Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave by Jen White Review

Hello, my severely neglected blog! Oh how I have missed sitting at my laptop and letting my fingers dance across a keyboard, the small satisfaction I get from hearing the all too familiar clicking. Why I took this hiatus will baffle me longer than it takes to type this post.

In celebration of my return, I am presenting to you.....A DOUBLE FEATURE! Try to contain your excitement, my dear readers! If you can read, which we both know you can if you have gotten this far, you will know I am going to be reviewing Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave, a debut novel from Jen White, but, what you may not know, is I will be hosting a giveaway for this book! What?! Oh yes, this is happening. Unfortunately, this giveaway will only be open to the US. I'm sorry all my international readers. Shipping costs are just outrageous!

 Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave is a refreshing middle grade about twelve year old Liberty and her eight year old sister Billie. After their mother's untimely death, the girls leave the only home they have ever known to spend the summer on the road with their previously absent father. While things originally go well, the pressure of being a full-time dad eventually gets to their father and he abandons them at a gas station in the middle of the desert. Liberty cannot be afraid. Her sister depends on her to get them home and failure is not an option. With a notebook full of animal facts, a woman dressed in purple, a kid obsessed with Star Wars, and a tattooed trucker, the girls must find their way back to San Diego and begin to reform their own familial pod.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was very fast paced and, in my opinion, a unique debut novel. While Liberty is forced to be strong for her sister, there are times in the story when she breaks and shows her true age and the weight she has on her shoulders. Even though supporting characters were not as developed as they could have been, I did like the impact each one of them had on the story.

Rating: 3.5 The story was good and fast paced, but side characters could have been better developed. I also enjoyed Jen's writing style and cannot wait to see what else she comes out with!

Giveaway: To enter to win my advanced readers copy of this book, follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/angiesepicreads and retweet the post I make about in the giveaway in the next few days. The winner will be announced in my June Wrap Up video over on my Booktube Channel!