Reviewed by Carissa
TITLE: rock
AUTHOR: Anyta Sunday
PUBLISHER: Sunday Publications
LENGTH: 263 pages
BLURB:
Igneous.
When Cooper’s parents divorce, he finds himself landed in Week About—one week with his mum and one week with his dad.
Only, it’s not just his dad he has to live with. There’s Lila, too: The other woman, the one who stole the rock-solid foundation of his life.
And then . . .
There’s Jace. Lila’s son. Lila’s smug, regurgitated-fish-scale-blue eyed son.
All Cooper wants is to have his family back the way it once was, but there’s something about this boy that promises things will never be the same again.
Sedimentary.
Resisting the realities of his new life, Cooper and Jace get off to a rocky start. But rocky start or not, after hundreds of shared memories together, they forge something new. A close . . . friendship.
Because friendship is all they can have. Although it’s not like they are realbrothers. . .
Metamorphic.
But how does that friendship evolve under the pressures of life?
Under pressures of the heart?
REVIEW:
Now gather ‘round children while I tell you a story. A story about a very silly girl. You see this girl–ok, let’s face it, that girl was me–so, I had this really good idea. This really great plan. I had four days to read Anyta Sunday’s new book, Rock, before I had to write the review. Four whole days. That is like an eternity for me. So I was going to drag the story out, read a bit each day around all the billion other things I had to do (*cough*hockey*cough*). It was a good plan. It was a brilliant plan.
And then I opened up the damn book on my kindle and my plan went to hell in a diamond-studded handbasket.
You see, while the narrative at first felt a bit shaky, I soon lost myself in the story. Cooper and his rocks were mesmerizing, and there was something in his voice, in his head that caught me. And as he goes from sullen and angry kid (because his dad had apparently been keeping another family on the side), to a awesome–if quirky–adult, I fell in love.
I fell in love with Jace–Cooper’s not-quite stepbrother–as Cooper fell in love with him. I fell in love with Annie–Cooper’s older sister–as she grew up and started to see the family waiting for her. I fell in love with Cooper’s friends, Bert and Ernie–yes, yes, I know–as they helped Cooper become the man he is supposed to be…in their own special kind of way.
I fell in love with all of them.
And so my plan was kaput. Because just one more chapter became just until midnight until I looked down and the book was almost finished so I might as well just finish it.
And for all that I loved it. Do love it. Part of me wants to go back and tell past!me not to start this book. Not to risk her heart so lightly. Because while I loved this book with all my booky soul, this story ripped my heart out and spread it thinly over each and every page.
Cooper loves Jase so much. In a way that he probably shouldn’t. They aren’t brothers. They aren’t even step-brothers. Except they might be. Except they could be one day. And all that unknown tears them apart. And watching them crumble like a sandcastle under the waves was so damn painful.
And Lila. Sweet merciful god of kleenex and other tissue based products, that was gut wrenching. The hope, the pain, the loss, the unknown. It took what was left of my broken and bleeding heart and shredded it like tissue paper. And that bit at the end…I had to duck my head into a pillow so my sobs would not wake my family.
So I want to warn past!me. I want to tell her to turn back, go back now. Go back where it is safe and you don’t have to know this pain.
Except past!me has always been a bit of a masochist. And she never did know when to quit when it came to a good story. And I don’t know if I could deprive her of this.
Because it is beautifully written. It has such heart. Such strength. And a quirky sense of style and humor. I loved all the rock imagery. Loved how it tied into the story. And Cooper’s need to have his rocks with him, the way they balanced him until Jace is ready to take over that job himself? It was so real.
With all that, maybe it was worth all the pain.
Because I might have had a plan–a very good plan–but I also had a damn great story to read. And I think we all know which one matters more.
RATING: 
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