Good Choice Reading: Review: Reluctance by Cindy C. Bennett

Reluctance
By Cindy C. Bennett
ebook, 54 pages
Published March 26th 2012
By Noble Young Adult
GoodReads

Twenty-year-old Dahlia hates the life that she is forced to lead. But the time is quickly coming when she must make a decision that will shape the rest of her life. She's set her sights on Jace. He is someone her family will approve of, someone that will finally gain her acceptance among her people. Then Cam comes into her life, making her question what she assumed was her inevitable destiny, giving her hope that she might be able to lead the normal existence that she longs for. But fate has its own plan for Dahlia. Now she has to find courage she didn’t know she possessed to fight for her own future.

My Take:

I really enjoyed this book. This short story was full of surprises but had an important message. The story is about what many young adults strive to achieve, acceptance. Dahlia is at a very important time in her life. She never felt like she fit in anywhere, even in her family. Dahlia has to make a very important choice soon that will impact her future.

She has set her eye on a handsome young man, who is very popular and everything her family would approve of. She feels that if she can grab his attention then she will finally find what she has always wanted…to be accepted. But in her quest to achieve this she meets Cam, who has his eyes set on her. He is everything that she wants but not what her family will accept. She becomes friends with him and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. In the time she is with Cam, Jace starts to notice her…will she make the right choice?

This story deals with a topic that many young adults face. Many try to do what they think is for the best only to have it turn into a disaster. And when the right choice is right in front of you, you don’t take notice. Acceptance is not about what others think…it is about being who you are and being happy with yourself. This book demonstrates that sometimes you need to do what is right for you and not what you think is expected of you. That all you have to do is accept yourself, everything else with fall into place. Dahlia has many twists and turns in her story. What path will she choose?

I enjoyed seeing this character grow as the story progressed and also finding out that things may not always be what they seem. It was very well written from a young woman’s point of view and what is going through her head as the story progresses. I look forward to reading more from this author.