Making Faces

First of all - I highly recommend this book. This book is about: love, healing, pain, friendship, nurturing, kindness, strength and so much more. Without giving too much of the plot away (since there are a few curves in the road of the storyline); basically this is the plot. Fern Taylor is a girl who's 'awkward' period extends all the way through her senior year in high school. Fern is tiny, doesn't have any curves, has crazy hair, crooked teeth, thick glasses, etc. The only thing that she didn't have was severe acne. Fern's BFF and cousin is Bailey Sheen. They have been friends and soul mates since they were born. Bailey has severe muscular dystrophy. Bailey is the heart and soul of this book. He doesn't feel sorry for himself. He inspires people, he makes people laugh in spite of themselves. His internal strength is overwhelmingly amazing. Bailey is the hero that we'd all hope we could be. Ambrose Young is the opposite of Fern in physical appearance. He is tall, sexy, and good looking. He is a leader to his classmates. He is the star of the wrestling team and the whole town follows his matches. Fern has been in love in Ambrose since they were little kids. Ambrose barely acknowledges her existence. The plot continues where Ambrose and Fern cross paths again, where Fern has now blossomed into a beautiful young lady. Without revealing any of the storyline - they become good friends, fall in love and help to heal each other. This book had me smiling in many places, crying in a few and feeling happiness and hope at the end. Even with this roller coaster of emotions, this wasn't a drawn out painful angst-y type of book. It was definitely emotional, but not in a bad way. It was definitely sad in some parts, but not dark. So many things to love about this book. The character development was fantastic. You really got to know the characters and could even see the sad side of Bailey even though he always tried to keep levity in conversations to steer people away from feeling sorry for him. Fern was a rock. She had her own insecurities, but she always stayed honest and true to herself. I loved that about her. Even though she felt that she was not beautiful enough for Ambrose, she never felt sorry for herself and didn't try to make Ambrose throw false flattery her way. Ambrose changes a lot in this book as well. He is so quiet in the beginning, but is able to speak more freely about his feelings because Fern gives him the security of being about to do that. There is another storyline with Fern's friend Rita that is heartbreaking as well, but has a peaceful and happy ending. But it shakes up your heart. Nothing in this book felt contrived nor forced. This book was so well written. Conversations felt real, events felt real, emotions felt real. Dancing in the grocery store with the geeky Fern and Bailey - you can really see them dancing and laughing. They don't care what people think. They are just enjoying life in a positive manner. This book does not have steamy sex scenes and it would not really fit in this book. Am glad that the author focused on the chemistry between Fern and Ambrose and left the rest alone. There is not contrived misunderstandings, nor over reaction with anger, emotions, self-doubt, etc. This is a straightforward book that will make you laugh, cry and find peace at the end. Am guessing that Amy Harmon is a religious person? There is quite a few discussions about God, etc. Quotes from scriptures. It didn't bother me. It didn't try to convert the reader at all. But if you are a devout atheist - it may bother you a bit. The book has a nice sweet, not over the top epilogue - and does end with a happy ending for Fern and Ambrose. There is no cliffhanger. After I finished this book, I raced to my laptop to write my 5-star review to recommend this book. And also to see what other books Amy Harmon has written. Enjoy.

Ambrose Young was beautiful. He was tall and muscular, with hair that touched his shoulders and eyes that burned right through you. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have...until he wasn't beautiful anymore. Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us. ***** Once I started reading Making Faces I couldn't put it down. It captured and pulled me in and there was no stopping it. Amy's writing and story telling is beautiful and heart wrenching. I knew going in that I would be crying but oh my word, I didn't know it would gut me and have me crying so hard that I started laughing. *When I cry hard, like really really hard, I start to laugh not because I find humor in what made me cry it's just that my emotions get that strong.* Ambrose is the star wrestler at his school and home town. When 9/11 happens and Flight 93 goes down not that far from where he lives, he makes the decision to join the military. One night Ambrose and his group of friends goes to see the impact zone. He reveals to them that he is signing up and soon his friends are following him. One day while out on a normal patrol with his friends from back home, something goes terribly wrong and only Ambrose is left alive. *Reading this part of the book is very hard to read because the parents reactions and emotions are so strong and real.