Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth is a dark story of teenage friendship. This novel slowly sucks you into it’s darkness and keeps you reading because you feel compelled to continue on this roller coaster of emotions that these characters are on.
Our main character Laura is who tells this dark tale of lives gone astray, including her own. The story weaves between the past and present as Laura and Emma are watching a tv broadcast telling of a body that’s been found. This puts them on a journey into the past as they reminisce about their friend Chloe and test the ground between themselves on the secrets that they hold after all these years.
Most of the trouble starts when Emma comes into the lives of Laura and her best friend Chloe. The girls are all pretty wild with drinking, smoking, and hanging out with Carl, a much older guy who Chloe is dating secretly. Things are said by Laura to Chloe’s parents that cause a rift and soon both Chloe and Emma are pushing Laura away. Laura has been best friends with Chloe for a long time and feels its only a matter of time before Chloe comes back to her because that’s just how Chloe is. Yet as time goes on there are secrets that are being held that Laura wants Chloe and Carl to admit to but they never will. Shouldn’t they have to account for their lies?
Cold Light is a novel that really needs to be experienced through a teenagers eyes and that could be where my disconnect with the characters came in. These girls all lead troubled lives and are pretty much allowed to run wild and that wasn’t a life I had as a teen. I was willing to get in trouble as a teen; I was just never really allowed to. I could however connect with the teen feelings of insecurity and how you seem to be friends one day and then not the next.
As for the story itself it feels very real and I could see this situation happening easily with teenagers and their jealousies, meanness, and the feeling of wondering what’s wrong with you. While I can’t say this novel was a favorite of mine, once I got into it I had to keep reading to see what would eventually happen. Cold Light is a well written and intricate story and I look forward to reading more from Jenn Ashworth in the future.
Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth is touring with TLC Book Tours so be sure to check out the other tour stops for more thoughts on the book. You can connect with Jenn on her website, Facebook, and Twitter if you’d like and Cold Light is available for purchase here in the US and here in Canada.
Source: Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and the Publisher. No compensation was received for this review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Is this book marketed to a YA or an adult audience? I’m wondering because, quite often, I feel that teens in YA books are allowed to do whatever they want. The book still sounds interesting to me.
I am almost done with this one. I have about 10% left on my Kindle. I am trying to figure out if it is geared towards YA’s. I am thinking no because of the sex and drinking but who knows?
This sounds like another good one. I hope all is well with you!
Sounds good, though I do hate meaness in ya books
This is one that would not interest me, but might interest my daughter. It’s really hard with these YA novels, sometimes they are great, but sometimes there is too much angst for me to enjoy them.
Hi Dar 🙂
It does sound like an interesting book and one that really draws the reader in with the teenage angst theme.
I’m glad to see that even though this wasn’t a favorite for you that you WILL be looking for more from this author in the future.
Thanks for being on the tour!
Teens and girls can be very evil to each other. Sounds intriguing!!