5 great YA debuts for 2010

Adele of Persnickety Snark is running the FIVE challenge ~ and I'm pumped about seeing her posts and joining in here on some of them. (you can join in with the Mr Linky here and see what other people have been choosing)

To kick it off here's Five Great  2010 Debuts that you might have missed out on... 

I loved and enjoyed them all

and...

I have reviewed them all:

Fury by Shirley Marr

Good Oil by Laura Buzo

The Rosie Black Chronicles: genesis by Lara Morgan

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

This Gorgeous Game by Donne Frietas

For this series I also want to highlight books that are awesome but may not be popping up everywhere in the best of lists. It's so hard to choose favourites, best-of's, etc ~ when there's a lot of brilliant books out there that slip under the radar...

What 2010 debut have you loved reading this year?

* and, yeah, I'm a day late, sometimes, that's how I roll :)

This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas

Seventeen-year-old Olivia peters has long dreamed of becoming a writer. So she's absolutely over the moon when her literary idol, the celebrated novelist and much-adored local priest Mark D. Brendan, selects her from hundreds of other applicants as the winner of the Emerging Writers High School Fiction Prize. Now she gets to spend her summer evenings in a college fiction seminar at the nearby university, where dreamy college boys abound and Father Mark acts as her personal mentor. 

But when Father Mark's enthusiasm for Olivia's writing develops into something more, Olivia quickly finds her emotions shifting from wonder to confusion to despair. And as her wide-eyed innocence deteriorates, Olivia can't help but ask - exactly what game is Father Mark playing, and how on earth can she get out of it? 

This remarkable second novel by the author of The Possibilities of Sainthood, about overcoming the isolation that stems from victimization, is powerful, luminous, and impossible to put down. 

I psyched myself up before reading this because it looked intense and emotional and maybe even a little disturbing.

It was kinda intense and it hit me hard emotionally but don't let the slightly disturbing subject matter deter you from reading this. Despite the premise, there is a lot of breathing space in these pages which not only focuses on the main premise, but also includes a beautiful love story and an unforgettable main character with a cast of faithful and fun friends.

There's a lot to admire about this book. It's lyrical and haunting. There's moments of stillness amidst bubbles of fear. It's a little creepy and I had chills by the end. It's a page turner with masterful execution of the plot.

The ending was powerful and liberating. It really superseded my expectations and I know I'll be passing it on to teens I know.

I had this sense of peace and empowerment when I finished reading the book. It's a story that will linger and I am so glad that this story has been told.

*Slightly spoilery, but not much :) *
I was grateful the story didn't get into physical abuse as I had thought it might. It was all psychological and stalker-y - which, while just as powerful and scary, was easier for me as a reader to stomach.


This Gorgeous Game @ goodreads
Praise for This Gorgeous Game
Read an Excerpt
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The cover story for This Gorgeous Game (isn't it a gorgeously evocative cover?)