Title: Little Do We Know
Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Publication: June 5, 2018
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Genre: YA Fiction, Religious
Pages: 416
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Next-door neighbors and ex-best friends Hannah and Emory haven’t spoken in months. Not since the fight—the one where they said things they couldn’t take back.
Now, Emory is fine-tuning her UCLA performing arts application and trying to make the most of the months she has left with her boyfriend, Luke, before they head off to separate colleges. Meanwhile, Hannah’s strong faith is shaken when her family’s financial problems come to light, and she finds herself turning to unexpected places—and people—for answers to the difficult questions she’s suddenly facing.
No matter how much Hannah and Emory desperately want to bridge the thirty-six steps between their bedroom windows, they can’t. Not anymore.
Until their paths cross unexpectedly when, one night, Hannah finds Luke doubled over in his car outside her house. In the aftermath of the accident, all three struggle to understand what happened in their own ways. But when a devastating secret about Hannah and Emory’s argument ultimately comes to light, they must all reexamine the things they hold true.
In alternating chapters, a skeptic and a believer piece together the story of their complex relationship and the boy caught somewhere in the middle. New York Times best-selling author Tamara Ireland Stone deftly crafts a moving portrait of faith, love, and friendship.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Not only does Little Do We know by Tamara Ireland Stone have a gorgeous and eye catching cover, but the story itself is one to talk about. Stone has given us a glance into the life of two girls who have very different backgrounds, but somehow their lives intertwine to make this bis, messy picture of beauty.
The story follows Emory and Hannah, two best friends who grew up together and now don’t speak due to a disagreement that may have been the ultimate end to a friendship. The book continues on as both girls juggle their lives of theater, love, conflicting feelings about life and religion, and then trying to deal with a catastrophic incident that ultimately brings them together, even if they don’t want to be.
Stone writes a book about religion without making it feel like someone is shoving a bible down your throat. This is a coming of age story where finding yourself and where you fit into the world feels like spiraling out of control towards graduation and the great big world. I loved these characters. Emory was wild and free spirited, allowing for life to just happen and enjoy the time with friends and her boyfriend. Hannah was a little more uptight, having been raised in a slightly stricter environment, yet curious about the world and the things she did not understand. I enjoyed seeing Stone’s take on how one event can bring multiple people from different walks of life and different situations together and end up bringing out the best in people.
This story is inspiring, heart wrenching at times, and so filled with the love of family, the love of friends, and the love of significant others that I couldn’t help but want to shout out from the rooftops how everyone should read it. The world could do with a little more understanding and Stone shows us just how that can occur in Little Do We know.
STAR RATING: 5/5
Little Do We Know will be available on June 5, 2018 on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local bookstores. Make sure to add it to your Goodreads To Read list and leave your feedback for the author when you are finished. Tamara Ireland Stone has many more books previously released and all can be found on her website HERE, including Every Last Word, which was released in 2015. You can find our review of it HERE! Go pick it up and pre-order Little Do We Know now!
