Seeing Night Reviews: {Bog Tour: Review + Giveaway} of The Rule of Thirds by Chantel Guertin

Seeing Night Reviews is the next stop in The Rule of Thirds blog tour for Chantel Guertin.

The Rule of Thirds by Chantel Guertin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

GENRE: Young Adult
THEME: Contemporary, Romance, Art
RECEIVED: Tour

BLURB:

Sixteen-year-old Pippa Greene never goes anywhere without her camera. She and her best friend/supermodel-in-training Dace long ago mapped out their life plan: Pippa will be the noted fashion photographer, and Dace the cover girl. But ever since last spring, things have changed for Pippa—and her junior year at Spalding High proves to have its own set of challenges. Not only is Vantage Point, the statewide photography competition, in three short weeks, but her mandatory volunteering placement lands her at St. Christopher’s Hospital, a place Pippa never wanted to set foot in again. With humor and pluck, she navigates her new role as a candy striper (watch out for Code Yellows), her changing relationship with her best friend (goodbye, Honesty Pact), and—perhaps most stressful of all—her new love interests (yes, love interests plural). Will Pippa make it to Vantage Point without having a panic attack? Will either one of the guys prove less sketchy than her last boyfriend? Can she and Dace figure out a way to dream big and be best friends? One thing is certain: real life is a lot more complicated than a photograph.

REVIEW:

An emotional journey for one young teen that deals with love, betrayal, and discovery through a camera. This is a story that will have readers rooting for the protagonist to find some happiness and discover her strength.

The Rule of Thirds follows Pippa Green a talented young photographer who is always glued to her camera. She and her best friend Dace made a pack for their future, one the photographer the other the subject and model, both hoping to have a bright future. But when mandatory volunteering for the school year places Pippa in the one place she never wanted to go back to; her journey in photography takes a new turn. She is thrust into a stressful environment, her friendship is challenged, her heart is torn in two and all the while tries to finish her entry in the most important photography competition.

Pippa is a smart and very dedicated young girl, she lost her father at a young age and ever since has felt she lost a part of her self. She is dealt with many challenges, her struggles seem to come in waves and she tries to put a face during it all. Her panic attacks happen since the loss of her father and seem to happen at the worst of times. She also deals with a rival photographer Ben who shows a lot of talent and also interest in her. But her heart can’t seem to forget Dylan a bit of a mystery boy who works at the hospital. For one school year she has to go through a lot and the readers will be rooting for her to succeed. Along with all this there is a photography competition she is determined to win to go to the school of her dreams. I loved her determination to win, her passion and creativity through the lens of her camera and that through all the ups and down she discovers her passion is connected to the one thing she feared.

Dace is Pippa’s best friend and also one heck of a party girl, she is someone who wishes to succeed in modeling but in reality nothing ever comes easy. Pippa is the one person Dace needs but pushes away when they both need each other, thus is the challenge of friendship and jealousy. I wanted Dace to open up more; she is so wild and free but also is afraid of failure and not being accepted. I was happy that not matter what Pippa was there even when she was also lost.

The boys were an addition to the chaos that Pippa experienced. Ben is a talented photographer that seems to want to attract attention and be with Pippa. But there is something about him that will keep the readers guessing. Dylan is a sweet and mysterious guy who Pippa is often confused by. His story is emotional and touching but also frustrating for her. I enjoyed both of these boys as they teach Pippa a lot along the way and turn her onto the right path.

Overall I adored this story that I felt was an emotional roller coaster, you’ll have many ups and downs through each chapter along with the characters. There were some parts that were predictable and obvious to the reader, but not the character so I did get frustrated. But I nonetheless I love the results and what Pippa learned. The ending was good but I felt a little rushed; I wanted more from the final scene. For the readers there is a great lessoned learned, a wonderful tale of friendship and what it means to lose and love.

RECOMMENDATION:

This is a young adult novel that will make you want to venture out with a camera and see the world through the lens. Fans of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Pushing the Limits by Kate McGarry will enjoy The Rule of Thirds.

View all my reviews

AUTHOR BIO:

Chantel Guertin is an author, beauty expert and magazine editor. Her first novel (written as Chantel Simmons), Stuck in Downward Dog, came out in 2007, and was a Winnipeg Free Press bestseller, a Chatelaine Best Beach Book and Book of the Month, and a Vancouver Sun Editor’s Choice. Her second novel, Love Struck, came out in 2010, and was also a bestseller in Canada.

Chantel is currently the Editor-at-Large of TheKit.ca, a monthly digital fashion & beauty magazine & weekly print feature in the Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette & Vancouver Sun, a beauty expert on The Marilyn Denis Show and faculty at Centennial College in the Book & Magazine publishing program, where she teaches magazine writing and editing courses.