeared...


She always said that one day she'd follow the wind again. Perhaps that's what happened, perhaps that's where she went - in the wind... 

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE:

In the Wind by Lillianna Anderson has virtually left me speechless.   I have read Anderson's work before and I enjoyed the romantic reads.   But In the Wind provided more than just romance.

It was a coming of age story with a lot of different treacheries within it.   Dawn was the main character and she suffered the same fate many teens do----she wasn't accepted and so she rebelled and became as positively different and unique as a girl could get.     Her best friend had been that one friend since they were small and then it happened.    Hormones appeared and the best friend became a desirable guy in Dawn's eyes, but she couldn't share that info with him because her own self image suffered to such a low extreme.     Then when the beautiful neighbor moved in all kinds of challenges occurred.    Did Shea feel attracted to Zeke?    He certainly was drawn to her.    Or was Shea a quirky girl who liked girls ...like Dawn?    This only scared and enthralled Dawn at the same time and she called her own sexuality into question.    There was teen age drinking, drugging and sex on the rampage.   There was adult-daughter sex abuse and mental status was questioned.    Questions of abandonment and betrayal roused angst and reflections.     This dealt with many many issues and the sexual content was quite explicit.

Every bit and piece contributed to the suspense and the sorrow that three teens brought upon themselves and upon each other as they struggled to survive being a teen.   And those who were responsible for them as kids, weren't the best qualified to lead nor guide them  through to adulthood.

It is purely and simply human nature to hold onto the tiniest grain of hope and this story had plenty of heart blended in that hope.   It was romance, it was angst, it was tense, and it was mind blowing....all rolled into one book.

I rated it a four wink read!

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  I received a copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.