A Different Kind of Love: Kaitlyn's Secrets #2

Elaine
Babich
Genre: 
Young Adult

Kaitlyn, who is left unnamed in the story until well into Chapter 3, lives with her parents. She has a daughter, Jeanie and an abusive ex-husband that the reader never meets. Kaitlyn dates Jeremy Brown until he simply disappears without a trace - not even his parents know how to find him. Life has not been kind.
Just when the heroine least expects it, however, she meets Joshua Hartfield.  Joshua is the drummer at Kaitlyn's father's church.  Although her father believes Joshua is a "nice" boy,  Kaitlyn is strongly advised not to date him. Young love rarely listens and Kaitlyn and Joshua run off to Las Vegas to be married.
Elaine Babich has written this story in past tense and proper past tense, a style that some readers may find disconcerting. The entire story carries a slower pace than most mainstream Young Adult novels. It has the tone of a series of journal entries which slows the occasional touch of action or adventure to a grating halt.  It is also in need of tighter grammar usage and attention to punctuation. The tedium of day-to-day living is mildly pricked with excitement. Joshua’s experiences as a veteran could have been better served as a flashback or a series of flashbacks and his reactions to family and loved ones shown rather than described from a safe distance. This would trigger a faster paced read for the adventure seekers of today's youth.  Overall, this is a more a gentle read for friends and family.
Erin Murdock