i was gifted this copy a while ago and didn’t get the chance to upload the file! Very sorry for not being able to give a proper review- will add this book to my wishlist and read it as soon as I can.

Addresses a lot of issues that young girls may face. Even though this was written for young girls, I still found it interesting to read as an adult.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

Speed of Life by Carol Weston tells the story of Sofia, a 14 year old girl who's mother recently passed away. She meets a teen advice columnist at school and begins to correspond with her about the things she's feeling and experiencing including her mothers death, every day concerns about friends and relationships and things about her changing body. Imagine her embarrassment when she discovers her dad's new girlfriend is the columnist she has been writing too. The book covers over a year of her life and shows how Sofia and her dad both grow and also deals with some of the experiences of having a blended family. I thought it was really well written and enjoyed reading the book. I think the book would appeal more to younger teens as Sofia graduates from middle school and moves into her freshman year during the book.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this title. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get into it. I won't post a review on Goodreads, so as not to skew it. Thanks again!

This tween title is an engaging and adorable read. The main character is 14-years-old which is that soft spot between middle and high school. This book is about Sofia and how she is coping in the year after her mother's death. The story deals with Sofia's grief, her complicated emotional life, teen friendships, and all the normal problems of being a teenager.
As someone who lost her mother when she was still a teenager, I really related to this book and I know that I'll be recommending it to students who want an honest and heartwarming book.

This book was moving and so funny. I cried and laughed reading this. I loved that the characters were multicultural. This is what we need in books. Representation of how the world is. I found myself wanting to be apart of their journey. I wanted to jump into the story and be with all of them in all of their moments. Please write another book like this one.

This book covers one year in the life of Sofia, a 14 year old girl in New York City, dealing with her mom's death, her dad starting to date again, boys, school, and other life changes. It's a very sweet book with real emotions, though perhaps things are a tad oversimplified at times. This book is kind of in an unusual middle ground - it's a bit mature for middle grade readers, but a bit young for a young adult book. So I'd say the ideal reader of this book is probably 12-14 years old, which is a slightly narrower target audience than some books. Though on the other hand, I'm in my 40s and I loved it.

Speed of Life is a beautiful story depicting life after a death of someone you love and care about. It is a story of a fourteen year old girl named Sofia Wolfe who's mother died and life was never been easy. But life must go on even if it's hard. But then there is a start of something new. New relationships, new adjustments. Could Sofia be ready for all this changes?

I really loved the story and understand what the characters were going through. It is much deeper. The story make you realize that this is how it is in real life. However I had a few issues with the book especially related to how Sofia was obsessed with sex. She was just 14 and I don't think children of that age obsess over sex?? That really annoyed me sometimes. Having a boyfriend in such young doesn't mean you are obligated to fell to have sex with him or to be physical with him. I felt that on some pages romance was taking the larger place instead of focusing on a girl who has just lost her mom.

Overall, it was an entertaining read nevertheless.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Had to drop the book after the second chapter because it simply was not what I was expecting. I'll leave the rating neutral because I have no recommendation either way on this book, and I will not be able to write a full review.

This was an enchanting book about the troubles of a girl who loses her mother and then her father finds someone else to love. The twists of adolescence and navigating that minefield of emotions were unpredictable and funny. This is definitely one to read!

I am looking forward to reading this book!! I love the description and im enjoying what im reading so far!

Speed of Life is probably my favorite middle-grade read of 2017.

After her mother dies, Sofia begins writing to Dear Kate, the advice columnist for Fifteen magazine. It's not that she doesn't love her father and friends, it's just that there are some things that Sofia doesn't feel like she can say to them. Soon Dear Kate is a very important, but very secret part of her life. And then she finds out that Dear Kate is her father's new girlfriend.

There was just something so sweet about this book. So many things change for Sofia over the course of the book. And, the title, Speed of Life, really is so fitting because the book is about how fast we grow up. Carol Weston's book reminded me of Goodbye, Stranger by Rebecca Stead, another middle-grade coming-of-age story that I adore. Beyond the similar setting, they both have a similar tone.

I really enjoyed the beginning. The character and their development throughout then book was really nice. Absolute loved the book. :-)

Speed of Life captures the pain of dealing with a parents death and finding out where to turn when everyone else seems to be moving on. And as with life, there is no easy answer especially when you are trying to navigate teen hood, friends and dating. The layering of all these issues, combined with a strong teen voice made this a must buy.

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Speed of Life. I was under no obligation to review this book and the following is my opinion.

