David Patneaude

Fast Backward by David Patneaude is a beautiful war story that is perfect for a younger generation!

I really liked this novel! Typically, war novels are not my forte but David makes this novel fun to read. Not only does it introduce some of the actual history of WW2, but it also gives insight into other possibilities. Honestly, if my grade 10 history class had made us read something like this, I probably would have been more into history.

I'm not sure whether to label this a Young Adult or New Adult novel. I think pre-teens all the way up to adults would like this book. But if I'm being specific, it seems like it is written for Young and New Adults in particular. It's a more PG version of war, which can introduce a larger _target audience into the events of the second World War. It's not gory or brutal by any means, but it helps get the basic points across (family separation, death, bombs, etc). With that being said, it's not "realistic" - the brutality of war is true insanity if you've ever looked into it - but for the _target audience, I think it's just enough introduction to what the real horrors were so if they were interested, they could then go and read more about it.

If I delve a little more into the book, I really liked the characters! Bobby/Robert was an excellent character to follow and Cocoa was the perfect companion! The relationship between all of the characters seem sincere and not forced. You can tell that David put effort into building his characters and working into them into the story. Additionally, the story arcs these characters follow build across the novel instead of just suddenly happening.

The finale of the novel ends with a nice, full circle ending. It addresses comments from the beginning of the book and finishes the story to a nice end. There's no cliff hangers or plots left unanswered. I loved that part of the book with each end tying up well!

My last little comments:
Aesthetically, I really liked the font of the chapter numbers. This might not stay the same to the final version (I had a PDF copy), but I thought it really complimented the book.

The Andrews Sisters reference was FANTASTIC! I love Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. I have a crazy fondness for older music, so this reference probably made this ensure book 100x better for me.

Overall, this book is top tier! It's addicting, fast paced and tells a beautiful story I think everyone should read! I really hope more people read this book!!!

Five out of five stars!

I received a free copy of this novel from the author David Patneaude in exchange for an honest review.… (more)

Someone was Watching is the story of Chris and his family who have suffered the tragedy of losing one of their own. Chris's family was at the river enjoying a relaxing afternoon when Molly, Chris's sister goes missing. After a lengthy search, Molly is presumed to have drowned in the river. Chris and his parents suffer through three months of loss, anger, and pain before their therapist suggests that they spend some time reliving the day when Molly died in order to find some closure on what has happened. Chris and his parents view the videotape that Chris made of their afternoon together. Something starts to bother Chris about what he sees on the tape, which leads him to question everything he thought he knew about Molly's death. After Chris's friend Pat sees the tape, he helps Chris start to piece together what might really have happened that day. When Chris's parents fail to believe him, Chris realizes he and Pat are going to have to do some investigating on their own.
This story is full of suspense and mystery. I was so tempted to turn to the back of the book to see if Molly was really alive or not, but I was glad that I resisted. Overall, a good quick read that will make you want to keep coming back for more.… (more)

Someone was Watching is the story of Chris and his family who have suffered the tragedy of losing one of their own. Chris's family was at the river enjoying a relaxing afternoon when Molly, Chris's sister goes missing. After a lengthy search, Molly is presumed to have drowned in the river. Chris and his parents suffer through three months of loss, anger, and pain before their therapist suggests that they spend some time reliving the day when Molly died in order to find some closure on what has happened. Chris and his parents view the videotape that Chris made of their afternoon together. Something starts to bother Chris about what he sees on the tape, which leads him to question everything he thought he knew about Molly's death. After Chris's friend Pat sees the tape, he helps Chris start to piece together what might really have happened that day. When Chris's parents fail to believe him, Chris realizes he and Pat are going to have to do some investigating on their own.
This story is full of suspense and mystery. I was so tempted to turn to the back of the book to see if Molly was really alive or not, but I was glad that I resisted. Overall, a good quick read that will make you want to keep coming back for more.… (more)