Review: Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown

Title:Perfect Escape
Author:Jennifer Brown
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown Books/YA
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 Hoots
Reviewer: Angela
Buy From: Amazon/ Barnes and Noble

Sum It Up!  Enjoy Perfect Escape for what it is- a realistic trek of two siblings acceptance for one another and the obstacles they face along the way.
 

 

 

Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. The only way Kendra can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art -- until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation.

Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.

With undeniable grace and humor, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown explores OCD, the pressure for perfection, and the emotional highs and lows of a complex sibling relationship. (Goodreads)

Review:

Perfect Escape is a well written emotional drama involving two siblings struggling for ‘normal’. Kendra is the younger sister to her brother, Grayson, who has extreme OCD tendencies. Grayson is literally a genius but with his many issues, his brilliancy is over shadowed and spends time in and out of medical treatment centers in order to keep his problems under control. The only person with the ability to pull him out of one of his episodes, his sister’s best friend Zoe but once Zoe’s parents discovered that the two of them shared feelings for one another they packed up and moved to California.

Kendra was not a genus but has worked hard keeping her straight A’s and with graduation this year, she can leave for college with an excellent record… maybe. Most of Kendra’s life she’s been under constant ridicule due to her brother’s illness, with the exception of her best friend, Zoe- the only girl who over looked her brothers issues and now she’s gone.

Kendra’s world quickly comes crashing down when school officials discover a cheating ring and it’s only a matter of time before they find her as the leader. To make matters worse, Grayson has come back home. In a desperate attempt to cure her brother and allow herself time to figure out how to fix her own problems, Kendra escapes with her bother when he falls asleep in her car- and so the voyage to ‘normal’ begins.

Perfect Escape deals with strong realistic issues in every bend of the road. Jennifer Brown dives into the complicated bond between siblings- fighting, resentment and underlying love. Enjoy Perfect Escape for what it is- a realistic trek of two siblings acceptance for one another and the obstacles they face along the way.