Hating Heidi Foster

 
Hating Heidi Foster
by Jeffrey Blount
ISBN: 978-0985762704
$10.08 (paperback)  $6.99 (Kindle)

About the book:
Mae McBride and Heidi Foster were the very best of friends. Tied at the hip from early elementary school, their relationship was the stuff of storybooks, legendary even, in the minds of their high school classmates.

Unshakable.

That is, until Mae's father died while saving Heidi's life. When Mae finds out, she blames Heidi. She blames her father for putting Heidi ahead of her. She blames her friends for taking Heidi’s side. She begins to unravel amid that blame and her uncontrollable and atypical anger.

At the same time Heidi is beset by guilt, falls into depression and stops eating properly; wasting away physically and emotionally while waiting for Mae to let her back into the friendship she misses so dearly.

Mae, consumed by her hatred of Heidi, the confusion regarding her father’s motives, the perceived desertion of her friends and her mother’s grief, loses more and more of herself.

What could possibly bring these two old friends back to each other? A miracle?

Hating Heidi Foster, is a young adult novel about the place of honor true friendships hold in our lives. It is about suffering and loss and the ethics of grief. It is about a deep and painful conflict, the bright light of selflessness and sacrifice and the love that rights the ship and carries us safely to port.


My thoughts:
I finally had a moment when I could sit down and read Hating Heidi Foster this afternoon and then I struggled trying to decide which of my blogs I wanted to post my review on and ended up deciding to post it on GivingNSharing mainly because while kids 12+ could read this - I feel it's beneficial for all to read this wonderful book.

It's deep, personal, full of passion ~ and sorrow. Having never lost anyone close to me I can't imagine the pain and devastation that Mae goes through losing her father.  Jeffrey Blount is a very accomplished writer and fully able to describe the pain and loneliness both girls feel while coping with a man who has been a huge part of each of their lives. I loved how he stretched the story to include Heidi who is Mae's best friend and the reason Mae's father dies. I often felt like I was onsite as I read the story whether I was in Mae's home, at her high school or during the conclusion when Mae works through her grief by compiling a "scrapbook" of sorts so she can remember her dad.

It's a fast read (it took me only a couple of hours) and it will touch each person differently. I think younger teens (12+) could read it and parents could easily use it to open the gates of conversation to encourage their teens to talk about loss. I strongly encourage book groups, parent/kid book clubs and English teachers to read this as a group. The only thing Hating Heidi Foster is missing is discussion questions at the end of the book.

Outstanding book & one of the few books I give 5 stars to. Hating Heidi Foster will have a permanent place on my bookshelf unless I find a family perhaps that will benefit from it.

About the author:
Jeffrey Blount is an Emmy Award-Winning television director and an award recipient for scriptwriting on multiple documentary projects. Born and raised in rural Virginia, he now lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Jeanne Meserve. They have two children, Julia and Jake.

Learn more about Jeffrey Blount on his Website (click here) or follow him on:

  Goodreads

Disclaimer:I received a copy of Hating Heidi Foster to read and review on GivingNSharing. I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchanged hands.