Snapped

De: Jacci Turner

Narrado por: Samantha Norbury

Ari Wren has a great life: Two best friends and a family she loves.

Cade Waters is by far the most popular guy at Sierra High School. Why then has he suddenly noticed Ari, a freshman nobody? Her friends are surprised by his attention and more than a little jealous. As Ari finds herself falling for Cade, his requests become more intimate and personal. Ari feels confused and unsure about what to do.

Follow Ari as she navigates budding romance, tough decisions, betrayal, and a trip to an island in this young adult story of growing up the hard way.

©2018 Jacci Turner (P)2024 Jacci Turner

A Wonderful, Timely Listen

SNAPPED by prolific author Jacci Turner is a total hit. It’s a super relatable YA novel that dives into the pressure of growing up with social media constantly in the mix. Jacci Turner, as always, nails it with her writing. She really understands what it’s like to be a teenager these days, and this story hits hard.

Ari, a shy freshman, suddenly catches the attention of Cade Waters, the most popular guy at school. But what starts as a thrilling crush quickly becomes more complicated as Cade asks her to do something she is uncomfortable with on Snapchat. Watching Ari figure out what to do next—between feeling flattered, confused, and definitely freaked out—is gripping and very relatable. The story reveals the complicated role social media plays in our lives (particularly in young people’s lives) and the ever-present power that peer pressure has over them.

I listened to this story on audio, and Samantha Norbury’s narration is fantastic. She does an amazing job bringing Ari to life, making you feel like you’re right there with her, experiencing all the awkward, intense moments.

If you’re into stories about growing up, relationships, and the tough choices that come with it, SNAPPED is definitely worth a read (or listen). The novel features a diverse cast of characters, and Jacci Turner really knows how to draw you in. Add in Samantha Norbury’s awesome performance, and this one’s a winner. Highly recommend.

An Empowering Story for Tween and Teen Girls

A relatable story about an average girl balancing the excitement of being validated online with her own boundaries. Great voices and characters, male and female. Highly recommend for tweens, teens, and parents.

really enjoyed this story

I couldn't walk away from this one, it took me back to when I was a teen and I loved the fact that it had some amazing messages in it that adolescents deal with. The Narrator really kept me drawn in also. It's been a long time since I have read a YA book, I can honestly say I throughly enjoyed this one 😊🥰

Conflicted Feelings

This one is difficult to write a review on because I have so many conflicting thoughts about it.

I'll start with the characters. This book was only 4 hours long so there isn't a deep dive on any of the characters but there was enough to get through this story. Some of the characters relied heavily on stereotypical assumptions (football jock, nerdy newspaper kid, etc.). I still enjoyed a lot of the characters. However, I think in the author's attempt to be inclusive and diverse, there were a lot of parts that felt wrong or cringy. This book could have really benefitted from a sensitivity reader. I will say that the narrator did an amazing job with all the voices, accents, and vocal inflictions. I could really tell how the characters were feeling through the narration.

This story is very much coming-of-age. The FMC starts as a pretty innocent 14/15 year old and has to come to the realization pretty quickly that she can't blindly trust everyone. It almost feels like this is the first time she has had to face major deception from people that she considered her friend or a love interest. She also learns that all attention isn't good attention and is able to experience what the right kind of attention is before she makes a mistake that she would regret. Then she is forced to face the challenge that most women know all too well. This is where my conflicting thoughts start.

I can't decide if the conclusion of the story feels unrealistic or if the book was just too short. The ending did feel a little rushed, only touching on the highlights of what would traditionally be more central to a story of this kind. My biggest test for this story is if I would let my middle school aged daughter read it, and I suppose that I would but it would absolutely be followed up with a discussion. I say this because, unfortunately, the ending of this book is definitely "best case scenario" and not at all what a lot of girls/women get. However, I do think that the FMC sets a good example of what I would want my child to do if she were ever in this situation (other than the first people that she opens up to about her problem). The story does also encourages trusting the right people, having a good support system, finding courage, and dealing with hard issues.