Page Princess: SAFE AND SOUND by Lindy Zart

Title: SAFE AND SOUND

Author: Lindy Zart

Publish Date: 12.23.13 (4^th edition)

Publisher: Lindy Zart

Category /Genre: Chick-Lit, YA, Dark Drama

Recommended for: 14+ due to mature themes

Grammar/editing: A – near perfect

Received from: Lindy Zart (in exchange for an honest review)

Goodreads: Safe & Sound

Date completed: 01.24.14

Description from the publisher:

This is Lola's story. She has a secret no one can know. Once a safe haven, her home has turned into a prison, and she fears if she doesn't somehow escape, she will lose herself completely.

She finds her escape in Jack; a troubled young man with a cynical smile and eyes that see all Lola tries to hide. But even Jack can't save her from the evil at home.

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Lola has lived a pretty normal life for seventeen years. The only misery to have been experienced, though not a small one, was the loss of her father when she was four years old. Her mother marries Bob Holden and now every day is an escalating hell to be endured. She no longer has her best friends. Bob controls every aspect of her life. She believes nobody outside of her house knows what is going on. Then she meets Jack Forrester. Jack just knows. He knows and he understands, but his own home is another version of hell. When the hell of Lola's home becomes too much, Jack can't save her. Is there any intervention available?

This is a frightening story that could be pulled from the files of any social worker in any state. Jack and Lola are each embroiled in their own miseries at home, when they meet, and meet again. Together they find strength in the other to face the demons of their hearths. This is a sweet, first-love story with a very dark streak of reality.

I loved this story. The characters, primary and secondary, are all very well-developed. The plot moves at a comfortable speed. The only thing I didn't like was it felt like it should have been written in first-person and instead was in third person. Because of this, it felt like nearly every other sentence was "Lola did…" "Lola thought…" Her name was used over 1,000 times! Luckily, I do love the names Jack and Lola, so it wasn't as horrible as it could have been with another name; I am a Parrotthead and kept humming Jimmy Buffett's "Frank and Lola" while I was reading for most of the book.

This is the second book I have read from Ms. Zart and I continue to love her imagination. I am one of the many following her on Facebook (you know that is the acceptable kind of "stalking") and hoping for an early release of COMPLETE (Incomplete #2).

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