Fourteen year old Sofia has been trying to regain her footing after her mother's tragic death. Feeling that she has no one to confide in, Sofia writes a message to Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine. With a swift response and good advice, Dear Kate quickly becomes Sofia's sounding board. When the real world comes crashing in, will Sofia be able to adapt and adjust? Will her new family dynamic bring Sofia the happiness that she has been missing?

Speed of Life has a good main character and a well thought out story, although some of the plot just did not seem all that realistic. The pain and suffering that Sofia experiences gives her depth, but the ease of her transition into her new life takes away from the story. I would have liked for Sofia to be more normal, not overly pretty, talented, and well liked. Teen readers would have been able to identify with Sofia more if she had faults and flaws like most people. Speed of Life is a good story, though, so I would recommend it to preteen and teen readers.

<p>Another wish-fulfillment YA novel where everything works out in the end and you get that warm, fuzzy feeling of a job well-done. Sure, the protagonist's mother is still dead (as she was at the beginning of the novel -- no zombies or resurrection spells here), but everything else has worked out in a shiny, happy, people sort of way. </p>

<p>Is it realistic? Probably not. </p>

<p>Is it enjoyable? Indubitably.</p>

<p><A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/18749238/book/146607939">Speed of Life</a> by Carol Weston went on sale April 1, 2017.</p>

<p><small>I received a copy free from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> in exchange for an honest review.</small></p>

A good read (even the sad parts). I would definitely recommend this for young teens/middle-grade readers. The narrator is both lifelike and relatable.

This was ADORABLE. If I had to sum my thoughts about this then I'd say it literally was the best emotional, nostalgic and relatable roller coaster ride down the memory lane of my early teen years. AND I enjoyed reading it a lot!

There were so many amazing things about this book that I appreciated and one of those was the diversity in this book. I noticed that the writer tried to have a distinguished, diverse set of characters as much as possible and that's real good because there are hardly any authors in middle grade that actively try to incorporate and celebrate diversity in their books. Characters like Lan, Kiki, Mr Kapur, Aisha, Dr Pavlica - even though secondary and primary, mentioned only once or twice (except for Kiki) were visible examples of how the author didn't want this to be a mainstream American novel with an all-white cast. Apart from this Sofia herself was not white yay! The book was not only diverse in terms of race but sexuality as well and included some LGBTQIA characters, another good addition.

The way this book was structured was really fitting in my opinion; the two parts made the character development so much more evident. The January to January concept was also really refreshing and the monthly chapters made it easy to navigate and keep pace with the plot. The themes of this book were wide-ranging and it addressed a ton of teenage dilemmas - reconstituted families and their problems (the sociology nerd in me was over the moon!), death of a parent, grief, friend problems, boyfriend problems, pimples, periods, sex, pregnancy, college, and everything else in between which made this book quite relatable to my 2 years back self that still lives in me.

The author's writing was absolutely flawless and had a brilliant flow to it - it never felt like she was trying hard to convey emotions, those sporadic sparks burst out themselves and injected me with a god-awful lot feelings - especially in the first part, I couldn't help but feel pathetically sad about Sofia. Ask the shattered pieces of my heart how they felt every time she would compare her father's reaction to her mami's and say "mom would've" *wipes tears*. The voice of the author for the 14-15 year old narrator was kept in check because never once did I feel like there was this older woman writing everything, it felt more like the diary of a 14 year old which is such an incredible feat for the writer.

The characters were such well-written, perfectly developed yet under construction ones, and I was emotionally invested in them from the very start which made their progress, dilemmas, a lot more real, honest, and relatable. The relationship between the characters were developed so wonderfully and realistically, especially Sofia and Alexa's, those two really made it seem like they were actual teenagers stuck with becoming each other's apparent sisters. I liked the fact that the characters' professions weren't conventional - I mean except for 10 things I hate about you, I've hardly seen gynecologist fathers and Kate's job as a columnist was unique as well.

The novel is also filled with significant advice (Weston's job as a columnist clearly helped and shone throughout the entire novel) and important lessons for, the most highlighted one being the ignorant attitude of teenagers and kids in general towards parental love - I have absolutely no idea and every idea why I missed my mom so much and hated the fact that I had flown from the 'nest' pretty early than normal kids do. Sad life. But I really enjoyed reading about Sofia's relationship with her parents and Kate. Comparisons between private and public American schools were added in an efficient way and made me learn more about the American school system then I had before in movies/books which coupled with the mention of the flamboyant Spanish culture, language and food made reading this book an educational experience. I really wished my secondary school taught Spanish after reading this haha.

Best scene in the novel: Sofia's concert. (I LOVED THIS!)

All in all, a great middle grade/ya read, highly recommended for parents and children alike!