Tuesday, February 14, 2023

A Valentine's Day read... Your Dream For Me by Alison Schaffir

Happy Valentine's Day! To celebrate, I have a romantic read. The swishing in of sewing mixed with all the drama of theater caught my attention. I am expecting this one to be leaning toward the sweet romance with all the usual cliches...but let's just see if that truly sums it up.




YOUR DREAM FOR ME
by Alison Schaffir
Level Best Books - Level Elevate
Young Adult Romance


COMING...
MARCH 7th!!!







Seventeen-year-old Scarlett, unlike her theatrically gifted parents, is not one to spend time near a spotlight. Scarlett dreams of becoming a renowned fashion designer, where she can flex her creative talents away from a crowd. So it's no surprise when she sneaks into her school's costume shop to explore the racks. Unexpected, however, is coming face-to-face with Nathaniel Wilder, a talented theater student who piques a new interest.

With fashion still as her main priority, Scarlett vows to learn how to make a 50s-inspired dress for her best friend, Macie. After all, she needs a strong portfolio of work to help her get into her dream school, the Fashion Institute of Technology. The one problem? She has no idea how to operate a sewing machine. Thanks to Nathaniel's encouragement, Scarlett decides to shadow the school's drama teacher to practice her skills, hoping to fuse her passion for fashion with theater...and be closer to him for the spring play.

Scarlett's designs are unfolding, but a distressing event involving Macie shakes everyone in Scarlett's world—causing their friendship to falter and Nathaniel to unexpectedly pull away. With building stressors threatening the rest of the year, including a rival who wants to tarnish Scarlett's reputation, Scarlett must rely on her determined spirit and newfound sewing skills to keep her fashion dreams—and her most important relationships—from unraveling.

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75479674-your-dream-for-me
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Dream-Me-Alison-Schaffir-ebook/dp/B0BQ8BQN97
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/?ean=9781685122140


MY TIDBITS

Steering through future dreams, high school drama, college hopes, and a little romance, this is a cute read.

Scarlett's parents might entertain an audience with their on-stage talent, but Scarlett prefers to stay out of the spotlight and create the costumes. After high school, she hopes to attend a great fashion school, but that also means that she has a lot of work ahead of her...and she might be in need of a little help along the way. Luckily, when searching through the theater club's stored wardrobe, she runs into an interesting Senior, who's not only a talented actor but guides her in the right direction. He also captures her interest. Scarlett's life is anything but easy, and soon, she finds herself battling on many fronts and isn't sure she won't fail miserably at all of them.

This is high school romance pure. It holds more than a few cliches...and that's good so. Scarlett's plate is packed full like many high school students. She's trying to balance family, a job, classes, future college dreams, and general life...and that while still having to learn a lot about...well, everything. Her reactions are very fitting to the age group and jump right along with her emotions. She tries her best but has quite a bit to learn, not only about sewing but about relationships and herself. 

Scarlett is a determined girl, who isn't really scared to speak her mind but just doesn't always know how to handle things. It's easy to root for her as she deals with life as best as she can. Especially her best friend throws in a familiar side, which does a great job at reflecting friendship at the age. The romance doesn't overtake the plot completely, which was a nice bonus, and the ending does twist all of this in an unexpected way. It is a bit odd on the time flow, at times, but never confusing. I also would have enjoyed a bit more depth on the fashion end, since she does have such an interest in it as her future career.

High school romance fans are sure to enjoy this one quite a bit. It's an easy read with aspects to predict as well as a couple which surprise. 

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