Stalked - Sept 2010
James Lorimer & Company Ltd.
It's the summer before her final year of high school, and Amy and her best friend Elise are stoked about their summer job. Two months, no parents, a dreamy twenty-something boss, and a remote Vancouver Island resort.
It sounds like the perfect opportunity for shy, artistic Amy to reinvent herself. But when her dream boss turns creepy, Amy has to decide how far she''s willing to go to get the recommendations she needs for her future.
Order a copy online.
Reviews:
"This title in the Sidestreets series from Lorimer is a definite must-read for girls ... For young women, this simple story with a simple plot is about a very real danger ... This is highly recommended for those twelve and up, especially those looking for a summer job."
- VOYA.com, June 2011
Best Laid Plans - Sept 2009
James Lorimer & Company Ltd.
Robyn Earle has dreamt of a better life as long as she can remember. Trapped by poverty, an alcoholic father and a depressed mother, Robyn feels like her dreams of attending university and having a career are impossible.
Robyn meets her first boyfriend and tastes the affluent life of her aunt, fueling her drive and ambition. As her younger sister deals with an unplanned pregnancy, Robyn clings to the hope that she can both fix her family and make her break for a cosmopolitan life. In the end, she must make a choice between her family’s future and her own.
Order a copy online.
Reviews:
... Should Robyn give up her dreams to support her family? Will she make the best decision for herself? Best Laid Plans is an enjoyable novel about reaching for the sky and confronting obstacles head-on. I
would recommend this book for any teen."
- Teens Read Too, June 2010
... The portrayal of Robyn's family life is realistic and dynamic. Hart's representation of poverty as it intersects with alcoholism is perfectly pitched ... accurately captures the pervasive boredom encountered by teens stranded in small towns."
- CM Magazine, December 2009
"Every so often I come across a novel that touches a cord and leaves me yearning for more ... Best Laid Plans crosses generation boundaries and is so well written and such a moving story that I could no sooner set it aside than say goodbye to the characters. Robyn Earle is that young girl inside all of us. She's that girl who is afraid to make the wrong decision, but who so desperately wants to grow up and escape...
Best Laid Plans is the story of a young woman on the cusp of self-discovery. Will she reach for her dream and leave her family behind? Or will she save the orchard her father is bent on destroying?
I recommend this book for those young people in your life."
- Joylene Nowell Butler, December 2009
Watching July - May 2008
Sumach Press
Follow Vancouver teen July MacKenzie as she recovers from the loss of her mother and adjusts to an unwelcome move to a small Interior town.
She begins rebuilding only to discover a new problem. Something is haunting her. Before long, July is forced to take action and connect the puzzle pieces surfacing around her.
Her suspicions begin to point towards two horrifying truths. A reality she doesn't want to accept. And an impossibility she can't believe.
Reviews:
"... Hart’s novel delivers an engaging story about the strong bond between mother and daughter. Her writing depicts the denial a person can have towards dark teenage relationships, and how a once happily-ever-after, can become a controlling lost future."
- Youthink Magazine, February 2010
"... The setting of the novel in the BC interior and the storyline where the barriers of the living and dead are worn thinner and thinner the most appealing parts ...
... Watching July also leans into the alterna-punk scene, making the protagonist a lovesick revolutionary ... A very good novel, worth the short but sweet read ... "
- Nexus Newspaper, September 2008
"... the descriptive flowing style of the work invites the reader right into the life of July MacKenzie ... a cunningly written book, with strong and vivid characters, plot twists and turns."
- A 'n' E Vibe Magazine, June 2008
