More Than Anger

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I felt like I connected personally with this story. I've wondered the same thing before about anger vs. love. This was a great read and will read more from this author in the future!

This book is another Hi-Lo reading style book, which my rough understanding of the term means a high interest plot with a lower difficulty words for those newer to reading. These books are available for a wide range of ages from young children to teens and adults too.

I really like the cover of this book, it being red, a colour associated with anger. There is also the electrical wire sparking featured prominently on the cover, which fits in with the More Than Anger title and plot with Anna’s parents arguing. The sparking of the electrical wire also really represents the point in the book where Anna finally lets her feeling known to her parents very well.

The main character in this book is Anna, her parents have been growing apart and arguing more for some time. In fact, their constant arguments are actually having a negative affect on Anna’s school grades as she is finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate to do her homework. Then she is worrying at night and not sleeping well which has a knock-on effect on her performance at school. Her father then admonishes her for her falling grades and even goes so far as saying she isn’t allowed to attend the school dance. Though when her father proclaims unless her grades improve back to the A’s he is used to her getting she is not going her mother takes the opportunity to say of course she can go to the dance, continuing on to excitedly suggest they need to go shopping to get Anna a new dress and so on. Anna and her best friend Jess used to take it in turns to do their homework together at each other’s houses, but because of the arguing Anna feels ashamed and avoids inviting Jess round to her house anymore. Anna quite literally feels she is living in a war zone. Anna goes to Jess’s house more and more yet has to think of excuses to prevent Jess coming to her home as she doesn’t want everyone to know about her parents continual disagreements. Anna feels too ashamed to talk to Jess or anyone else about her parent’s relationship issues.

When Anna’s mother announces they are going on a family camping holiday, Anna is dreading it. The last great family holiday they had was a camping trip many years ago and to Anna it feels like her mum is trying to recreate that. Sadly, the arguing and sniping at each other doesn’t stop. During an argument at the cabin Anna’s dad leaves in the car. Anna goes walking alone and ends up making friends with some other teens on holiday, though they are staying at the opposite side of the lake. Anna soon becomes friends with them. She enjoys their company and actually opens up to one of them. After talking to her newly found friend and confidante and her parents yet again arguing when she returns to the cabin, she really loses her temper and just shouts at them both that if they are so unhappy together maybe they should just end their relationship and get divorce.

I felt sorry for Anna, though she portrays that is such good friends with Jess and goes to her house as a sanctuary that you would have thought she would have confided in her about her parent arguing. Then on the other hand Anna comes across as maybe not as confident as her friend Jess. Anna does gain confidence and has her first kiss with one of her new friends that she meets whilst on holiday.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing reading the book were that this was a really good example of a great Hi Lo reading book. The subject, plot and characters were all interesting and were presented in an easy flowing reading style. Though these Hi Lo books are generally quite short they do have a lot of content and you do become attached to the characters in the same ways you do with longer books.

Thank you to NetGalley, West 44 Books, and Lexi Bruce for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honet review.

Description
Hi-Lo. It is no secret that Anna's parents are going through a rough patch. When that rough patch turns positively volatile, Anna starts to wonder why her parents are staying together at all. Will their anger destroy everything Anna has ever known? Can Anna Allow herself to fall in love when she sees how it can turn so easily to hate?

I thought it was poetically written and easy to understand.
It scratches the surface of teenage drinking. Unfortunately, many teens just like Anna find themselves in similar situations where their parents are at each other all the time. Their constant fighting was wearing Anna down to the point where it was even affecting her grades at school.

Even though some may think Anna was out of line for yelling at her parents about why they're still together - it was thought provoking for them to hear it. It was as if the wool was finally lifted from their eyes and they could see the damage they were doing to her.

Will it shape the way Anna sees love? How she'll handle her relationships in the future? Will she allow herself to love? Food for thought as one reads the book.

I gave it 5 stars because I enjoyed how it was written in prose, I was able to follow along, it was easily understood. I could feel the angst that Anna was enduring.

Wow! This is a simple book with a complex plot, and I loved it!

Summary: It is no secret that Anna's parents are going through a rough patch. When that rough patch turns positively volatile, Anna starts to wonder why her parents are staying together at all. Will their anger destroy everything Anna has ever known? Can Anna allow herself to fall in love when she sees how it can turn so easily to hate?

I much appreciate the way the author wrote about such an important topic with love and dedication in a straightforward but endearing way.
Honestly, I expected a different story because of the cover it was chosen. I expected a mystery/thriller book. But unlike that, I found a painful story that many teenagers live: domestic violence and how this issue affects their relationships and goals.
Through the pages, we will know the real reason why the book is called "More Than Anger." We will meet Anna, a protagonist so vulnerable that we would love to hug and tell her that everything will be fine.
It is a book written poetically. It's a different story than the ones I'm used to reading, and I loved it. In the end, it left me sighing, and I didn't want it to end. I hope there is a second part!
Congratulations, Lexy, for giving us such a gem. Thank you for talking about a problem that happens every day in many homes. Thanks also for creating such a sweet but determined protagonist. Thank you, because more than anger, there is love in Anna's heart.

I was not expecting this book to be written in prose (poetic style), but once I became accustomed to the style, I found that it really suited the protagonist, Anna. Anna is a high school student whose parents are experiencing a very unhealthy relationship. The book follows Anna's experiences in her volatile household, and lightly touch on how it affects her ability to do well at school, and partake in healthy relationships (platonic and romantic) herself.

I think the prose and the story were highly thought provoking, and I read the entire thing in one sitting. I would have liked a longer novel I think, because the points made were so important and necessary, but that did not detract too heavily from the reading experience. This author has a talent for covering so much in so few words, without bombarding the reader with too much all at once. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

This is a Hi-Lo fast read written in what seems like poetry at first glance, but is in fact prose.
I really enjoyed the story, I found it to be told really well. Anna's feelings are depicted so vividly, even if you haven't found yourself in a situation similar to hers, you still can't help but feel for her.
The pacing is something I had an issue with. It was inconsistent, both rushing and dragging at times.
There were bits I wished there was more of, like her friendship with Jess and the budding romance between her and Dave, but overall I enjoyed this book.

Anna's feelings come across amazingly clear in the prose writing style the author used. This book was a great read and one that I have recommended.