Book Review: Where I Live by Brenda Rufener

Posted June 16, 2018 by Melissa in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

Title: Where I Live

Author: Brenda Rufener

Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published:  February 27th, 2018
Page Count:  352 pages
Format:  ARC
Source: From publisher in exchange of an honest review

Summary:
This evocative debut YA novel tells the story of Linden, a homeless teen secretly living in her high school. Together with her makeshift family of close friends, Linden struggles against the hardships of her past and begins to shape a bright future. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven and Nicola Yoon, this is a stirring novel about overcoming all odds. 

LINDEN ROSE HAS RULES FOR SURVIVAL.

1. Prevent the in-class nap.
2. Never carry too many belongings.
3. Avoid looking the part. 

Her rules guarantee no one discovers her secret–that she’s homeless and living in the halls of her small-town high school. Her best friends, Ham and Seung, have formed a makeshift family, and writing for her school’s blog prevents downtime. When you’re homeless, free time sucks. Despite everything Linden’s burdened with, she holds on to hope for a future and a maybe romance with Seung.

But when cool-girl Bea comes to school with a bloody lip, the damage hits too close to home. Linden begins looking at Bea’s life, and soon her investigation prompts people to pay attention. And attention is the last thing Linden needs. 

To put a stop to the violence, Linden must tell the story. Even if it breaks her rules for survival and jeopardizes the secrets she’s worked so hard to keep.

*The Reader’s Review*
My rating: 5/5 stars

Where I Live has won its place in my all-time favorite YA Contemporary books list and I don’t think I’ll ever stop showering it with praise. From the first page Linden Rose captured my heart and I constantly found myself wanting to hug her and to somehow pluck her out of the pages, away from her harsh reality.
Linden Rose slipped away from authorites the night her mother was murdered and headed straight to a small town where her grandmother lives. However, the grandmother dies in the town’s nursing home soon after her arrival and Linden is left officially alone in the world. With a small amount of money left by her mother, she decides to make her new school’s halls her home, thus becoming a master at hiding in plain sight.
Linden Rose is one of the most admirable characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. She’s the kind of character who can stand on her own and whose story I would love to follow endlessly. Despite her living situation and not having a parent figure on her side, she manages to live every day with hope and determination. She works harder than everyone and loves even stronger. And she’s the kind of person that would sacrifice everything for her friends.
I adored the way Linden (in her mind) adopts her friends Ham and Seung, and declares them her family. Ham and Seung love her back fiercely, but I don’t even think they come to realize how much Linden loves them. Her love for them is what makes her afraid to tell them the truth of her being homeless, and my heart ached for her insecurity.
Oh, but the way she always thought about her mother! We never get to meet Linden’s mom since she is already dead from the beginning, but I loved how she is still very much alive in Linden’s heart. Her presence is a constant companion to Linden’s loneliness and it was sad and amazing at the same time. 
Where I Live also deals with domestic violence so thread carefully if triggered by this. It’s not a topic I have much experience with but I believe the author addresses it appropriately along with homelessness.
Final Verdict:
Where I Live is the kind of book that touches your heart, rips it away, yet eventually mends. It’s the kind of book that makes you fall in love with the main character from page one and end up hoping that they get to live a happily ever after. Personally, I believe it’s YA Contemporary at its best!

Related Posts