Title: Torn Away
Author: Jennifer Brown
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Release Date: May 6th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: eARC provided for Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review

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Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives -- but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.

In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she's never considered before -- one in which her mother wasn't perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.


There are book that you read one in a while that change you, that make you question things around you and make you feel emotions you never thought you could feel for fictional characters. Torn Away was one of those books for me. This book was perfection for many reasons, but the biggest reason was the emotions I felt while I was reading it.

Torn Away follows teenager Jersey Cameron whose life falls apart when a tornado rips through her neighborhood and devastates her family.  Her mother and younger sister do not survive and therefore she is shipped off to her biological dads house, which turns her life upside down.

This book broke my heart from the very first page. I felt for Jersey from the moment I met her. She was so likable and relateable because before the tornado she had teh same feelings as any other teenager on the planet. She was annoyed by her younger sister so much so that she constantly yelled at her to go away, and she resented her mother for always thinking about her sister irst and her second. These are all things that we all feel at one time or another. But when she loses those two people she is now reminded of what she had and the fact that she will never see those people ever again. It was heartbreaking to read.

What also made me emotional was her stepfather, who survived as well but was so devastated by the loss of his wife and child that he could not stand to be around Jersey anymore so he sent her away to her fathers house, who she hasn't seen in years, without giving jersey I chance to say goodbye to those she lost. I felt devastated for her. I honestly do not think I have felt this strongly about a character of a book, ever. I anted to jump into those pages and rescue her because it seemed like no one else would. But what really got my emotions going was when she arrived at her fathers house and she is treated like the scum of the earth. Every person in that house was mean and vindictive and I wanted to hurt every single one of them.

What I think i loved the most about this book was the end. There was no ribbon tying everything up, there was no forgiveness to those that treated Jersey so poorly but there was a glimmer of hope, and honestly for a book like Torn away that is all you can really expect because it feels real. You do not get over a death in 300 pages. It just doesn't happen that fast and I loved that Jersey found some sort of peace in her life and was starting new. It was great to read.