Justine's Thoughts: Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph

Shrinking Violet
By Danielle Joseph

Pages:

296

Book Description:

High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class. But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out - doing mock broadcasts for Miami’s hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, sexy Sweet T - and to everyone’s shock, she’s a hit! Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ’s awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest - and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize - Sweet T’s dream could turn into Tere’s worst nightmare...

A quote:

But it’s like Helen Keller said, "Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye." And I don’t want to go back to where I came from. I need to do this. For me.

Any thoughts:

I truly loved this book a lot. It’s Danielle Joseph’s first novel but I really think she’s done a great job. It’s such a sweet Cinderella story that carries meaningful messages about opening up and just being yourself.

Teresa (or Tere) Adams is a heroine I’m sure almost everyone can relate to. She’s extremely shy, but throughout the book she gradually comes out and exposes the real her by overcoming the challenges she faces. To be honest, she actually inspires me. She makes me want to be true to myself and come out of my shell to do something grand, just like she did. She makes me want to write to Danielle Joseph and thank her for affecting me the slightest bit. It sounds like a great idea.

Reading Shrinking Violet makes you feel like you’re actually experiencing what Tere is going through, especially in the end when it was time for prom. Danielle Joseph had me squealing and my heart pounding when the winner of the songwriting contest was announced. I adore books that have that effect on me; it definitely says a lot.

There were many witty remarks told by Tere that I laughed at. Her sense of humour was something I loved while reading the book. It never got old and it just made it harder to put down the book. The chapters were short, which is something I also really love when reading novels. The shorter the chapters, the more you have the urge to read. It’s true. It’s tough to stop reading it.

One more thing: I totally love the book cover! It’s so nice! I borrowed it from the library and it looks so brand new. Of course, it only came out in May, but the cover didn’t look curved or bent, like it hasn’t been touched before. Oh well, I like it that way.