Tour Post: Melt

It's Thursday and I have something quite exciting for you! This is my post of the EARLY review tour for Melt by Selene Castrovilla, hosted by Jen Halligan PR. It's not actually out until much later in the year so this is your first glimpse of MELT. Let me know what you think and don't forget to enter the giveaway! 
Enjoy x

MELT

by Selene Castrovilla

Pages: 328 pages 

Publication Date: November 6th 2014
Publisher: Last Syllable Books
ISBN: 9780991626106

Received From: Jen Halligan PR

Summary 

MELT is a brutal love story, set against the backdrop of The Wizard of Oz. Sixteen year old “good girl” Dorothy just blew into the small town of Highland Park – where the social headquarters is Munchkinland (Dunkin’ Donuts.) There, she meets Joey – a “bad boy” who tells no one about the catastrophic domestic violence he witnesses at home. Can these two lovers survive peer pressure, Joey’s reputation, and his alcoholism? And then there’s his family's secret – about to be unleashed.

Told in dual first person, Joey's words are scattered on the page - reflecting his broken state. Dorothy is the voice of reason - until something so shattering happens that she, too, may lose her grip. Can their love endure, or will it melt away?

MELT is based on true events. It is both a chilling tale of abuse, and a timeless romance. It will hit you like a punch in the face, and also seep through the cracks in your soul.

Review

This is the story of Dorothy, a sixteen-year-old girl in a new town and a lot to learn. She comes from a perfect family and has never had to worry about a thing. This is the story of Joey, a seventeen-year-old boy that everyone has ruled out. He has a father that will make your skin crawl and a drinking problem of his own. These two character's couldn't be any more different if they tried and yet, somehow, amongst the hustle and bustle of the local Dunkin' Donuts their worlds collide and their lives change. Whether or not that is for the better is up for debate. 

Selene Castrovilla did something not many authors can do. Firstly she produced a dual narrative that didn't make me want to scream - which in itself is a not easy but then she also created two distinct voices for two characters with very different backgrounds and made me connect with both of them. But it wasn't just the voices that were different. As the POV swapped so did the writing style. Now, I will admit it takes a little getting used to but I really liked the way in which Joey's parts were written in disjointed sentences. It really emphasised the brokenness of his character. 

Joey was probably the hardest part of this book to read, his story is gritty and unapologetic. His father is bastard that beats on his family to make him feel like the big man. He's despicable and I spend the majority of the book wanting to pop Pops. 

I think that the only problem I had with this book was that it wasn't what I expected. Obviously with the title, the cover and even the blurb I was expecting something that reflected the world of Oz. However, that wasn't the case. The connections between Melt and The Wizard of Oz are completely metaphorical. The Wicked Witch of the West being substituted for the demons inside Joey and the idea that if only he can find his bucket of water then maybe they to can be rid of this evil. Which was a really interesting little addition to a heart wrenching story. Although I think that, from a marketing point of view there has been way too much emphasis on Oz and not on all the other great things this book has going for it. Of which there are plenty. 

Overall this is, without a doubt, a beautifully written and haunting story that is made all the more heart breaking by the fact is is based on true events. It's a fast paced books that is completely unputdownable. Ignoring the insta-love, Dorothy and Joey are a compelling couple that you can't help but get behind. It's written in a unique way that you will either love or hate - which personally, I loved. It was cleaver and chilling and a story that will stick with me for a long time. It's one to look out for this fall and I hope you lot are adding it to your TBR lists. 

**I received this book as an ARC from Jen Halligan PR to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

About Selene

Selene Castrovilla is an award-winning teen and children’s author who believes that through all trends, humanity remains at the core of literature. She is the author of Saved By the Music and The Girl Next Door, teen novels originally published by WestSide Books and now available digitally through ASD Publishing. Her third children’s book with Calkins Creek Books, Revolutionary Friends, was released in April 2013. She is also a contributing author to UncommonYA. Selene holds an MFA in creative writing from New School University and a BA in English from New York University. She lives on Long Island with her two sons. Visit her website www.SeleneCastrovilla.com for book excerpts and more information!

 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway