The ending was rather ambiguous, but it was okay. I'd have perhaps liked a little more, maybe another chapter, but it was definitely not as annoying as the ending of Lily Alone. XD The Break begins with Stella, a woman who witnesses a violent crime from her kitchen window late at night. Through alternating narratives, the author takes the reader through the lives of those connected with the victim, shining a light on both the violence and struggles within Winnipeg’s North End neighborhood.

In actual fact she was the least bad role model that ever lived, but she’s upset me. Surely, all things considered, I’m deserving of sympathy. When I first saw The Break at the bookstore it caught my interest but I decided against it as it had a trigger warning for violence. I can be sensitive to violence however knowing in advance it does take some of the sensitivity away. I saw it again at the library and knew then that I was going to have to read it. It was definitely a good read for me. I felt that Katherena Vermette handled the violence well and is so well written that I didn't feel sensitive towards it at all. The presentation of the father was interesting. Since we have Em as our narrator, her innocence eliminates flaw, to her, he is perfect. She adores him, even after his departure. Even after observing his new life which doesn’t include her, even after seeing her mother sob, she still thinks he is remarkable. Is the depiction accurate? Was he this amazing father and lovely husband before he walks out? Or did he always have faults and Em just couldn’t see them? I bought this book and Invicible Summer at the same by Hannah but I wanted to read this one first. The concept really caught my attention. As someone whose broken a few too many bones in her lifetime...I know the pain that comes with it. I could never ever imagine doing it to myself on purpose, so I was intrigued. I'm glad Jonas didn't get through breaking all the bones he was planning on breaking. I don't know if I could've lived through reading that lol. The skateboarding 'accident' to him throwing himself into a 14 foot deep pool that had been drained to smashing 8 of his toes with a hammer...just imagining that while reading made me shutter. Julie still misses Frankie too after many months, she brought her kids to Green fair in Kingtown where she thinks he will be, she was not able to find Frankie but instead saw Ems abusive dad with his family in the fair.The book, although written very well and in true Jaqueline Wilson style, only got 3 stars from me based purely on the ending. Well I see now why I didn't love this book. All the characters are so boring and dislikeable! All the children were incredibly annoying and childish (that's clearly my 23 year old adult voice speaking). I felt absolutely no love for the dad whatsoever and couldn't understand why he didn't just make a decision and go rather than straddling the two families trying to get the best of both worlds. The mum really needed to pull herself together, I get she's devastated and heartbroken but to then continue being walked all over - pull yourself together!

Hard to Break is a brilliant and supremely readable account of the neuroscience of behavior change, combining the latest science with practical advice, and—above all—hope in the bottom of the box."—Daniel J. Levitin, author of Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives One feature that makes our book production tool smart is the formatting bar: simply select the type of paragraph or character style you want to use, and the formatting will be applied. I nod. Hugh’s dad died eight months ago, and Hugh had shut down. ‘I thought that if enough time passed he’d be okay.’ Moskowitz has a poet’s sensibilities in her tight, terse sentences, choosing every word for its merit rather than the beauty of its sound as it rolls off the tongue. If you have a sensitivity for the “F” bomb (which the writer uses with regularity), Break might turn you off, but understand that her choice to include such language is completely in alignment with Jonah’s character. The dialogue is true to type, and honest in its presentation. More compelling is the fact that Moskowitz wrote Break from an entirely male perspective, while she is female, not a small feat in any literary undertaking. PLOT: While the novel definitely has a strong plot, I ultimately felt let down. After so much careful crafting, building up of the story, its ending felt very rushed and predictable, leaving me unsatisfied.Not twenty-two.’ It’s imperative to shut her down before she utters my age. I don’t know how I got to be forty-four. Clearly I’d my eye off the ball but, a bit late to the party, I’m trying to airbrush away all references to it. It’s not just the fear-of-dying and, worse, the fear-of-becoming-jowly, it’s because I work in PR, a dynamic, youthful sector, which does not value the ‘less-young’ among us. I’ve bills to pay, I’m simply being practical here.

Although this is fictitious, I was drawn into the drama and it felt "raw and real." I felt scared and helpless with Stella, and could emphasize with sisters Paulina and Louisa and their mother, Cheryl. I admired the young Metis policeman and could feel his frustration with his older partner.The Break is the first novel by Canadian poet, film-maker and award-winning author, Katherena Vermette. Late one cold February night, a small-town Canadian Police Department gets a 911 call. Stella McGregor, a young Metis wife and mother, is witnessing an assault on a stretch of land known as The Break, adjacent to her home. While there are still signs of a scuffle in the snow by the time two officers arrive, they are dubious about the witness’s assertion that a woman has been raped: the broken beer bottle and the pool of blood point to a gang fight. Also it is possible to revisit the chapters which are extremely helpfully laid out in the audiobook. The minute I read the premise, my eyebrows shot up. Who breaks bones for fun? Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you: seventeen-year-old Jonah McNab.