Saturday, February 4, 2012

"Unlocked" by Karen Kingsbury - a review

There is nothing more enjoyable then curling up to read a book by Karen Kingsbury.  I just recently discovered this wonderful author and can't read her books fast enough.  With that said I just finished her book, Unlocked and I have to say that so far this book is my favorite.  I am a HUGE fan of Beauty and the Beast and Unlocked not only has a high school musical of Beauty and the Beast within it but the story itself tends to be similar to the Beauty and the Beast theme...discovering the good within someone who otherwise is different.

Unlocked is the story of Ella, a popular high school senior and Holden a handsome young man locked behind the walls of autism.  At the age of three Ella and Holden were best friends.  Unfortunately, after taking several vaccinations, Holden becomes autistic and Ella's family pulls away from Holden's family because of the autism and the friendships is severed.  But Holden never forgot and in his mind he's always been Ella's friend.

This story is a very sweet story of restoring friendships, love and breaking down the walls of autism.  I didn't know much about autism until reading this book but Ms. Kingsbury opened up my eyes to this condition and how it steals away the lives of not only the victim but the family and friends as well.

In Unlocked, Ella notices Holden's eyes and feels she knows him.  It's not until she looks at an old family photo album that she discovers that Holden was her best friend when she was three years old.  At first she seems intrigued by Holden but she soon finds that music opens Holden up and before long he's singing and speaking.

I'm never one to give a spoiler on any books that I have read so I will not say anything more about this wonderful book.  I will say that it is a story for adults and young adults alike.  In fact, I think it is a book that all young adults should read as it also addresses 'bullying' in high school and how it can take just one student to turn things around.

This is an AWESOME read and I give it 5 stars!

I would like to thank Zondervan for my review copy of Unlocked.  I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest review, which I have done.


Smiles & Blessings,



1 comment:

  1. i absolutely LOVE Karen Kingsbury and her novels. They are must haves, not just must reads! And this one is no exception. You did a good review. God Bless

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