"Perfect Clouds" Blog Tour: "Perfect Glass" by Laura Anderson Kurk Book Review

Back Cover Blurb:

Things get messy when Meg Kavanagh gets involved—first with Jo Russell, the eccentric old artist, and then with Quinn O’Neill, the intriguing loner who can’t hide how he feels about Meg. Her senior year isn’t turning out like she planned it, but sometimes the best parts of life happen in the in-between moments. And Henry will be home soon, right?

He commits to one year in an orphanage that needs him more than he ever dreamed. Thousands of miles from Meg and the new punk who has fallen for her, and absent from the ranch that’s in his blood, Henry Whitmire finds out what it means to trust. When you’re so far from home, it’s terrifying to realize you’re not who you thought. But the perfect glass of calamity makes the best mirror.

An identity crisis, long distance love, new temptation, and growing pains teach Henry and Meg how to hang onto each other and to what really matters.

From YA author Laura Anderson Kurk comes the sequel to Glass Girl, a lyrical, multi-generational story about love that teaches, loss that haunts empty rooms, and reunions that feel like redemption.

My Thoughts:

While reading Glass Girl a couple of years ago, I fell in love with it. Now, Perfect Glass—the much anticipated sequel to Glass Girl—had me head over heels in love all over again.

Laura Anderson Kurk's writing is so genuine that I actually found myself completely convinced that I was either watching a movie, or watching the story play out in real life. Perfect Glass couldn't have been a more "perfect" continuation of Henry and Meg's love story. Many authors can't conquer the art of writing in multiple POVs—however, Laura has mastered the art of staying true to each character's voice while telling the story through both Meg and Henry's POV. Her writing was also very quotable. In fact, I found myself trying to highlight a few sentences while I read on my Kindle, only to remember that I was reading the PDF version of this book.

Laura Kurk has a knack for creating characters that will completely capture your heart, including the secondary characters. You will not find any cliché characters or plot threads while reading Glass Girl or Perfect Glass. Laura’s stories are like a breath of fresh air in the YA market. She seems to understand and relate to what it's truly like to be a teenager and portrays that with such skill and finesse. So if you are looking for a clean YA Christian book that is far from preachy, I highly recommend this sequel.

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Why Nicaragua?: Behind the Scenes Blurb

Readers of Glass Girl and Perfect Glass invariably ask me “Why Nicaragua?” It’s a valid question. Henry’s sister and brother-in-law are heavily invested in that country, and Henry devotes the year after his high school graduation to the children at a Nicaraguan orphanage.

When I was plotting Glass Girl, and ultimately Perfect Glass, I had friends who had just been devastated by the same thing that happens to the orphanage in Perfect Glass. They were directing an orphanage in that country when the government began enforcing Programa Amor or the “Program of Love.” Their children were removed and their orphanage had to morph into something entirely different—a school for the community and for preachers in training. I remember the prayers that went up for this situation and the desperate feeling of not knowing where the children they loved had been taken.

At the same time, we were supporting others who were attempting to hold orphanages together in the country and watching them go through really difficult situations that were out of their hands.  Watching God work through these people to help this country and to bring peace was a moving experience for me.

I wanted to see what would happen to Henry, the all-American boy accustomed to being able to do anything, if I put him in an impossible situation like that. Is it true that leaders in American will be leaders elsewhere in the world? Does being an American give us a free pass in our work in other countries? What happens to a boy like Henry when his citizenship doesn’t make a difference and his ability to lead is made less effective?

Henry learns so much about himself as a man and as a servant while in Nicaragua. He learns that it’s when we face calamity that we truly see ourselves. He learned that God saves one soul at a time and His work is powerful and personal.

Putting him in Nicaragua, out of his comfort zone, made all the difference.

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Secret Message:

At each stop of the tour, Laura Anderson Kurk is giving a secret letter for the day. Collect the letters at each stop on the tour so you can put them together for the final secret message reveal!

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 About the author:

Laura Anderson Kurk writes unconventional and bittersweet contemporary YA. Her debut novel, Glass Girl, and its sequel, Perfect Glass, are available now from Playlist Young Adult Fiction. Laura lives in Texas with her husband and two children.

Buy "Perfect Glass" on Amazon or Smashwords. 

Learn more about the author via her website, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Playlist Fiction, Goodreads, or Amazon author page.

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Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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"Perfect Clouds" Tour Stops:

Saturday, June 1 –  Laura Anderson Kurk

Sunday, June 2 –  Rajdeep Paulus

Monday, June 3 –  Melanie Brasher


Tuesday, June 4 –  Tessa Emily Hall YOU ARE HERE!

Wednesday, June 5 –  Melissa Tagg

Thursday, June 6 –  ReganStar McBeigh

Friday, June 7 –  April Hamrick

Monday, June 10 –  Diana Garner

Tuesday, June11 –  Stephanie Karfelt

Wednesday, June 12 – Bethany Baldwin

Thursday, June 13 –  Kim Vandel

Friday, June 14 –  Sarah Tipton

Monday, June 17 –  Jennifer Watrous

Tuesday, June 18 – Marni Jarman

Wednesday, June 19 –  Peggy Warren

Thursday, June 20 –  Bethany Jett

Friday, June 21 –   Cynthia Toney

Monday, June 24 –  Summer Andrews

Tuesday, June 25 –  Arlette Geuverink

Wednesday, June 26 – Jennifer Murgia

Thursday, June 27 - JoJo Sutis