Review: Tin Lily by Joann Swanson

by Donna Huber

I'm excited to tell you about Tin Lily by Joann Swanson. It was such a great young adult read. You know how I love a good troubled teen novel and as a young adult I would have eaten up a novel like this. Even today as an adult I didn't want to put it down. I hate that I left it on my TBR for so long.

Lily and her mom have left her dad who has become an abusive drunk. A quite, impressionable teen of 15, Lily comes to bear a weight much too heavy for her shoulders. She witnesses the murder of her mother at her father's hand, but that's not all. I'm sure you can imagine how something like that can traumatize a child. Thankful she has a loving aunt who will do anything to help her.

Even with the dramatic opening, it is truly a lovely story of strength and love. And it isn't quite as dark as some of the stories that I read involving troubled teens. It is appropriate in both tone and reading level for its target audience.

All I wanted to do was find more time to read while reading Tin Lily. I didn't want to put it down. Not because it is suspenseful, but because Swanson creates an incredible emotional bond between to the reader and her characters. It was like hearing the story from a friend and needing to know what was happening with them.

And it isn't just the main character that you connect with. Even the minor characters that only have a few scenes in the book will steal your heart. If only there were more boys like Nick, we may see a change in the ways girls view themselves.

Tin Lily by Joann Swanson will definitely be on my "books to give as gifts" list this holiday season. But don't wait til the holidays to grab up this great read for yourself.

Buy Tin Lily at Amazon

Book info:
Available format: ebook & print (276 pages)
Published: July 2014 by Cranky Owl Books
ISBN13: 9780990345305
Genres: family saga, drama
Audience: Young adult
Source: author
Read: October 2014



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