Betwixt by Melissa PearlForgive yourself and your eyes will open....Imagine waking up between life and death and having no idea how you got there or how to get out of it. This is how Nicole Teppers day begins.Nicole had been hit by a car and left for dead the night before after her soon to be ex boyfriend left her to walk home in the dark on a deserted road.Desperate for help, she begins searching for someone who can hear her. unfortunately it is the last person she would expect, Dale Finnigan. She had recently humiliated him in public with a horrible insult that left him hurt and eternally nicknamed Scarface.Will Dale and Nicole's ghostly self be able to find her body that is lying in a forest barely holding on?Melissa Pearl does amazing things with the written word. I find myself enjoying every novel of hers that I pick up. If you haven't read anything by her yet, then what are you waiting for?Betwixt is a very well written and climatic young adult novel. Hidden between these pages you are going to find a struggle between life and death, Love, hope forgiveness and faith. I would recommend everyone who enjoys reading young adult books to give this one a chance.Nicole is not the most likeable character when this story begins. she is a girl lost in her a hell she created for herself after the death of her dear sister. throughout the book you will see her struggle with her demons and find a kindred spirit in Dale, who is struggling with his own demons.I hope you give this book a chance and enjoy every moment of it. I couldn't put the book down and read it in one day. I would like to thank the author for providing me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.We’ve all read about out of body experiences. You know the light at the end of the tunnel but instead the person is hovering above themselves watching everything happen. This book takes things a bit further with Nicky being able to travel further and being able to connect with one person, a classmate who she still has guilt trips about from when she was a complete jerk to him. This story reminded me a lot of a movie I had seen about six years ago, The Invisible. Unfortunately it reminded me so much of it that for the majority of the book it was more of a distraction to me. Luckily, the author brought a different life into her story and her characters were seen for the people they truly are. Quickly you realize there is so much more to this story than the fact that Nicky is dying and needs help ASAP.Nicky...we all have a Nicky in our life. A good girl who experienced something completely crushing and is now on a path of self-destruction. Dale, a basic stranger to her, sees that there’s more to her than that and does what he can to help her realize that the old Nicky is still there and that she really needs to focus on who, what and why the current Nicky exists. This is a boy who’s experienced something nobody should ever have to and during that time found his way to Him. A bad boy gone good but nobody in his new school seems to see further than the scar on his face and the instant label that goes with it.Through the story, Nicky learns the truth about her boyfriend, her friends, her family and herself. She finds more in Dale than just a hero. She comes to a realization that there are forces out there that can’t be explained by scientific means. At the same time, Dale comes into his own too and is a welcome piece of sunshine in Nicky’s life.The outcome of the story wraps up quite well. Forgiveness is a key component and is found and given on different levels. A family, thought to be broken finds hope, a boy who thinks there is only one way out is given another way out, secrets are released and with it a sense of calm and compassion. Is this a goodie two shoes book? No, you are faced with the pure guilt of a person and the ugliness of how they deal with it, but you will find yourself satisfied with the way everything plays out. Is there a story to be learned? Yes, and you will like it.I recommend this to ages 14+. There are some issues that are dealt with that may confuse those younger than that age, but it really just depends on each person individually. A good contemporary book with a hint of the paranormal, a touch of thriller, a bit of suspense and thrown in with a budding romance. I look forward to reading the authors previous and future books.