* When Ambrose returns back home he keeps to himself. Not allowing visitors and always making sure that when he does venture out, it is during the night so that nobody can see what he has become. One night Fern bumps into Ambrose and from there things change. Fern has had a crush on Ambrose for years. She is not the type to care about looks (even though she does notice how handsome Ambrose is) but one who cares how what is on the inside. She sees and knows the good that is in him. She helps Ambrose to be the person that he use to be by being herself. She first starts by leaving messages on a board and waits for his answer. One day when he writes something that hurts her, she decides to leave him alone and let him be but as always he comes to her rescue and things are good between them. *The messages that they write together are beautiful and witty. One of the best things I loved about this book* Bailey, Ferns cousin and best friend also helps Ambrose come out of his shell. His dream as a child was to become the greatest wrestler that ever lived but that dream was cut short when he was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. Bailey has to be one of my all time favorite characters out of the hundreds of books that I have read so far. He is young but so wise, caring, loving, loyal and so damn hilarious. He doesn't let Ambrose get away with a pity party just because he was injured in a war. Bailey's life is restricted in a wheel chair. He can longer run, walk, reach or grab things like he use to before he was diagnosed but he doesn't let that stop him from living life and enjoying all that it has to offer. For me, Bailey was the story. Yes, what happened to Ambrose was devastating and the relationship between Ambrose and Fern was beautiful to watch but it was Bailey who took the spotlight. Making Faces is so much more than a love story. It's about survival, loyalty and most importantly...friendship. My favorites qoutes are: **“Ambrose Young! I have waited my whole life for you to want me. If you don’t hold me tight I won’t believe you mean it, and that’s worse than never being held at all. You’d better make me believe you mean it, Ambrose, or you will most definitely break me.” “I don’t want to hurt you, Fern” he whispered hoarsely. “Then don’t,” she whispered back, trusting him. ** “True beauty, the kind that doesn't fade or wash off, takes time. It takes incredible endurance. It is the slow drip that creates the stalactite, the shaking of the Earth that creates mountains, the constant pounding of the waves that breaks up the rocks and smooths the rough edges. And from the violence, the furor, the raging of the winds, the roaring of the waters, something better emerges, something that would have otherwise never existed. And so we endure. We have faith that there is purpose. We hope for things we can't see. We believe there are lessons in loss, power in love, and that we have within us the potential for a beauty so magnificent, our bodies can't contain it.” **“Everybody is a main character to someone” **“I wrote your name across my heart So I would not forget. The way I felt when you were born Before we'd even met I wrote your name across my heart So your heart beats with mine And when I miss you most I trace Each loop and every line I wrote your name across my heart, So we could be together So I could hold you close to me And keep you there forever.” **“There are times when you just need to acknowledge the sh*t … You just need to acknowledge it. Face the sh*t … Accept the truth in it. Own it, wallow in it, become one with the sh*t.” **“Nobody or Nowhere? Fern: I'd rather be nobody at home than somebody somewhere else. Ambrose: I'd rather be nowhere. Being nobody when you're expected to be somebody gets old. Fern: How would you know? Have you been nobody? Ambrose: Everybody who is somebody becomes nobody the moment they fail.” **“I would rather be lost with you than alone without you.” **“I keep thinking that maybe you and I could take a road trip and tell all the girls we meet along the way that we’re both vets. You’ve got a messed up face and my war wounds have put me in this chair. You think they’d believe it? Maybe then I could get some action. Problem is, how am I going to get a handful of tit if I can’t lift my arms?” **“You can’t have an animal in here, Sheen.” “I’m in a wheelchair, man. You gonna tell me I can’t have my seeing-eye cat with me? Actually, it can be your seeing-eye cat, since you’re blind and all. One of the perks to being a pathetic figure is that I tend to get what I want.” **“Because terrible things happen to everyone, Brosey. We're all just so caught up in our own crap that we don't see the sh*t everyone else is wading through” Ooookkkaayyyyy.....so I might have gone a little bit overboard with my favorite quotes but I couldn't just choose two or three. Amy Harmon, you have a fan for life. I will be starting A Different Blue shortly and I am hoping that you don't make me cry my own tears again but I think you just might. It's okay. Still fan for life right here.

Review first published on my blog: (...) Making Faces by Amy Harmon Contemporary Romance/New Adult Overall Rating: 4.5 (xoxo) Quick & Dirty summary: Ambrose Young is beautiful, strong, and smart. Fern Taylor knows because she’s loved Ambrose since she was a girl. Fern knows that Ambrose could never love her because she’s too plain with her bright red hair and crooked teeth. Ambrose is Hercules, Superman and the Tin Man all rolled into one, but mostly Ambrose is confused. When he enlists after September 11, he travels to Iraq with his four closest friends, never thinking that he’d be the only one to return. Neither Ambrose nor Fern know how to overcome their insecurities as they try to discover who they are as young adults. I knew going into this book that young men were going to die. They always do in a story about war and it kills me every single time. This time was no different and I openly sobbed with this book. I also enjoyed this book so much that I read it straight through in one day. And I say this as a mother of two with a job outside of the home. Still I spent my late evening into middle of the night reading this book. It’s amazing! What I wasn’t expecting was the tight-knit community the story is set in that deepens the emotion. The way Harmon describes each of Ambrose’s friends make them complex secondary characters. I liked some of them and I disliked some of them, and that’s how 18-20 year old boys are—sometimes they are loveable and sometimes they are jerks. And because they are such vivid characters, their families become alive as extensions of them, and their families are extensions of the community so there is a depth to the sorrow of lost life. Added to that is Fern’s cousin Bailey. Oh my goodness he is such a beautiful