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    Dancing in the Rain
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    Dancing in the Rain
    Unavailable
    Dancing in the Rain
    Ebook283 pages6 hours

    Dancing in the Rain

    By Shelley Hrdlitschka

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    While struggling with the death of her beloved adoptive mother, sixteen-year-old Brenna reconnects with members of her biological family, hoping to discover why her biological mother broke off contact many years earlier. At the same time, she is falling in love with Ryan, who provides support while she grieves but has to leave her when she needs him most. Despite powerful feelings of abandonment, Brenna realizes that getting strong physically and focusing on the needs of others might just help her move beyond her crippling grief, find peace and plan a future for herself.

    Dancing in the Rain continues the story that began in Shelley Hrdlitschka’s bestselling Dancing Naked.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateSep 6, 2016
    ISBN9781459810679
    Unavailable
    Dancing in the Rain
    Author

    Shelley Hrdlitschka

    Shelley Hrdlitschka has written many novels for teens, including Sister Wife, which was nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award. She lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia, where she hikes, snowshoes and hangs out with grizzly bears at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife.

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    Reviews for Dancing in the Rain

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    • 4/5
      Are the two journals her now-dead adoptive mother, Joanna, saved to be given to Brenna on her sixteenth birthday a likely metaphor for the Nature vs Nurture concept? It seems so, with one journal having entries written before Brenna was born by her then-pregnant birth mother, Kia -- Brenna has always known she was adopted and even has old greeting cards she's received from her birth mother -- and the other journal is blank and meant for Brenna to enter her own thoughts. It is Brenna's adoptive father who's the bearer of these two journals on the day she turns sixteen. However, he is struggling with the death of his wife from Breast Cancer, as is Brenna's younger sister, Nayse, the natural-born daughter of Brenna's adoptive parents. Brenna, her father, and sister, are now just a family of three, three souls trying to deal with loss. The story opens at a memorial service for Brenna's adoptive mother, with a minister, Justin Matthews, reading a poem written by Joanna. He also knew, in his youth, Brenna's birth mother, Kia, and after the service the clergyman reveals to Brenna that he was there when Brenna was born, adding that Brenna should feel free in the future to talk to him if she so pleases. Another person at the service is Ryan, a young man who works at Grouse Mountain, where Brenna's mother was employed and where Brenna volunteers. When Brenna returns to her summer volunteer shifts, Ryan asks her to take challenging mountain hikes with him, presenting the idea that the climbs might be a way to help her heal. Ryan, an Australian transplant, when back home years before experienced the loss of a brother, so perhaps he knows best. Brenna is contacted around this time by a woman named, Angie Hazlewood, via a Facebook message. Brenna recognizes the last name of Hazlewood as also being her birth mother's surname. She does agree to meet with Angie, who'd kindly offered condolences on the passing of Brenna's adoptive mother. Angie Hazlewood has heard the news from Rev. Justin Matthews -- an old family friend. Meanwhile, though reluctant at first, Brenna becomes closer to Ryan on their mountain climbs and their friendship grows. Over the course of the summer she finds herself falling in love with Ryan. It is too-soon time to return to school, where her sister, Nayse, gets in with a fast crowd and begins to act out. If that's not enough to deal with, Ryan now tells her that he may need to go back to Australia. Throughout, all the tension Brenna feels of trying to accept her adoptive mother's passing, of abandonment and never knowing her birth mother except for the sixteen-year-old Kia's journal entries, and the possibility of losing Ryan, are tautly expressed in Brenna's own journal entries. DANCING IN THE RAIN, did at times border on sentimental in tone. Even so, for this reviewer, the realistic characters and situations supported by well-crafted plot scenes kept me immersed in Brenna's story. The loss of a mother while still a teenager is uniquely traumatic and sad. Still, I wasn't disappointed when the book took a different path than the searching for self-identity premise I expected. I certainly wanted to find out how it all ended. An added touch is that as each new chapter opens a quote is presented. Here's the one that gives the book its title: Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. (VIVIAN GREENE)Nature, as a healer, I found to be a refreshing and apropos fit to this book's storyline. The blurb on the back cover states that this story continues what began with Shelley Hrdlitschka's DANCING NAKED. Perhaps a third book will follow. Either way, this one is a well-done and satisfying read for a 12+ young adult audience.
    • 4/5
      The main character in this novel has a lot to juggle: her adoptive mother has just died, her sister is acting out, and she falls in love with the attractive Aussie who has to head home soon. On top of all that, she is considering whether or not to reconnect with her biological family. A page turner with a realistic and likable narrator.
    • 4/5
      I was pleased to win a copy of Dancing in the Rain by Shelley Hrdilitschka through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. This book did a good job of tackling many heavy topics including open adoption, loss of a parent and grief. Seventeen year old, Brenna, is still reeling from the loss of her mother to breast cancer a few months earlier. In addition her mother left her with the diary of her birth mother which Brenna has started to read after her mother's death. Learning she was adopted makes Brenna feel another sense of loss and struggling to make sense of her feelings. As she works to put her life back in order she meets a young man that works at the wildlife preserve where she works who helps who become emotionally strong by being more physically strong. I enjoyed this book as well as the characters especially Ryan and Brenna and am hoping that we will hear more about them in a future book.
    • 3/5
      Brenna's adoptive mother has died of cancer. She leaves behind a gift for Brenna's 16th birthday - a journal written by Brenna's birth mother when she was pregnant. In the middle of her loss, Brenna begins to learn about family she didn't know she had. A young man at work, facing his own losses, helps her heal and become stronger.
    • 4/5
      Dancing in the Rain is about a 16 year old girl dealing with the death of her adoptive mother. Brenna has a lot to deal with right now, her adoptive mother passed away, she id trying to decide if she wants to reconnect with her biological family, and there is a boy showing interest in her.This book is actually a follow up to another, called Dancing Naked. That book is about Kia and her teen pregnancy - with Brenna, so this book now is following the daughter in her adoptive family and life. I did not read that first book but I don't think it is necessary as you get enough information from this one about Kia and her story to know about Brenna. However, if you are interested in Dancing Naked this may give you too much insight into that book.I really enjoyed this story. Brenna is a very real character dealing with real emotions. I think I was reading this at the right time too since I have been dealing with a lot of emotions lately. Grief is so hard and this story shows Brenna's growth and adjustment as she deals with it. I love this character growth. There is also a romantic element as in most YA books but this one was not the complete focus as Brenna is dealing with other things too - I liked that as well.If you enjoy contemporary and don't mind the possibility of a few tears, this one is for you.