The Art of Holding On and Letting Go by Kristin Bartley Lenz

The book is set in Ecuador, California, and Michigan. Her transformative journey reflects the title of the book, and she discovers that “home can be far from where you started.”

Readers will relate to her teen angst and empathize as she grieves and struggles to move forward. This makes for a more interesting, intriguing, and believable story.Ĭara is a strong, female character with depth. The richly-layered coming-of-age book could have easily turned to clichés for its plot and character relationships, but Lenz keeps readers on their toes with twists. She fights the changes in her new life and feels conflicted about both missing her parents and resenting them for leaving her. Cara suddenly finds herself transplanted to suburban Detroit and living with her grandparents.

Living a nomadic lifestyle with her adventurous mountaineering parents, her life changes when a tragedy occurs on an Ecuadoran mountaintop. The Art of Holding On and Letting Go tells the story of competitive teen climber Cara Jenkins. Read on to learn more about the book and how to enter. One lucky ready will win a copy of this compelling, engaging book. The book was the winner of the 2015 Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize and is a Booklist Fall 2016 Junior Library Guild Selection. The Art of Holding On and Letting Go is a 10-year labor of love for Lenz, and her efforts have paid off. Through our love of writing we’ve become friends as well. Lenz, a social worker by day and writer by night, is my sister’s college friend and bridesmaid. So when I found out Kristin Bartley Lenz’s debut novel The Art of Holding On and Letting Go released in September, I was more than happy to review her novel. I’m a big believer of supporting the entrepreneurial efforts of friends and family through my blog and social media. Disclosure: I received a copy of The Art of Holding On and Letting Go to review.

The Art of Holding On and Letting Go by Kristin Bartley Lenz