character. He really adds so much to this storyline about death and God and justice. After all, how is it fair to take the lives of such beautiful young men? And how can God exist if a great person like Bailey is destined to die in his 20s from a degenerative disease? The parallels of the struggle are illustrative of the major theme that the novel addresses. So why not a 5 star review? This story was so emotional for me that I’m not sure I can read it again. I think I said this about Amy Harmon’s other book I’ve reviewed, The Law of Moses. Additionally, this novel more overtly addresses this larger issue of God and justice in a way that was, perhaps, overly ambitious. While I appreciate her willingness to face this issue, I’m not sure it was completely resolved for me. I was still hoping for more in the end, despite the sweet epilogue. That being said, Harmon deals with such difficult issues with a sweetness that is inclusive rather than dogmatic or preachy. Is it worth buying? (Kindle $4.95) Absolutely yes. It’s a beautiful book and one I actually bought myself. Something else you might enjoy: I’m not happy with this recommendation, but I’m going with it for right now. I enjoyed this book a lot, it’s just that I’m not sure it’s the best recommendation following this book. But I’m going with it for now, as it has a similar beauty and the best theme. It’s Amanda Quick’s With this Ring, a historical romance with an overlay of mystery and suspense. Try it out

Originally posted on my blog: Tangled Up In Books I hadn't even heard about this book until this past weekend when I stopped by my friend Jessica's STS post. She had a very short one with only two books, one of them being Making Faces and I liked the cover so I looked it up. I don't think I even got through the entire summary and my heart was going crazy and I needed to buy this book. There's no other way to put it. It was need. I quickly rushed to Amazon, purchased and started it immediately. I seem to be having this major burst of good luck when it comes to the books I'm reading lately. Which makes me feel like I'm being repetitive when I say once again, I. Loved. This. Book. I don't think I've ever felt anything so deeply, I also don't think I've ever really cried as much as I did with Making Faces. Truly in a good cry sort of way. In the best way possible, this book left me completely shattered. I did end up having to stop once, at around 85% for an entire day because I just couldn't deal with all of the emotions. And the constant tears. We basically have two stories going on within this book. There's the story from the summary, but running parallel to that and equally as important to the book as a whole, is another storyline that is filled with just as much humor, warmth, grief and tragedy. You really get hit with the feels from all sides here. Both of the storylines were written absolutely beautifully. ** She had floated through childhood without drama and with little fanfare, grounded in a perfect awareness of her own mediocrity. I feel like, at this point, Fern is probably one of my all time favorite FMCs. What she lacks in self confidence, she seems to make up for in this never ending well of optimism. She was just so sweet and genuine. She had me under her spell from the very beginning and that's so very rare for me. She was the type of person to see the beauty in just about everything. And also to see that sometimes a beautiful package can contain something so very ugly and slippery inside. ** "I'll add you to my list," Ambrose promised suddenly, his eyes holding Bailey's in the mirror. "When the time comes, I'll write your name across my heart with the others." Ambrose has everything going for him, yet he's still this really humble guy. Even before being changed physically and emotionally by war. Star of the wrestling team, the pressures on him by the entire town were really starting to weigh him down. Enlisting was a way to escape the pressures for him. He wasn't ready to go off to college and be the town golden boy. He got swept up in the moment and I don't think the possibility really comes to mind that you could be the only one of your friends to make it home from that. If you even come home at all. ** "He left us sooner than we wanted him to, but that's how life is. We don't get to choose when we go or how we go. None of us do." The thing about Making Faces is it's not just this incredibly moving love story. It has that and it's sweet and innocent. A refreshing change. I mean, don't get me wrong. I do enjoy my steamy and sometimes smutty reads. Though this book, and Fern and Ambrose, still did make me swoon, it was more of a YA type of swoon. It was perfect.. But it goes so much deeper than the love story. It's also about friendship and strength. Dealing with tragedy and loss. Embracing the imperfections that life deals you. Whether it's being born with a crippling disease, overcoming loss and disfigurement, or even growing up feeling quite unremarkable and plain. And a great lesson on the fact that what's inside of a person and who they truly are, is what makes them beautiful. ** "Maybe everyone represents a piece of the puzzle. We all fit together to create this experience we call life. None of us can see the part we play or the way it all turns out. Maybe the miracles we see are just the tip of the iceberg. And maybe we just don't recognize the blessings that come as a result of the terrible things." I think I should just leave it at this. It's been very hard to express what I'm feeling after reading this. And short of opening myself up so you could see inside all the beautiful emotions that this book stirred up in me, I don't think I'm going to find it any easier to articulate my feelings than what I've put down so far. I keep using this phrase but this book truly is beautiful and I feel like everyone should read it at some point. It's going to take a really incredible book to even come close to how this one made me feel and it deserves far more than 5 stars in my opinion.

