No Place to Fall

October 13, 2014
Amber Vaughn—one of three Ambers in her junior class—has plenty of reasons for being good. She’s “barely sixteen,” her mother’s a fundamentalist Baptist, and her “daddy has a thirty-aught-six rifle.” But lately her parents have been distracted: her mother is worried about Amber’s older sister, whose husband deals drugs, and Amber is sure that her father is having an affair. So no one notices when Amber hooks up with her best friend’s brother, who happens to date one of the other Ambers. Debut author Brown makes a small town in North Carolina—where everyone knows everyone, and the outside world comes in via Appalachian Trail hikers—feel real, but the heart of the story is Amber, as she tries to find herself, love, and her voice (she’s a talented singer, but is afraid of singing in front of crowds). Though the no-good brother-in-law and the snarky new boy in town distract from the music—potential love interest Will may be a judge’s son, but he plays a mean banjo—Amber’s persistence and down-to-earth narration carry the story through these melodramatic additions. Ages 14–up. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM.

October 15, 2014
Fueled by a dream to make it as a singer outside of her small town, one girl struggles to make the right choices as social tensions press against her from all sides. At just 16, Amber loves nothing more than singing at church and making music with her best friend, Devon, and his handsome older brother, Will. Over the summer, she and Devon frequent the "hiker barn," where walkers of the Appalachian Trail stop to rest and be merry. Always her mother's good girl, Amber finds herself turning wild at the hiker barn. When school begins, that little bit of wild sticks to her, and soon new, difficult choices confront her: How does she juggle all the newfound male attention? How does she keep her tenuous group of friends forged over the summer together? And most importantly, how does she make her dream of becoming a trained singer come true? With family and hard times pressing in on her, it isn't long before Amber has to face the music and 'fess up. Southern charm oozes off the page, and on the whole, the read is an enjoyable ride. Still, there's little danger felt, even while Amber's family flounders and even though the price paid for poor choices is high. A quick, predictable, romantic read with a denouement that leaves much to be desired. (Fiction. 14-18)

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October 1, 2014

Gr 10 Up-In the atmospheric mountains of western North Carolina, high school junior Amber Vaughn is the peacekeeper in the family. She's pretty sure that her daddy has a sweetie on the side, her momma seems afraid to lose weight and venture outside of her safe home, and her sister Whitney married drug dealer and rock-star-wannabe Sammy when she found herself pregnant. Amber is determined to make something of herself. She has true musical talent, but is afraid that her voice will never go beyond Sunday gospel solos. When the teen learns of a scholarship to a prestigious arts school, Will, the brother of her best friend Devon, offers to help her audition. Will is the sweetheart of one of the other Ambers in her class (confusingly, there are three of them) and is therefore off-limits, but he's just so hard to resist. The more they work together, the more obvious it becomes that they should be a couple. Then, her sister's legal crises and her own misjudgment while trying to help another friend threaten to destroy everything that she's worked so hard to build. Debut author Brown is off to a wonderful start with authentic characters who speak in true voices. Amber could be the best friend you had in high school-she's funny and moody and truthful and absolutely the real deal, and readers will clamor for another well-paced story featuring her and her friends. Realistic treatment of social pot smoking, some drinking and (safe) sex make this title appropriate for mature teens.-Susan Riley, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 Amber Vaughn is an extraordinary singer from the mountains of North Carolina. But her situation isn't idyllic. Her family is poor, her father cheats on his wife, and her brother-in-law is a known drug dealer. The only thing she wants in life is to get out of her small town and sing on a real stage. During her junior year, Amber makes two major decisions: to get into an esteemed arts school in nearby Winston-Salem and to help a new friend regain his ability to play the music he loves. When the two decisions collide, the result causes complications for both herself and the people she loves the most: her family, her friends, and the boy for whom she falls hard. Lyrically written with a deep sense of place and music, Brown's story allows the heroine to stumble, falter, and suffer consequences without forcing a tidy, happy ending. There is so much joy within the pages that the sorrow hits hard and emotions rise and fall and rise again like a vocalist running scales.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
Sixteen-year-old Amber, a talented singer, auditions to attend an arts school, hoping to leave behind her family drama, but a decision she makes may derail the whole plan. The stifling nature of small towns and troubled families is well captured and the romance is appealing, but the characters often feel clichid and lifeless in this story about the choices we make.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)