Book Review: Dancing With Ana by Nicole Barker

Dancing With Ana by Nicole Barker
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: The Golden Road Press
Pages: 170
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Summary: Beth is a lucky girl…She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she’s grown up with has the most amazing green eyes…
Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed. Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat? Sixteen year old Beth Baxter’s life merely resembles the one she’s always known. Her father has left. She is falling for Jeremy Duscana and the diet she started has somehow turned into an obsession. Yet her three best friends remain the same, always there for her. But even their love can’t save her from herself. Dancing With Ana. A story about the journey to acceptance of one’s own reality, the incredible bond that exists between friends and a love that truly endures all things.
My Review: Dancing With Ana is a fast paced book that deals with serious teenage matters. Beth on the surface seems like a well-put together girl. She has a good relationship with her mother, caring friends, and her best guy friend Jeremy has been in love with her for a long time. However, ever since Beth's father left them behind, she's been dealing with her pain by losing weight. At first, it was your typical diet but then, it turned into an obsession which caused her to purge. I thought the book was very intriguing but at times the writing was a bit amateur. However, the issues that the book presented could be relatable to a lot of teens or even adults that deal with the same problems on a daily basis. I mostly enjoyed the blooming relationship between Beth and Jeremy since I am a sucker for a happy ending. Overall, not a bad book.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Author's Info: Nicole Barker grew up in Portland, Oregon and attended Southern Oregon State College in the town of Ashland. Nestled in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains, Nicole took to writing while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities with a strong emphasis on early childhood development. Shortly after graduation, she spent several months traveling around the United States and parts of Canada. Nicole now lives in South Florida with her husband, two kids, two dogs, toads, frogs, hermit crabs and fish. She is currently working on her second YA book.

Fore more info on Nicole Barker - visit her website: http://www.dancingwithana.com