Pushing Pause

`Pushing Pause' invites you into 15-year-old Kenisha Lewis' world. Kenisha is on top of the world. She lives in a fabulous home with her mother and father. Though their marriage is rocky at times, Kenisha isn't too worried about their drama. Well that is until she learns that she and her mom have to leave Virginia to move to D.C. Why can't she just stay at the house with her dad? What about school? What about her friends? More importantly, what about LaVon, her boyfriend? How could she just pack up and move because her parents decided that it wasn't working for them? While Kenisha is seriously unhappy with the move, she finds that living in D.C. may not be that bad. For one, her grandmother has some serious life recipes that she can get used to. The next door neighbor, Lawn mower guy, knows how to make her smile and it's only blocks away from Freeman, the dance studio she attends. The main issue is her cousin Jade. She's mean and doesn't really seem to take so kindly to having to share her space with her cousin. Kenisha doesn't understand why. But when her mom dies, it seems that there was a lot that she didn't know or simply took for granted. `Pushing Pause' was a recommended read. I, too, lost my mom and could relate to how Kenisha felt. It's like life won't stop just for a moment and you have to figure out a way to continue on. The story in whole was good. I loved the complexity of the friendships, relationships and the need to rebel just a tad. While I did laugh out loud some, I also felt the sting of the loss. Reviewed by: Lauren

Norfleet presents with a story that is categorized for young adults. However, she has reached new heights with this phenomenal storyline that would connect to readers of all ages. The characters and terminology are right on the mark, leaving the overall voice of the characters to be genuine and very believable. This author has elevated her game with a smooth transition between genres. Kenisha Lewis, is the typical bratty teenager that thinks life revolves around her. She is catapulted into a life of reality as her parents union crumbles; leaving her in a state of confusion and despair. To add to her troubles, she has to deal with pressures from a boyfriend, deceit from her girl friends and the death of a family member that shatters life as she knows it, yet restructures her values, her beliefs and her future. Reviewed by: Eleanor S. Shields, Black Butterfly Review

In Pushing Pause the author sends the message that the choices we make have consequences, and I believe she proved that best with Kenisha Lewis' mother, Barbra, who - if she had the chance to "do it over again" - probably would have made better choices instead of the ones that left her dependent on prescription drugs. Or even would have started making better choices if she had the chance. To my surprise, she didn't get that chance. But her daughter, Kenisha, a strong, talented girl who seems to be more mature than most of the adults in her life, did get that chance. She's overwhelmed by too much family drama, betrayal, friendships lost and unveiled secrets, but in the end there is forgiveness and relationships are restored. It's as if her life begins again, and this time her world is okay. Personally, I would have enjoyed this novel much more if I didn't have to read the s*** & a** words so much. But - profanity aside- there have been books I started to read, but never finished. However, Pushing Pause doesn't fall into that category. My fingers kept turning those pages until the very last sentence.

Celeste did a very good job with this book. This will be a great gift for any young adult to rec'd. The book deals with a lot of todays issue that young adult are face with such as parents fighting, finding out about secrets that wasn't suppose to come out and realizing that your parents are not perfect no matter what. I think this book has something for everybody and once you begin reading you will not be able to put the book down. Great job Celeste. Louise