Sandwich Making Book Bitches: Book Review Contessa By Lori Otto

CONTESSA BY LORI OTTO

Book one of the YA/New Adult Choisie series by the author of Emi Lost & Found!

When she was four, a generous couple welcomed orphan Olivia Sophia into their lives. As she grew up, her parents made good decisions for her, raising “Livvy” to be an intelligent and creative young girl. Now sixteen, three people influence many of her choices: her first love, her second father, and a third man who speaks to her through his artwork.

Livvy’s father is practical and steadfast; even-tempered and quietly observant. She’s an artist who acts on her emotions and thrives on attention. Unhappy with their differences– and misunderstanding her father’s methods– Livvy chooses to focus on the similarities she shares with an enigmatic painter from her mother’s past. Her overactive imagination leads her down an obsessive path– one that only stands to hurt everyone around her.

The distraction of a new boyfriend has the potential to end her search and reunite her family, but his involvement in her life could be just as devastating, taking Livvy away from her father for good.

Lori out did her self again with Contessa. I loved how I could continue on with a story I fell in love with just from a different point of view and few yrs down the road. Livvy the adopted daughter of Jack and Emi is the main focus of this story. Her struggles as a teenager growing up. It truly showed how sometimes daddy's little girl doesn't always stay his little girl. We see Livvy grow further and further apart from her father because of her obsession with a man she never met Nate. Because of this obsession with him she pushed her father and family further and further away. I will say in several sections of this book i wanted to slap Livvy and shake her yelling at her to wake up and stop being crazy about Nate. I knew by her obsession with Nate that she must think or hope that there was a chance Nate could be her father had this been any other author I am sure that could have been a real twist to the story but having read all of Lori's other books I knew that this wasn't the case. Livvy even though she is very smart and sometimes acted older than her age she did manage to reign us back in to that she was just 16 by her sneaking around and lying to her parents. Her older boyfriend even had to point out her childish behaviors to her. Jon I so loved him now if there ever was a good boy for her to date it was him I think had she dated some other boy her age she would have been huge issues!!! Even though he was from the other side of the tracks he was a hard worker and smart kid I don't know too many kids with their shit together as well as he did. I'm sure the tragic events around his dad dying and his mothers lack of being a parent forced him that way. I cried off and on thru this book I think maybe because im a parent and some of what goes on hits home as I look over at my 2 girls sleeping hoping that their upcoming teenage yrs that they stay true to them selves. Family is what hold things together what makes us who we are and what makes life either easier or harder depending how we choose to face it. I love the family values of jack and his family. I was so worried at one point in the book whether or not they would weather the ugly storm Livvy brought down. I really think it was this point in the book where I wish I could have slapped Livvy !! But I was happy at the end I was impressed that by loosing everything she cared for she choose to do the right thing and man up and accept responsibility and fix things. I so cant wait to read the next two books! Thanks again Lori for a great story ! Book Bitch Stephenie