AMITY is a prickly high school outcast who dreams of a better life in college. A tragic accident puts her future on hold. When she attends an elite university three years later, she falls for Laird, the enigmatic son of a notorious billionaire. Soon she learns that Laird, who grew up just a few miles away from her home town, has a secret that could hold the key to her past and future. And she has a secret of her own.
LAIRD is devastated when he loses his mother at age eighteen. Shortly afterwards, he fights with his girlfriend on the way to a party, and they drive straight into a nightmare. They walk away from the accident, but the other driver isn't so lucky. Three years later, Laird is still haunted by that day. When he connects with Amity, hoping to make some kind of amends, he feels something unexpected. And terrifying.
Will Amity and Laird build a relationship that transcends the past? Or will secrets, lies, and guilt tear them apart?
Review by Janeane - copy received from author for review
Could you have a future with someone, if that person caused the pain of your past? Could you wipe the slate clean and make Amends?
Amity Dormer has been relentlessly teased all through school due to having a slight case of cerebral palsy, and now a senior she is counting down until she can leave town for college.
Laird Conroy is the only son of a Hollywood mogul.
The grew up only a few miles from each other, but their lives are world's apart.
Their world's collide in the worst way when while arguing with his crazy as hell girlfriend (she is a few sandwiches short of a picnic!!) Laird is involved in a car accident which results in the death of Amity's mother.
Laird and Amity's upbringings are so different, but the situation they are currently in is very similar, with Laird recently losing his mother.
Skip ahead a few years, and Laird and Amity's lives intersect again. Her life has been all struggle, his has been easy street in comparison.
They are instantly attracted, but will that be enough if/when Amity finds out who he is??
Written in dual POVs, we learn more of what both Laird and Amity have had to do to reach this point in their lives.
I like the premise of the book, what would you do to make amends for your past actions. Laird only has the best of intentions when he befriends Amity, even though at times it may not feel that way. He started the relationship with his lies, but I liked being in his head to know how he is dealing with his guilt. This kept me more in the story than Amity's POV, but I enjoyed both sides.
There were a couple of plot twists that I am not sure whether they added to the story or not. Yes, I could understand why they were put in there, but did they add anything - hmm not sure. I feel that they could have been left out as they were dealt with in other ways. But this may just be me.
Also, Amity's Cerebral palsy was such a big part of her high school years, but in college it is not an issue for her. Is this because of life experiences and the fact that she is more mature, or is it for some other reasons? I felt this could have been dealt with a bit more.
Overall I really enjoyed Amends, and I will definitely by reading more by Shanda Fisch.
Author Shanda Fisch is a New England native who fondly remembers the exhilaration and seemingly endless possibility of young adulthood. She enjoys the New Adult genre because she can relive the excitement of her late teens and early twenties without all the angst and uncertainty.
When she's not in front of the computer, Shanda can be found playing with her one-year-old daughter, running with her three dogs, and attempting to garden.
Her first novel, Amends: A Love Story, will be released on August 31, 2013. She is working a sequel to Amends tentatively titled Regrets.
LAIRD is devastated when he loses his mother at age eighteen. Shortly afterwards, he fights with his girlfriend on the way to a party, and they drive straight into a nightmare. They walk away from the accident, but the other driver isn't so lucky. Three years later, Laird is still haunted by that day. When he connects with Amity, hoping to make some kind of amends, he feels something unexpected. And terrifying.
Will Amity and Laird build a relationship that transcends the past? Or will secrets, lies, and guilt tear them apart?
Review by Janeane - copy received from author for review
Could you have a future with someone, if that person caused the pain of your past? Could you wipe the slate clean and make Amends?
Amity Dormer has been relentlessly teased all through school due to having a slight case of cerebral palsy, and now a senior she is counting down until she can leave town for college.
The grew up only a few miles from each other, but their lives are world's apart.
Their world's collide in the worst way when while arguing with his crazy as hell girlfriend (she is a few sandwiches short of a picnic!!) Laird is involved in a car accident which results in the death of Amity's mother.
Laird and Amity's upbringings are so different, but the situation they are currently in is very similar, with Laird recently losing his mother.
Skip ahead a few years, and Laird and Amity's lives intersect again. Her life has been all struggle, his has been easy street in comparison.
They are instantly attracted, but will that be enough if/when Amity finds out who he is??
Written in dual POVs, we learn more of what both Laird and Amity have had to do to reach this point in their lives.
I like the premise of the book, what would you do to make amends for your past actions. Laird only has the best of intentions when he befriends Amity, even though at times it may not feel that way. He started the relationship with his lies, but I liked being in his head to know how he is dealing with his guilt. This kept me more in the story than Amity's POV, but I enjoyed both sides.
There were a couple of plot twists that I am not sure whether they added to the story or not. Yes, I could understand why they were put in there, but did they add anything - hmm not sure. I feel that they could have been left out as they were dealt with in other ways. But this may just be me.
Also, Amity's Cerebral palsy was such a big part of her high school years, but in college it is not an issue for her. Is this because of life experiences and the fact that she is more mature, or is it for some other reasons? I felt this could have been dealt with a bit more.
Overall I really enjoyed Amends, and I will definitely by reading more by Shanda Fisch.
About the Author
Author Shanda Fisch is a New England native who fondly remembers the exhilaration and seemingly endless possibility of young adulthood. She enjoys the New Adult genre because she can relive the excitement of her late teens and early twenties without all the angst and uncertainty.
When she's not in front of the computer, Shanda can be found playing with her one-year-old daughter, running with her three dogs, and attempting to garden.
Her first novel, Amends: A Love Story, will be released on August 31, 2013. She is working a sequel to Amends tentatively titled Regrets.