Amy Harmon always delivers excellence, and this book is no different. This is a MUST READ NOW, if you read any book at all this year!!! Making Faces is my absolute favorite book of 2013. This deeply moving and engaging book reminds us all that beauty is truly skin deep and in the eye of the beholder. This is only one of the themes in this soulful story. Making Faces also proffers a message of brotherhood and friendship, acceptance of things you cannot change, finding your true strength within, and living through the pain of tragedy. Fern was a shy, awkward girl who never viewed herself as pretty and suffered from UGS -- Ugly Girl Syndrome. With red and frizzy hair, buck teeth and braces, the build of a twelve-year-old, and bottle bottom glasses, she was a wallflower who preferred to stand in the background and go unnoticed by everyone except the one person she wanted to notice her, Ambrose "Hercules" Young. Her best friend, Rita, just happened to be one of the prettiest girls in school, which made Fern feel even more insecure about her looks. Quote: "KITES OR BALLOONS" Fern had a schoolgirl crush on the star athlete, Ambrose Young. Unfortunately, Ambrose, who was also the most handsome boy in school, didn't view Fern in the same way. While Fern played Cyrano de Bergerac by writing notes to Ambrose for Rita, she began to see the Ambrose who was hidden from everyone else. It was as if she saw directly into his soul, taking notice of his every thought and passion written in answer to Fern's/Rita's notes. When Ambrose discovers that Fern is the real writer of the love notes he's been exchanging, things get a little heated between Ambrose and Fern, and their ...association changes. Fern has a beautiful spirit and is a natural nurturer. She takes care of her cousin, Bailey, who suffers from M.D. I really identified with Fern in many respects, but none more than her care for Bailey. I've personally experienced what Fern went through with Bailey with my late husband, who suffered from Charcot Marie Tooth. Fern and Bailey were deeply connected. One was an extension of the other, and where Fern crushed on Ambrose, Bailey idolized Ambrose for his ability in the wrestling ring. As a supporting character (Bailey is definitely not a minor character), Bailey brings wisdom and humor to the pages. He never let his limitations from Muscular Dystrophy hinder him from going for the gold. His tenacity and strength are to be admired as it coupled with his wisdom. Bailey is hands down my favorite supporting character of any novel I've read. Quote: “There are times when I think I just can’t take it anymore.” Bailey’s voice cracked, and he stopped talking as suddenly as he had begun. Ambrose had everything going for him. He was the star athlete in high school. He had outward beauty that outshone all the other boys in school. He had wrestling scholarships to look forward to. He was slated to be a contender in the Olympics after high school. In the wake of 9-11, Ambrose enlisted in the military immediately after graduation from high school, recruiting his four best friends to enlist with him. I admit that I had a huge lump in my throat throughout this part of the novel. As a patriotic American, I couldn't help but feel ....something stir deep within me at the events that transpired leading from Ambrose's enlistment, throughout his deployment, to his discharge. I remember where I was, how I felt during this tragic event in history, and the close friends who were deployed with the 278th National Guard Cavalry. I re-experienced those same feelings with Ambrose, Jessie, Paulie, Grant, and Beans. Quote: "The lucky ones are the ones who don’t come back.” When Ambrose returned from the Middle East, he was forever scarred inside and out as the result of an IED. His injury and the events that transpired while deployed changed Ambrose forever. Not only had he become disfigured and lost his long and beautiful locks of hair, but he is ridden with guilt and suffered from PTSD. Ambrose shut out the world and hides himself away. He returned to work in his father's bakery, which just happened to be in the same grocery store in which Fern works, but chose the night shift to remain hidden from everyone. Ambrose may have hidden from everyone, but he didn't count on Bailey and Fern who would not give up and would not let him feel sorry for himself. Quote: "So you're just going to make cupcakes?" Ambrose glared at Bailey, and Bailey grinned back. [...] Yeah, cupcakes. [...] "I have no pride left, Ambrose!" Bailey said. "No pride. But it was my pride or my life. I had to choose. So do you. You can have your pride and sit here and make cupcakes and get old and fat and nobody will give a damn after a while. Or you can trade that pride in for a little humility and take your life back." Three special and prominent stories came to mind as I read, stories that were so very fitting to the themes of this novel: Cyrano de Bergerac, Samson and Delilah, The Ugly Duckling. The deep friendship that developed between Ambrose, Bailey, and Fern; a direct result of their personal triumphs and tragedies, is a testament to reaching beyond outward appearances but more looking into the soul and heart of a person to overcome and feel whole again. Making Faces will inspire, enlighten, and move you deep within your soul. The story spans several years with flashbacks that were necessary and perfectly written to give back story and enable the reader to connect even more with the characters. You will feel every emotion with this story, every experience right along with these characters, and come out feeling as though you've undergone a transformation for the better inside of yourself by the time you finish. Victory is in the battle.

