⇒ Read Dear Cassie Lisa Burstein 9781620612545 Books

Dear Cassie Lisa Burstein 9781620612545 Books

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Dear Cassie Lisa Burstein 9781620612545 Books

Excellent for fans of First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky or Pushing the Limits and Dare You To by Katie McGarry, DEAR CASSIE is a contemporary tale that will resonate with many readers from beginning to end. Although reading the companion novel, PRETTY AMY, is not entirely necessary in order to understand and enjoy DEAR CASSIE, I do believe that if you want to gain a full appreciation for some of the revelations in this novel, you should consider reading the companion novel, as well.

If you recall, during the pages of PRETTY AMY, the "cusses-like-a-sailor" Cassie found herself convicted of the crimes that occurred in that novel. As a result, she has been send to a boot camp of sorts for delinquent teens, and that is where she finds herself in the opening pages of DEAR CASSIE. But DEAR CASSIE is less about Cassie dealing with the repercussions of her mistakes on prom night (despite the fact that it is the reason she is where she is) and more about her own personal demons with regard to a much, much larger problem.

I found myself quite surprised by the depth of emotion contained within the pages of DEAR CASSIE. How Lisa manages to interweave Cassie's ongoing story with the events that occurred in her earlier novel are surreal and also carefully plotted. Cassie has been keeping some secrets from everyone and she is about to face them head-on as she learns to take responsibility for herself and for others at Turning Pines Wilderness Camp.

For a good part of the book, Cassie merely seems to be going through the motions - albeit with frequently snarky remarks and "choice" words. Resistant at first, as one would expect of a girl who thinks the whole world is against her, Lisa Burstein finds slow and subtle ways to reveal Cassie's true self, all thanks to the people she meets and through the passages of her personal journal. Cassie is not the most likable person, by any means, more she is someone who will likely grow on you when you least expect it. Just as she miraculously appealed to the carefree and seemingly harmless character, Ben, Cassie will find her way into your heart, as well. Trust me. Cassie has some skeletons in her closet that will have you feeling for her in no time.

I liked the fact that help comes for Cassie where one would least expect it. Help in the form of various characters Cassie meets while at Turning Pines. The mute but keenly observant Troyer becomes an unusual but true friend to Cassie. She is Cassie's opposite in every way, and just might be what the doctor ordered for the troubled teen. Then there is the bombastic Nez, who has a few noticeable "issues" of her own, and in a way Cassie learns from her as well. Finally, there is Ben. Yup, of course he's going to be the love interest, but he offers Cassie is so much more than a gentle hand. I won't say anything more for fear of spoiling the book, but just know that Ben will surprise you (and Cassie) in very unexpected ways.

Also an excellent book about camp life and wilderness training, the only items that I had issue with in DEAR CASSIE include 1) the extensive use of foul language (of course). (But I give great exception on my typical aversion when it comes DEAR CASSIE because Cassie would not be the character she is without the distasteful words which she uses as a shield.) Be advised that if you have younger teens reading this book, they will be exposed to almost every manner in which foul language can be used. And 2) the ending was a bit more abrupt than I had anticipated it to be. While I do have faith that we have not seen the end of Cassie, I wish there had been slightly more closure to her story in this entry.

Have you ever done anything in your life you regretted? How did you find ways to bring yourself peace and, even more importantly, to forgive yourself for what you have done? If any of the questions above pertain to you (or even if they don't) I encourage you to read DEAR CASSIE today. Through Cassie, readers will learn about forgiveness. They will realize that no matter how bad things seem to be and that, though our lives may not turn out as we expected it to, there are ways that one can persevere and still be happy.

When push comes to shove there are few lessons in life greater than that.


Tags : Dear Cassie [Lisa Burstein] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A novel by Lisa Burstein,Lisa Burstein,Dear Cassie,Entangled Publishing, LLC,1620612542,Social Themes - Emotions & Feelings,Camps,Camps;Fiction.,Emotional problems,Emotional problems;Fiction.,Interpersonal relations,Interpersonal relations;Fiction.,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fiction,JUVENILE FICTION Social Themes General (see also headings under Family),Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Emotions & Feelings,Juvenile FictionLove & Romance,Love & Romance,Personal & social issues (Children's Teenage),Social Themes - General,Young Adult Fiction,Young Adult Fiction Social Themes Emotions & Feelings,Juvenile Fiction Love & Romance

Dear Cassie Lisa Burstein 9781620612545 Books Reviews

I loved Lisa Burstein's first book, Pretty Amy and have been eagerly awaiting Cassie's story. It was everything I expected and more. I knew she was a broken person, more broken than Amy, but I didn't expect to embrace her as much as I did. I saw more of myself in Cassie, then I did in Amy so I think it was easier to connect with her. Their personalities were so different, yet the books gave me that same raw emotion. I really just love Lisa Burstein's writing and she has become an auto-buy author for me. She is able to capture the dark and real emotions that the characters go through so well that you want to climb inside the book and either hug them, yell at them, or smack some sense into them. That is what I look for in a book. That's what makes a book reach my favorites list!

