Review: The Clearing by: Heather Davis

Title: The Clearing
Author: Heather Davis
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: April 7, 2010
Format: Trade Paperback ($10.99 CDN)
Age Group: Young Adult
*Provided courtesy of Net Galley

From the Publisher: 

In this bittersweet romance, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever.

Amy is drawn to the misty, mysterious clearing behind her Aunt Mae''s place because it looks like the perfect place to hide from life. A place to block out the pain of her last relationship, to avoid the kids in her new town, to stop dwelling on what her future holds after high school.

Then, she meets a boy lurking in the mist-Henry. Henry is different from any other guy Amy has ever known. And after several meetings in the clearing, she''s starting to fall for him.


But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of the clearing, it''s still 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past. Amy''s crossing over to Henry''s side brings him more happiness than he''s ever known-but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.


The Clearing is a tender and poignant tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny

My Review: 

At 228 pages this short novel is the perfect rainy day read.  From the very first chapter I was engaged in the protagonist Amy's story and the mysterious plot.  The author Heather Davis takes us on a quick but satisfying journey of first love and self discovery.  What is only hinted at in the publishers synopsis but is included in the authors on her web site, is that Amy is a young woman who recently moved to a new town to escape an abusive relationship with her ex boyfriend.  While I don't want to give to much of the situation away I was incredibly impressed that when writing about how Amy eventually deals with the issue she allows Amy to deal with it on her terms.  Saying more would give to much away but I hope if you take the time to read this delightful book you will feel the same way.  Additionally I found the love story between Amy and Henry to be fresh, incredibly sweet, and very mature.  Although I'll let you read the story yourself to find out if it has a happy ending I will say it was unexpected in a good way but admittedly I was surprised when I turned the page and found that the story had ended.  Overall I highly recommend that you include this novel on your list of books to read this summer, perhaps over a cup of tea on a rainy day!

My Rating: