Review: Bright Purple: Color Me Confused by Melody Carlson

Title: Bright Purple: Color Me Confused
Author: Melody Carlson
Series: True Colors #10
Format: Paperback
Release Date: August 22, 2006
Genre(s): YA, Realistic Fiction, Christian Fiction
Rating:

 

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Summary

Jessica LeCroix drops a bomb on her best friend, Ramie: “I’m a lesbian.” Ramie Grant cannot believe her ears. Jess!? Her best friend, her teammate…a homosexual?

Before long other girls on the basketball team find out, and little jokes become vicious attacks. In the end, Ramie must decide if she will stand by Jessica’s side or turn her back on a friend in need.

The tenth book in the teen fiction series True Colors, Bright Purple examines the subjects of sexuality, identity, and forgiveness. Includes discussion questions.

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Review

Plot: Jessica and Ramie have been best friends since they were little girls. But then Jess admits to Ramie one day that she's lesbian. Ramie turns her back on her best friend and decides she can't handle having a best friend who is lesbian. Through the course of the story she learns what it means to be a real friend and how to stick up for the ones you love.
 

Character: Ramie- Honestly, Ramie is the reason I'm giving this book such a low rating. Once her best friend (I mean literally the best friend in her life) turns out to be lesbian, she just drops her. No questions asked, no support whatsoever. She avoids her and belittles her and turns on her  best friend. I guess in the end she gets a little better but I just don't get her. How could you completely abandon someone you were so close to?
 

Cover: It's the same basic cover as the others in this series, matching the color in it's title.
 

Closing Thoughts: Maybe I'm being harsh on these books, but honestly I think they could be so much better! They talk about such serious topics but usually end up letting me down. This one especially. I hated the main character and found myself being annoyed through the whole thing. 
 

Where to find Melody Carlson:

Website l Goodreads
 

Sweet Daydreams,

Brooke

Review: Bitter Rose: Color Me Crushed by Melody Carlson

 

Title: Bitter Rose: Color Me Crushed
Author: Melody Carlson
Series: True Colors #8
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 5, 2006
Genre(s): YA, Realistic Fiction, Christian Fiction
Rating:


 

 

 

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Summary

Maggie blames her mom for the family's disintegration. "She’s driven him away with her constant nagging and complaining and arguing. Honestly, who could stand to live with that woman?" she vents to her friend Claire.

However, there's more to the story, and Maggie desperately wants to know the truth--something nobody seems willing to tell her.

The eighth book in the TrueColors teen fiction series, Bitter Rose takes an honest look at divorce, forgiveness, and relationships.

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Review

Plot: Maggie has always been closer to her dad than her mom. Especially for the last couple months. Her mom has been nagging constantly and always in a bad mood. Especially with her dad! So when her dad decides to move out for good, Maggie is angry with her mom. How could she do this to their family? But throughout the length of the book she figures out that maybe she was wrong about everything.
 

Character: Maggie- She has a very strong personality. She wants a job so she goes out and gets one. She goes after a boy much older than her and she's not afraid of much. But even under her tough exterior you can see that her family's split has caused her to feel pain.
 

Cover: It's the same basic cover as the others in this series, matching the color in it's title.
 

Closing Thoughts: I think I'm going to give all these books in this series two out of four. They are really short reads and I enjoy reading them, but there's just nothing that stands out to me. It has good themes and I like how they all are very religious, though.
 

Where to find Melody Carlson:

Website l Goodreads
 

Sweet Daydreams,

Brooke

Review: Faded Denim: Color Me Trapped by Melody Carlson

Title: Faded Denim: Color Me Scarred
Author: Melody Carlson
Series: True Colors #9
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 15, 2006
Genre(s): YA, Realistic Fiction, Christian Fiction

Rating:

 

 

 

 

 

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Summary

All of Emily's friends seem so perfect: skinny and pretty and fun and flirty. Emily loathes her slightly overweight body, and as her secret bitterness begins to eat away at her soul, she faces the dark prospect of developing an eating disorder.

This ninth book in the TrueColor teen fiction series, Faded Denim takes a serious look at the important issues of body image and eating disorders. Includes discussion questions.

 

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Review

Plot: Emily isn't the thinnest person in the world. But honestly, she doesn't care. Well, that is, until her best friend starts trying to be a model. She's dragged along to fashion shows, shopping trips, and even a modeling camp. There she learns tips and tricks on how to lose weight. Of course, it's not the healthy way...

 

Character(s): Emily- She starts out as a girl who is a little insecure but doesn't really mind her extra weight. She rolls her eyes when her dad comments on her eating rather than getting offended. But throughout the book she starts to hate herself more and more until she can't even stand it. Her entire character changed.

 

Cover: All the covers of these books have the same basic theme. The only difference is the girl looks different and the color is different. I actually like the simplicity of it. Especially because there are so many.

 

Closing Thoughts: I'm only giving this book a two out of four unfortunately. I liked it a lot and it definitely was relateable and had good themes. But I've been reading a lot of realistic books like this (such as Wintergirls) and it wasn't anything special. It was good and I enjoyed reading it, but it definitely wasn't a page turner.

 

Where to find Melody Carlson:

Website l Goodreads



 

 

Sweet Daydreams,

Brooke