Life in the Balance by Jen Petro-Roy | Blog Tour Turn the Page Tour

Title: Life in the Balance

Author: Jen Petro-Roy

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre(s): Middle Grade Fiction

Release date: February 16th, 2021

Buy link: Click here to buy!

SYNOPSIS

Veronica struggles to balance softball, friends, and family turmoil in this new honest and heartfelt middle grade novel by Jen Petro-Roy, Life in the Balance.

Veronica Conway has been looking forward to trying out for the All-Star softball team for years. She's practically been playing the game since she was a baby. She should have this tryout on lock.

Except right before tryouts, Veronica’s mom announces that she’s entering rehab for alcoholism, and her dad tells her that they may not be able to afford the fees needed to be on the team.

Veronica decides to enter the town talent show in an effort to make her own money, but along the way discovers a new hobby that leads her to doubt her feelings for the game she thought she loved so much.

Is her mom the only one learning balance, or can Veronica find a way to discover what she really wants to do with her life?

TOUR SCHEDULE

February 21st

Belle’s Archive – Spotlight
Melancholic Blithe – Review & Author Interview

GIVEAWAY!

Up for grabs we have ONE (1) finished copy of Life in the Balance by Jen Petro-Roy! This giveaway is open to US residents only and will run from February 15th to February 22nd at 11:59 PM CST. To enter, click the button below!

MY REVIEW

Thank you Jen Petro-Roy, the Publisher, Netgalley and Turn the Page Tour team for sending me a digital copy of Life in the Balance in exchange for an honest review.

Life in the Balance is a truly a heartfelt story about a tween character named Veronica who's been trying to cope with the struggles of having an alcoholic mother. Veronica loves her mother so much to the point that they share the same thing; the passion for softball game. Before the condition of her mother being an alcoholic getting worsen, she always trains Veronica to be a good softball player. Veronica even dreams to be accepted into the most accomplished softball team; the All-Star softball team. But to no avail, her dream seems slipping through her grasp when her mother goes to rehab for 2 months in order to treat her alcoholism. Throughout the story, I felt pity for Veronica because she yearns for her mother's presence at times she feels lost and alone. The author did a great job in giving Veronica a distinct voice because it felt so real when she's pressed about the financial problems (she couldn't afford the fees for the All-Star softball program) and the miscommunication she has with her dad (who's juggling about 2-3 temporary jobs in order to support the household and the rehab's cost). This book is written from the first point of view of Veronica. It's undeniably heart-wrenching to read the course of the story from a child's point of view. I didn't know that a simple narration could give a huge impact on me.

Overall, it is an eye-opening read to me. I'll definitely recommend this book to those who have always questioned about uncertainties in their life and for those to appreciate the presence of their loved ones. This story is fully brimmed with a beautifully flawed family, friendships, and the attractive vulnerabilities that lead to a heartwarming story.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jen Petro-Roy writes “honest books with heart,” about kids who are strong, determined, unsure, struggling to fit in, bubbly, shy, and everything in between. She is the author of P.S. I MISS YOU, GOOD ENOUGH, YOU ARE ENOUGH, and LIFE IN THE BALANCE (out February 2021), all from Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends.

When she isn’t writing, Jen can be found reading, playing board games, belting out songs in the car to embarrass her two daughters, and working as an eating disorder awareness advocate.