Cassie is not a character that I liked very much at first. The perception we get of her from Amy's story really makes her seem like a bully who doesn't care about anyone except herself, and really, she kind of is. But when you start to get to know the real her, and she gets to know herself better, things really change. It was so heartbreaking to know that she was beating her self up both literally and figuratively over something that she had gone through. That she wasn't able to forgive herself and thought she needed to be punished. She felt like she deserved worse than what she was going through. It was so sad to read some of it. She is not really a strong person for most of the book. When we start off she is actually weak, hopeless, unforgiving, and very much alone. It isn't until she lets herself open up, just barely to one of her cabin mates, and to Ben that she is able to start wanting to change herself. To start forgiving herself for things that she can't change. In the end, I really liked Cassie.

What I really loved about this one was Ben. He is such a big part of it and he was so funny, and charming, but could still be super aggravating at times too. I loved the lightness he was able to bring to it. He never lets up on Cassie even when she tries so hard to push him away. He knows that there is a better person underneath than what she shows on the surface. He also knows that she is really hurting inside and wants to help her. He wants to care about her and have her care back. Ben was quite a mystery for a lot of the book. We know why everyone else is at this camp from hell, but we don't find out why Ben is there until almost the end and it made me love him that much more! I loved that he pushed Cassie's buttons and wouldn't let her shut him down no matter how many times she tried. He knew he wanted to get to know her and that there is a good soul inside of her even if she didn't think so.

This book was amazing. I love to read stories that are realistic, honest, and deep. I love being proven wrong about what I might initially think of certain characters and grow to like, and even sometimes love them when I thought there was no way. The beauty and honesty of the writing is just breathtaking. I love how much Lisa Burstein can make me feel while reading her words on a page. I loved Amy's story, I loved Cassie's story, and I can't wait for Lila's story because I have no doubt I will love that too.
Excellent for fans of First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky or Pushing the Limits and Dare You To by Katie McGarry, DEAR CASSIE is a contemporary tale that will resonate with many readers from beginning to end. Although reading the companion novel, PRETTY AMY, is not entirely necessary in order to understand and enjoy DEAR CASSIE, I do believe that if you want to gain a full appreciation for some of the revelations in this novel, you should consider reading the companion novel, as well.

If you recall, during the pages of PRETTY AMY, the "cusses-like-a-sailor" Cassie found herself convicted of the crimes that occurred in that novel. As a result, she has been send to a boot camp of sorts for delinquent teens, and that is where she finds herself in the opening pages of DEAR CASSIE. But DEAR CASSIE is less about Cassie dealing with the repercussions of her mistakes on prom night (despite the fact that it is the reason she is where she is) and more about her own personal demons with regard to a much, much larger problem.

I found myself quite surprised by the depth of emotion contained within the pages of DEAR CASSIE. How Lisa manages to interweave Cassie's ongoing story with the events that occurred in her earlier novel are surreal and also carefully plotted. Cassie has been keeping some secrets from everyone and she is about to face them head-on as she learns to take responsibility for herself and for others at Turning Pines Wilderness Camp.

For a good part of the book, Cassie merely seems to be going through the motions - albeit with frequently snarky remarks and "choice" words. Resistant at first, as one would expect of a girl who thinks the whole world is against her, Lisa Burstein finds slow and subtle ways to reveal Cassie's true self, all thanks to the people she meets and through the passages of her personal journal. Cassie is not the most likable person, by any means, more she is someone who will likely grow on you when you least expect it. Just as she miraculously appealed to the carefree and seemingly harmless character, Ben, Cassie will find her way into your heart, as well. Trust me. Cassie has some skeletons in her closet that will have you feeling for her in no time.

I liked the fact that help comes for Cassie where one would least expect it. Help in the form of various characters Cassie meets while at Turning Pines. The mute but keenly observant Troyer becomes an unusual but true friend to Cassie. She is Cassie's opposite in every way, and just might be what the doctor ordered for the troubled teen. Then there is the bombastic Nez, who has a few noticeable "issues" of her own, and in a way Cassie learns from her as well. Finally, there is Ben. Yup, of course he's going to be the love interest, but he offers Cassie is so much more than a gentle hand. I won't say anything more for fear of spoiling the book, but just know that Ben will surprise you (and Cassie) in very unexpected ways.

Also an excellent book about camp life and wilderness training, the only items that I had issue with in DEAR CASSIE include 1) the extensive use of foul language (of course). (But I give great exception on my typical aversion when it comes DEAR CASSIE because Cassie would not be the character she is without the distasteful words which she uses as a shield.) Be advised that if you have younger teens reading this book, they will be exposed to almost every manner in which foul language can be used. And 2) the ending was a bit more abrupt than I had anticipated it to be. While I do have faith that we have not seen the end of Cassie, I wish there had been slightly more closure to her story in this entry.

Have you ever done anything in your life you regretted? How did you find ways to bring yourself peace and, even more importantly, to forgive yourself for what you have done? If any of the questions above pertain to you (or even if they don't) I encourage you to read DEAR CASSIE today. Through Cassie, readers will learn about forgiveness. They will realize that no matter how bad things seem to be and that, though our lives may not turn out as we expected it to, there are ways that one can persevere and still be happy.

When push comes to shove there are few lessons in life greater than that.