Saving Red by Sonya Sones

I became familiar with Sonya Sones, the author, through her husband, Bennett Tramer, another famous writer (remember Saved by the Bell?) who happens to frequent the same coffee shop in Santa Monica that my friends and I go to on Sunday mornings. Cafe Zella, like many other businesses in California was in lockdown but is now open again with restrictions of course.

The action in Saving Red takes place in large part in Santa Monica, my home town, and Cafe Zella is mentioned in the book.

Here is my review:

I read this novel in one sitting, couldn’t put it down. It’s a touching but unsentimental tale of a young girl, trying to complete her community service school project by counting the homeless people in Santa Monica, CA. Before she knows it, she becomes involved in a series of turbulent adventures, trying to reunite a troubled, homeless girl with her family before Christmas. Her passion to help this girl is fueled by her genuine good heart but also by feelings of guilt about that terrible thing that happened in her own family and which she feels responsible for.

Saving Red, written in verse that captures the emotions and thoughts of these young protagonists perfectly, is a real gem. It’s the first book I read by the author, but it won’t be my last. It’s written for young adults and those older ones who are still young at heart! Highly recommended.

Check it out on Sonya Sones’ website: https://www.sonyasones.com/ or on Amazon.

More books to follow. Have a great and entertaining reading weekend!