Review: ‘Sophie & Carter’ by Chelsea Fine

A girl. A boy. A porch swing.

Sometimes life breaks your heart.

And sometimes the boy next door puts it back together.

(Amazon product description)

 

Sophie is the daughter of a prostitute who leaves her for months at a time to care for her younger brothers and sister.  After Carter’s abusive father left him scarred and his mother with brain damage, he works desperately to care for his only parent left and keep her out of the state mental home.  At school they pretend they are normal high school seniors, but at home they are all the support each other have. 

This novella length story is powerful in its realism.  Somehow the author is able to make you feel for these characters without crossing over into melodrama.  The pain and poverty is a way of life for Sophie and Carter.  But at night when their charges are tucked in bed, the two meet on Sophie’s porch swing and pretend everything is going to be all right. 

The thing that moved me so much is the strong bond between the two characters.  They are able to communicate more with a look or a touch of the hand than most characters can in five pages of dialog.  That is some serious talent on the part of the author.  Part of me wished the story was longer, that I could stick with these characters through their lives’ journeys.  But in the end, I think the author ended it in just the right place--leaving me wanting more.

Overall, I give Sophie & Carter...

Plot - 4 1/2 bookmarks

Character Development - 5 bookmarks

Love Story - 5 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Sarah Hyland (Sophie), Lucas Till (Carter)