{"id":24964,"date":"2022-11-17T00:00:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/?p=24964"},"modified":"2023-06-14T14:08:53","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T12:08:53","slug":"caught-inside-lynnette-beers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/caught-inside-lynnette-beers\/","title":{"rendered":"Caught Inside by Lynnette Beers: Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>Caught Inside by Lynnette Beers<\/b> is set about a Chinese American girl\u2019s coming-of-age story and her road of self-discovery.<\/p>\n The story is mostly in the 90s and follows Maddie Fong\u2019s teenage years. After an incident in Mississippi, her single mother decides to move them to a place she feels is safer to live in and to also be closer to their family in Southern California.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, she is picked on by the kids in her new school for being different and distracts herself by reading books. She meets a girl at school and they become fast friends.<\/p>\n Maddie meets a man from Hawaii who opens up her world to new possibilities once he introduces her to surfing.<\/p>\n One of my favourite characters in the book was Kai, a man from Hawaii who introduced her to surfing. He eventually became a father figure and great support system for her. While Maddie did not fully confide in him about her worries and troubles, Kai always made sure she knew that he was there for her, which made for a touching relationship.<\/p>\n The book is filled with literature quotes from Virginia Woolf and I found it enhanced the scenes and gave them a depth and meaning that wouldn\u2019t otherwise be there.<\/p>\n The growth that the main character goes through during her teenage years was great to see and found myself rooting for Maddie\u2019s happily ever after.<\/p>\n In the blurb, a significant portion of it mentioned surfing, but I found myself wishing there were slightly more scenes involving the sport because they were so well-described by the author.<\/p>\n I do want to mention here that the main character is in a relationship with a male for a tiny part of the book. There are no descriptive sex scenes.<\/p>\n Lynnette Beers\u2019 writing was intriguing from the get-go and although the romance took more of a backseat, I still enjoyed this well-written coming-of-age story.<\/p>\n Maddie had gone to Camp Wallace since she was eight, but now at age fourteen, she related more to sixteen-year-old Brooke than she did the other campers. Once they discovered they both lived in Ellisville and would be going to the same high school in the fall, they\u2019d become close.<\/p>\n They rested for a few minutes and resumed trudging through the woods. As they wove through the thick vegetation, Maddie counted each faint clang of the bell. One, two, three\u2026 By the time she got to twenty, she lost count. The sound seemed farther away now. Did the gongs come from behind them? From over the ridge? From across the lake?<\/p>\n \u201cHow long will they keep ringing the bell?\u201d Maddie\u2019s voice quivered as she blinked back the tears.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil we\u2019re found.\u201d Brooke said this so matter-of-factly, like she wasn\u2019t a bit scared about being lost.<\/p>\n Maddie lost her footing on some loose gravel and grabbed Brooke\u2019s arm for support. \u201cWhat if they don\u2019t find us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll find us. I mean, at least by morning when the sun\u2019s up. Last year when I went through orientation, they told us about the different bell signals used at camp. You know, when it\u2019s time to wake up or when it\u2019s time for dinner. Right now, it\u2019s obviously a distress signal, but they\u2019re not gonna give up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2026we\u2019re gonna freeze if we\u2019re stuck out here all night.\u201d Maddie\u2019s teeth chattered, and she couldn\u2019t stop shaking. Though she wanted to believe Brooke, she feared the worst\u2014that they\u2019d be stranded out here all night long and get frostbite.<\/p>\n \u201cIt only goes down to around sixty at night in the summer. We\u2019ll be fine. Besides, they\u2019re bound to find us soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n Brooke turned to face Maddie and took hold of her hands, giving them a quick squeeze. \u201cSince when has Maddie Fong been a wuss?\u201d Her tone was playful. \u201cDidn\u2019t you swim to the other side of the lake with me yesterday? And only a little while ago you went for a swim at dusk.\u201d<\/p>\n Maddie loved how Brooke said her full name, as if she was someone special and not just one of the campers. \u201cThat was different. It was still light out when we swam. It\u2019s totally dark right now, and we can\u2019t even see where we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEver since I met you last year, I always saw you as fearless. The key to survival is not to panic.\u201d Brooke squeezed Maddie\u2019s hands once more before releasing them and continuing down the hill. \u201cWe can\u2019t be that far from camp. Once we make our way through these trees, we\u2019ll find our way back to the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n When you use the links in this review and buy within 24 hours of clicking then we get a small commission that helps us run the site and it costs you nothing extra<\/i><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ISBN number: <\/b>9781949096378<\/span><\/p>\n Publisher:<\/b> <\/i>Flashpoint Publications<\/p>\nPros And My Favourite Parts<\/b><\/h3>\n
Heads Up<\/b><\/h3>\n
The Conclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n
Excerpt from Caught Inside by Lynnette Beers<\/b><\/h2>\n
Get It Online<\/b><\/h3>\n
Bits and Bobs<\/b><\/h3>\n