Ann Swann

Carina is just trying to get back on her feet after the pandemic threw her life a curve ball. Max offers her the opportunity. This book is the best “feel good” that I have read this year. The writing is heartfelt. You can truly feel the emotions in the writing. She tries to get her husband and family together for a holiday. Who can’t relate to that? I never read the back because I always like to judge a book by my opinion. I went in wondering if this was an “age-gap” romance. I was so glad to see it was “second-chance” and a friendship one. The characters are all so special in this book. They each had their own role in the story. The storyline is exquisite and interesting. You can’t put the story down. You are pulled right in. Get a cup of cocoa and join everyone in town. That ending…..I love this book. Another I will be gifting to friends. A definite holiday must read.… (meer)

I love books that deal with some sort of downward spiral. I don't mean that in a morbid sense. I just mean that I usually find them interesting. When I was presented with the opportunity of reading Yeah, but I Didn't by Ann Swann, I jumped at the chance.

Benji Stevens is a bright 14 year old high school girl. In fact, she's so smart, she's even skipped a grade in school. When something horrible happens to her one day at her house, her life begins to spiral out of control. With bad things happening right after one another, will Benji find the light at the end of the tunnel or will it be too late?

The premise for Yeah, but I Didn't is really interesting. There were some great aspects of this book. In fact, after reading this book, my new life motto is now, "You can’t control how other people treat you. But you CAN control how you react. And that’s how you take back your power." I love that quote, and it's said a few times throughout Yeah, but I Didn't. I liked the theme of hope and forgiveness towards the end of the book as well. Ann Swann did a fantastic job with her descriptive language at making it easy to picture each scene in the book. I found myself being transported to the setting of Yeah, but I Didn't whenever I started reading.

The characters in Yeah, but I Didn't felt fairly realistic throughout the novel, though Benji's character seemed more like she was 12 with how she would speak and act sometimes. I liked Benji though, and I admired her determination to get through this horrible part of her life. I enjoyed reading about Benji's mom and how (in the last quarter of the book) she turns to God to help her with everything. (Though this was a sudden shift and was a little jarring. The story went from no real mention of God to suddenly focusing on how God can help you.) Janie was a well-written character, but I just wanted to shake that girl sometimes for being so spiteful and horrible to her mom and Benji especially! My favorite characters were Uncle Aidan and Dr Blue. They always came across as being optimistic and wanting to help Benji be the best version of herself. I will also say that each character is described very well, so it's easy to picture each one as a real life person instead of just some character in a book.

As much as I enjoyed the book, there were things that didn't work for me. I found the pacing to be a bit too slow for my liking, and I felt like there was too much narrative description through much of the book; I didn't need to know exact details of every little thing. I could have done without the mention of politics in this book; it didn't seem necessary. And a pet peeve: it's mentioned that Benji and her uncle they order chicken nuggets from Sonic. Sonic does not do chicken nuggets; they do chicken strips, popcorn chicken, and boneless wings -- but never chicken nuggets!

I also felt like, although this book is considered a young adult book and deals with some heavy subject matters, it felt like it was written for a middle grade audience.

Trigger warnings for Yeah, but I Didn't include alcoholism, suicide, attempted suicide, teenage pregnancy, some violence, and attempted rape.

While I found Yeah, but I Didn't to be a bit of a slow read mostly, I do think younger teens that who are going through a dark patch in their life would enjoy this. I would recommend Yeah, but I Didn't by Ann Swann to those 14+ who need a bit of hope in their life.
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(A special thank you to Lone Star Literary Life for providing me with an eBook of Yeah, But I Didn't by Ann Swann in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)… (meer)