For some time now I've been told I needed to read this, that I would love this book so much and guess what? I needed to read this and I absolutely loved it. This is my first Amy Hamon book and I seriously hope it won't be my last, I'll make sure it won't :) Making Faces starts off with the usual story of a typical girl in love with the most popular guy in school. She's loved him all her life but he hasn't noticed her in years. He knows of her existence, but he doesn't see her. You would expect this to have kind of the same story line most of YA books have, but it doesn't, not really. Yes, it has the typical girl who wishes for nothing more than to be seen by the boy she likes and loves. It has the typical athlete who has it all. He's gorgeous, smart, sensitive, nice, a good friend and even though he has it all, sometimes he feels lost. But want to know what's different about this story? Bailey. Beautiful Bailey Sheen. Let me explain: Fern Taylor has been in love with Ambrose Young since forever. She can't think of a time when she wasn't in love with Ambrose Young. She has the biggest heart. One of the biggest I've read. She's smart, intuitive, honest, protective. She loves to read and write romance novels. She's a dreamer. But she's also a realist. She's not pretty, or that's what she thinks. "Maybe there is a bigger purpose, a bigger picture that we only contribute a very small piece to." Ambrose Young is a dream. He gives you the butterflies, he makes you smile, he makes you swoon. I fell in love the moment he stepped on the spider to protect a boy and a girl who seemed paralyzed looking at it. I love his strength and his confidence. I love his vulnerability and his doubts. He's always been and done what's been expected from him, he would never let down anyone who cared for him and I admired that. But I also admired his desire to be something else, to do something else. I loved his willingness to fight, to do what he felt right, for his country and for himself. Bailey. Beautiful Bailey Sheen. He's not the typical teen or young man we're used to read in YA books or any other, I think. Let me tell you a little bit of him. He may not have been a Super Star or a Super Hero, but he sure was a Hercules. He had courage to say the things that needed to be said. He was a good friend, the best of friends, to Fern and to Ambrose and Rita and Jesse and Paulie and Grant and Beans. He took down the biggest bully. He wrestle through life but not only survived life, he lived it. He took care of Fern and Ambrose when they needed it the most. He was grateful for all the things he had in life, and even though he didn't have a lot of things, he had what really mattered. And he was so, so much more than that. "Victory is in the battle." At first I thought it was going to be all about Fern and Ambrose, their love story. But you have to be really careful to see who's story is really behind all of it. Making Faces shows you a side of life that many have experience and some may have not. This is a story about friendship and sadness and happiness and true beauty and love. Love between a girl and a boy. Love between cousins. Love between friends. Love between team mates. It is also about loss and what it means to feel truly alone. But you know what? This also gave the characters (and lets face it, me, too) hope. Hope to dream again, to love again and to smile again. Even the darkest moments have a little bit of light at some point and what's wrong about holding on to that? We all need a second chance in life, a second chance to be happy. I loved every word and every page of this book. It was unexpectedly beautiful.

This ended up being like a 3.5 for me. It probably would have been a 1 or a 2 if the end of the book had been like the beginning. Because in the beginning it was a Very Serious Book about Very Serious Things. Like an after-school special that takes itself way too seriously. It was dreary and sad and while it had a lot of interesting metaphors (which I was impressed with on a technical level), this book had a lot of editorial issues. Like the fact that there was a ridiculous amount of head-hopping (in a single scene you would be in the history teacher's head, then the heroine's, then her cousin's, then the hero's, then one of his friends, etc.) It also flashed back and forth between several different time periods, sometimes making it difficult to keep track of what year it was and what location the characters were in, and what was happening. There were also incidents that beggared belief - such as the hero going off to war after 9/11, every single one of his best friends all agreeing to go with him, and then somehow magically they're all assigned to the exact same unit and are fighting in the exact same place. In my high school a ton of my classmates signed up for the military after graduation, and not a single one of them ever served together, despite being in the same branch of the military and being from the same hometown. This story probably should have started after Ambrose came home from war. Because that's where it actually started to get interesting. That's where the pace picked up and the romance starts and I finally wanted to keep reading. I had picked this book up because an author (whom I admire and enjoy) said that she wanted to be Amy Harmon when she grew up. So I guess I expected this to be like the best book ever written (especially after the kinds of reviews it has here on Amazon). This is not the best book ever. It's a good book. It's enjoyable. If you're a Nicholas Sparks fan, you're probably going to eat this thing up. But it wasn't the best, most emotional, most incredible book I've ever read (although the comments here suggest otherwise). To be honest, I'm not even sure why the reviews are so effusive and completely over the top. It was good, but not give away your firstborn child good. For those expecting a clean read because of the author, you're not going to find that here. There's a lot (A LOT) of swearing, some groping, but no sex. For those put off by "Christian" stories - this isn't that. The characters aren't struggling with their faith or their belief in God. The heroine's father is a pastor, her mother a pastor's wife, and they're the ones quoting scriptures and talking about Jesus and God, which makes sense given their lifestyles and professions. The heroine, Fern, also says a few religious things from time to time (and I have to admit I had a difficult time with both the hero's and heroine's name - Ambrose and Fern were sort of terrible. Not Reneesme bad, but I found it off-putting), which again is believable given her upbringing. This doesn't read like a religious book, so I'm not sure why the critics here are trying to paint it as one.

