The Waiting Sky Review

TITLE The Waiting Sky
AUTHOR Lara Zielin
PUBLICATION August 7, 2012 by Putnam Juvenile
READ July 16 - 17, 2012

One summer chasing tornadoes could finally change Jane's life for the better

Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can't quite admit her mother's alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane's best friend.

Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty--is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture.

 A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive The Waiting Sky along with my ARC of Black City, I wasn't expecting any other books and was so surprised. I was once again surprised when I finished reading it because it is a fantastic novel. It is full of heart, great characters and wonderful writing. Jane has grown up being the parent in her house, her mother is an alcoholic who would rather spend money down at the local bar than pay to have electricity and running water in the house. After her mom picks her and her friend up from the mall intoxicated, gets into an accident, flees said accident and covers it up, Jane decides she needs to get away for the summer. Her refuge, going to scour tornado alley with her older brother, Ethan all summer.

Jane was a character that I really felt for. She was in a tough situation and was just so used to the way things were with her mom that she didn't see how truly toxic the situation was. All along I of course knew what the right thing for her to do was, but I completely understood her hesitations and wondered if I may feel the same way. She also felt a lot of resentment toward Ethan because he got out of the house as soon as he could. It was interesting to see how they were both dealing with it in completely different ways. The root of all their trouble was their mother, and she was a despicable character to me, she stole from her children and didn't give a crap about anything except where she would find her next drink. She was so selfish and endangering Jane and Cat the way she did, then trying to hide everything had me so angry. Cat was awesome, she was there for Jane and pushed her to make some changes in her life.

The addition of storm chasing to the story was exhilarating. I was so excited when the Torbros were on a chase and was so scared for them. The group that Ethan got into is like a little family that has their own drama which really parallels with Jane's home life. I really liked Hallie, she was super cute and spoke her mind. The Waiting Sky was a wonderful, quick read that had me fully invested in its characters. It dealt with a heavy issue and had just enough to make it stand out amongst the pack. You should definitely add this one to you to-read shelf!