Review + Giveaway: Intermission by Serena Chase

Intermission
by Serena Chase
Publisher: Candent Gate
Release Date: Nov. 15, 2016
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 406
Buy at: Amazon, B&N
Add on: Goodreads
Find the author at: website, Facebook, Twitter

We are starlight on snow. The reflection of something already beautiful—absorbed, reflected, and remade into something…more. And this kiss… This kiss is everything I’ve needed to say…and longed to hear.

Sixteen-year-old Faith Prescott eagerly awaits the day she will exchange her small Iowa hometown for the bright lights of Broadway, but her success-driven parents want her to pursue a more practical career, labeling “artsy” people—including their daughter—as foolish dreamers worthy of little more than disdain. When Faith meets nineteen-year-old Noah Spencer she discovers someone who understands her musical theatre dreams…because he shares them. Faith’s mother despises everything about Noah—his age, his upbringing…even his religious beliefs—and she grasps at every opportunity to belittle his plans to study theatre and pursue a stage career. When those criticisms shift further toward hostility, resulting in unjust suspicions and baseless accusations, an increasingly fearful stage is set for Faith at home, where severe restrictions and harsh penalties are put in place to remove Noah Spencer from her life. But Faith has never connected with anyone like she has with Noah, and no matter how tight a stranglehold her mother enforces to keep them apart, Faith will not give him up. Behind the curtain, Faith’s love for Noah continues to grow…as does her determination to hold on to her dreams—and him—no matter how high the cost.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5 stars)

Review:

Faith Prescott is straight-up theater kid with dreams of making it on Broadway. A sort of anomaly in her academic and sport centered family, she had always felt like the fifth wheel. That is, until the day she randomly meets Noah Spencer. With Noah, she can be herself and he shares her dreams and aspirations. Having never connected to someone like this, she finds herself falling for him…hard. The only problem? Her mother hates his guts – everything from his and Faith’s shared “foolish” career goals and budding faith to their three-year age gap grates on Faith’s mother. Things go from bad to worse when she forbids Faith from seeing Noah and starts controlling every little thing in her life. A poisonous environments takes its toll on Faith, but she’s determined to hold on to hope that God will see her through even the roughest patches…and that maybe, one day, her dreams will take flight.Someone once told me that you remember people and things by the way they make you feel, and if that holds true I will not be forgetting Intermission for a very long time. Intermission made me laugh, it made me cry, and I couldn’t put it down for the life of me. This is my first read from Serena Chase and I was ultra-impressed with the beautiful, emotional writing. Faith and Noah were not only an adorable couple, but their navigation of faith, love, and life in general was so realistically portrayed. The author approaches difficult topics with refreshing honesty, perfectly encapsulating the delicate transition from teen to young adulthood, family dynamics, and building faith.

Not only did we have the nitty-gritty emotional aspect, but there was also a light playfulness with many references to musicals we all know and love. Expect to have Sound of Music, Hamilton, Wicked, and Les Mis songs playing in your head as background music!

A poignant coming-of-age love story you won’t soon forget, everything about this novel was magical. This is YA done right, you guys. If you’re looking for a delightfully satisfying story with true grit and swoony young love, search no more.

*I received this book free from the author in trade for my honest review.

The lovely Serena Chase is generously giving away some awesome prizes! Read on for details.

1.      Five winners will receive a signed paperback (or a Kindle copy, if preferred) of Intermission

2.      One Grand Prize winner will receive a signed paperback (or a Kindle copy, if preferred) of Intermission, plus a $40 Ticketmaster gift card

How awesome is that?! Enter via the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIF THE FEELING:
||This is where I share a GIF that explains my overall feelings for the book. Hope you like! ||

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