To start off, I love the story of Beauty and the Beast. I was excited to read this book, and, after reading it, I can't say it was a bad book. In fact, it is a book I would read again. But there were parts that I found cliche, hard to relate to, or simply unsatisfying. First off, Fern writing love notes to Ambrose but felt too ugly, so she gave them to him through pretty girl Rita? Cyrano De Bergerac anyone? And the Author shamelessly mentioned that literary connection later on too. You don't do that! Allusions to literary works need to be subtle or they are just cliche! And even without that, it was obviously a rip off of the story that I found it bland. And Ambrose as Hercules? Yet another Allusion that was overly romanticized that it just tasted bitter in my mouth. It wasn't warranted, it didn't fit, and it felt odd. And finally, the connection to Beauty and the Beast fell flat because Making Faces is nothing like Beauty in the Beast. Yes, Ambrose is not literally a monster, but he never once was ugly on the inside, which led to him being ugly on the outside. The book would have been about Ambrose being a horrible human being who had to learn to love in order to get through the 'bomb to the face' event in Iraq. But no. We just got a broken human being who felt guilty of leading his friends to recruiting for the army, only to see them die right in front of him. That's not Beauty and the Beast, or even Pride and Prejudice. It's misleading, for sure! Also....Small Town Syndrome. I hate it!! More people live in cities, so it's hard for the majority of the population to relate to the whole "everyone knows you and your entire family" thing. All the people I've ever met who grew up in small towns all tell me they hated the lack of privacy and have everyone know who you are. They got out as soon as they legally could! Books that try to romanticize small towns are laughable. And DON'T get me started on the wrestling! I can get behind the author's belief that wrestling "makes good men", but the book was so centered on the sport that it was instantly boring to me. It, as a sport, is as interesting as curling or ping pong (which is boring as heck). It's just grown, sweaty men on mats trying to pin each other down. How is that interesting? Baseball is the superior sport (haha). I do have other things to say about it, but I won't say it here. I did find the ending sweet, so it made the book better. And the religious tone of the book sold it for me. There is no healing without Christ. Love bears all things (1 Corinthians 13). Definitely a book worth checking out, but if you're a literature nerd like me, then maybe find something else.

Amy Harmon si conferma ancora una volta la mia autrice Romance preferita – anche se ricondurre i suoi romanzi in questa categoria risulta eccessivamente riduttivo. Lei è in assoluto l'unica autrice che riesce ad incantarmi dalla prima parola fino all'ultima dell'epilogo, lei è quell'autrice che riconferma ad ogni nuovo libro di essere un'autrice nel senso stretto del termine. Se volete leggere qualcosa che parli al cuore e possa emozionarvi fatevi un favore e prendete in mano Seil il mio sole anche di notte, Making Faces di Amy Harmon. Questa è la storia di una giovane ragazza che non è bellissima, che riesce a mescolarsi tra la folla senza essere notata, una ragazzina che riconosce i suoi pregi e i suoi difetti. Fern è una ragazza che sa riconoscere la bellezza delle persone, la bellezza delle loro anime. Una ragazza che ha fatto della sua missione di vita il prendersi cura delle persone che ama. Ambrose è l'eroe della città, il campione sportivo che è riuscito a conquistare una prestigiosa borsa di studio, bello come il sole, dall'animo gentile e dal cuore pieno di coraggio e altruismo. Un ragazzo che cerca una scopo più prestigioso nella sua vita rispetto alle aspettative che gli altri hanno riposto in lui. Cosa potrebbero mai avere in comune due ragazzi all'apparenza così diversi l'una dall'altro? Come potrebbero mai riuscire ad incrociarsi due ragazzi dalle vite così diverse? Ma, in un mondo dove non si conoscono tutti i perché, la fede è nel credere che le vie del Signore sono infinite e che le persone di cui abbiamo bisogno sono quelle che inaspettatamente arrivano da noi. In un mondo dove il male non è rappresentato solo dalla guerra e dalla devastazione, in un mondo dove l'accettazione, la gioia di vivere e la speranza non sono mere chimere Ambrose e Fern riusciranno a trovare un punto di approccio, un amore così puro che li porterà a dubitare delle proprie emozioni. È davvero difficile parlarvi di questo libro senza rivelare troppo ma questo è in assoluto uno dei libri più belli della Harmon e riuscire a fargli giustizia sembra un'impresa quasi impossibile. Questo accade perché le parole della Harmon sono pura poesia su carta, sanno riuscire a parlare di sentimenti in un modo che questi risultano più veri della vita che viviamo tutti i giorni, sono la dimostrazione che le emozioni sono la vera forza che domina il mondo. Ambrose e Fern diventano parte integrante del lettore che viene trasportato tra le pagine con una passione mai vista prima, tanto che quasi ha paura di arrivare all'epilogo perché non sa come dire addio ai personaggi che gli hanno insegnato così tanto, che lo hanno toccato così profondamente e cambiato per sempre. Sei il mio sole anche di notte è la storia di due ragazzi che trovano l'amore nel momento del bisogno, è la storia di due ragazzi che si affacciano a vivere la loro vita da adulti senza capire bene come fare, se non con la forza di rendere fieri di loro le persone che hanno amato e che sono stati per loro, fino ad allora, le loro rocce ed ancore di salvezza. Questa è una storia dura, dolorosa e che colpisce al cuore il lettore e lo commuove a più riprese. Sei il mio sole anche di notte è una storia che insegna ad non arrendersi e lottare per i propri sogni e per le persone che amiamo. La Harmon ha creato un gioiello della letteratura, una storia che racconta molto di più di quello che promette nella sinossi, è una storia che tocca l'animo delle persone e che promette loro che il futuro e la felicità sono a portata di tutte le persone che hanno il coraggio di osare per avverare i propri sogni. Questo è un libro che parla di speranza, accettazione, della bellezza interiore delle persone e di quanta importanza possa avere avere la forza in se stessi per continuare a camminare a testa alta e accettare l'amore che pensiamo di non meritare. Sei il mio sole anche di notte è un romanzo che rileggerei senza mai stancarmi, un romance che è non è solo un romance ma la storia di una vita ricca di amore. 5 Stelle

It was the fist book I ever read from of Amy Harmon, which was followed by many others. Amy Harmon has a special sensitivity that translates into her writing, in all her books, and that makes them unique. Making Faces is about beauty. The loss of external beauty, and the discovery of inner beauty. It's a beautiful book, moving, funny. One of the best stories I have ever read...and the first by Amy Harmon, which was followed by all her other books. Highly recommendable.

5🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭 Spanish & English Opinion 🇲🇽 Este libro me hizo sentir un collage de emociones. Con cada personaje y cada vivencia experimenté sensaciones y el mensaje del libro es MUY bonito. Es de esos libros a los cuales hay que entrarle sin más información, pero habla de los tipos de belleza, de cómo las percibimos y de aprovechas cada oportunidad que se nos da, valorando lo que tenemos y lo que podemos lograr. Fern es una mujer especial. Su ternura, su forma de querer, su corazón. Todo en Ella es inspirador. No se percibe como bonita en un inicio en la vida, pero después de convierte en bonita y lo que refuerza su belleza es su corazón. Ambrose es la metáfora de cómo pensamos. Físicamente tenía todo antes de la guerra. La forma en la que percibía a las personas se reducía al físico, aunque siempre fue alguien sensible y de buen corazón. Cuando todo en su vida se transforma, descubre que la mejor forma de vivir es viendo la belleza en todas sus manifestaciones. Fern y Ambrose me encantaron y su epílogo más. Este libro hace reír, llorar y percibir la vida un poquito diferente. 🇺🇸 What a book! It provided me a journey full of emotions and it was impossible to not feel a thing towards every character and every experience they get. This is one of those stories that need to be read without reading hints, but it’s about beauty, how do we perceived it, we can we find it and the opportunities that life provides. Fern is a very special character. She has the most stunning heart ever and even though at some point in her teens is not perceived as “beautiful”, this changes with time. But her heart, and her way of caring about others remains the same. This only makes her more beautiful. Ambrose is a metaphor of how we are as humans and how we view life. He’s a guy that physically had it all. Amazing sport ability, gorgeous face and body and he was a nice enough guy. Good friend, considerate but beauty and girls were important according to their faces and bodies. (Normal teenager though). But everything changed after the war, we’re having faces loss in more than one way. Fern and Ambrose are amazing and I loved their epilogue. Their story is definitely a MUST read.

幼い頃から筋ジストロフィーを患う従兄で親友のBaileyに付き添い世話をするFern。自分が美しくないと知っていた彼女は美しく強く完璧で皆のヒーロー的存在だったAmbroseにずっと密かに恋をしていました。Ambroseの友人達はFernの容姿をイジったりするのですが彼は彼女の内面の良さをわかっていました。とはいえタイプでもない。9.11のテロを経て大人になったAmbroseは友人達と共にイラクへ出征し顔半分に大怪我を負い帰国。美しさを失ったAmbroseと美しく成長したFernが再会し…… 物語全体にそこはかとなく漂う哀愁。そして生と死、美しさとは、強さとは何か。ロマンスと一括りにできない素晴らしい作品でした。

Enorme coup de cœur donc pour ce roman qui se situe à cheval entre du Young Adult et du New Adult. C’est poignant, magnifique, magique. A la manière d’un Nos Etoiles Contraires de John Green, on ne cesse de pleurer, mais pour ne retenir à la fin que le bon côté des drames, les messages d’espoir et d’amour, la leçon de vie. Fern, Bailey et Ambrose vivent tous trois à Hannah Lake, une petite ville des Etats Unis où tous se connaissent, où tout se sait. Fern est la fille unique du pasteur de la ville, celle que le couple a eu très tard et n’attendait plus. Depuis toujours, elle fréquente Bailey, son cousin, son voisin, son meilleur ami, qui a le même âge qu’elle, mais qui souffre d’une maladie qui lui fait perdre peu à peu l’usage de ses muscles. C’est ainsi qu’à 14 ans, il finit dans un fauteuil roulant sans pouvoir bouger ses membres et en restant totalement tributaire de ses proches pour les actes de la vie quotidienne, même les plus intimes. Mais Fern ne voit pas du tout cela comme un fardeau. C’est plutôt une évidence, parce que c’est son ami et qu’il est normal qu’elle se charge à sa place de ce qu’il ne peut plus accomplir. Ça en devient même machinal. L’histoire commence en 2001, alors qu’ils ont 18 ans et s’apprêtent à vivre leur dernière année de lycée. Et grâce à des retours en arrière constants et qui arrivent quand cela est nécessaire, on parvient à retracer leur histoire. C’est ainsi que l’on découvre que Fern est amoureuse d’Ambrose Young depuis qu’elle a 10 ans, un amour profond mais caché, car jamais un garçon comme lui ne remarquera une fille comme elle. Ambrose est une force de la nature, un champion de lutte, le héros de la ville, une vraie star. Mais Fern le connaît depuis de nombreuses années et sait qu’il est aussi un garçon intelligent, profond, qui attend beaucoup de la vie. Un vrai Hercule, un Héros en puissance, comme le lui dit souvent Bailey, passionné d’histoire et surtout de mythologie grecque. Fern est plutôt la fille transparente, celle que personne ne remarque. Petite, menue, elle est aussi affublée de cheveux roux et bouclés, d’un énorme appareil dentaire et de loupes en guise de lunettes. Elle qui lit depuis qu’elle a 13 ans des romances sait bien que le beau héros s’intéresse rarement à la fille moche du coin. Aussi, quand sa meilleure amie Rita, la plus belle fille du lycée, entreprend d’écrire une lettre à Ambrose pour le séduire et lui demander de sortir avec elle, Fern n’éprouve qu’un léger pincement de jalousie et lui propose même de l’aider à la rédiger. Mais ce qui a commencé comme un jeu va se poursuivre longtemps, car Ambrose, charmé par la lettre, entreprend lui aussi une correspondance drôle et sincère avec celle qu’il pense aimer. Fern y voit le moyen de lui révéler enfin tout ce qu’elle a sur le cœur, de lui parler sincèrement de tout ce qui l’intéresse, de le questionner. Cependant, quand Ambrose et Rita rompent – la jeune fille de la vie réelle était trop différente de celle des lettres - cette dernière lui avoue que Fern était à l’origine des lettres. Mortifiée, elle décide d’aller s’excuser et trouve un Ambrose furieux, et à juste titre, de ce qu’il a pris pour un jeu et une moquerie. Puis le drame survient. Les attentats du 11 septembre 2001, que tous suivent en direct. Pour Ambrose, qui a bien cru avoir perdu sa mère ce jour-là, c’est la révélation. Il veut devenir soldat et défendre son pays. Et dans son enthousiasme, il parvient à convaincre son équipe de lutteurs, ses meilleurs amis. Tout change à jamais… Ce roman, derrière une magnifique histoire d’amitié et d’amour, c’est avant tout une suite de réflexions sur la vie, l’importance de l’apparence, le handicap, la perte d'êtres chers, le sacrifice et l’abnégation de soi pour le bonheur de l’être aimé. Et Amy Harmon possède l’incroyable talent de sonner parfaitement juste, de trouver les bonnes interrogations, celles que l’on se pose aussi parce que la vie est ainsi faite qu’on ne peut pas toujours se voiler la face. A-t-il fallu qu’Ambrose soit défiguré pour qu’il puisse enfin s’intéresser à Fern ? Et elle, est-ce parce qu’il n’est plus le garçon parfait de ses rêves qu’elle ose enfin l’approcher ? Est-ce vraiment de l’amour ou juste son incroyable gentillesse et son sens des responsabilités, comme si elle voyait en Ambrose un autre Bailey ? Un Bailey justement constamment présent, comme pour tout replacer en perspective. Un jeune homme de 21 ans avec des rêves pleins la tête et des sentiments pleins le cœur – pour Rita entre autres – mais coincé dans un fauteuil roulant et qui se sait condamné à moyen terme. C’est sans doute lui qui nous livrera les plus belles réflexions. J’ai particulièrement adoré celle sur l’UGS, le Ugly Girl Syndrome – le Syndrome du Vilain Petit Canard qui en gardera des séquelles toute sa vie même si son apparence s’améliore. Bailey, c'est le personnage phare du roman, la mascotte, qui nous brise le coeur et nous éblouit par ses pensées si justes et profondes. Fern aussi, qui écrit des romances, et qui sait manier les mots comme personnes. C’est d’ailleurs encore avec des mots qu’elle va essayer de communiquer avec Ambrose à son retour d’Irak alors qu’il s’est calfeutré chez lui et qu'il ne veut voir personne. Chaque mot, chaque phrase sonne juste et trouve une résonance en nous. D’autant qu’on ne tombe jamais dans le misérabilisme, loin de là, et que l’humour est omniprésent. On pleure et on rit en même temps, mais on pleure beaucoup… Et j'ai adoré toutes ses références, Gilbert Blythe de La maison aux pignons verts, Nora Roberts et ses réflexions sur les romances, Cyrano de Bergerac, Shakespeare... Tout nous parle et nous plait ! Un sublime roman, incroyablement beau et émouvant, poignant, parsemé de réflexions vraies et profondes sur la vie, l'amitié, l'amour et la mort. Un roman que j’ai déjà envie de relire…