Girl in the Mirror by Kate Farrell

• 11/08/2013
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Girl in the Mirror
Kate Farrell
Unlimited Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781588329950
Reviewed by Natalie Goldenberg (age 16) for Reader Views (4/09)

Kate Farrell tells a story of a freshman in college, Sylvie Dawson, who finds herself in an abusive relationship with Eric.  She keeps her secret from her friends and family, covering up her bruises with makeup.  When the semester is over, she moves back home for the summer and tells her parents of the abuse.  In the meantime Eric stalks her, causing much anguish.  Sylvie’s parents make arrangements for her to stay with her godmother for the summer at her country home.  Eric continues to stalk her parent’s home and his mother hires a private investigator to find Sylvie.

Sylvie, while with her godmother, gets motivated to take art lessons from a neighbor.  She discovers a hidden talent and her self-discovery journey begins.  At times I found the storyline a bit slow and was wishing for more excitement.  However, the character development and story line was very good and I felt like I was right there with Sylvie.

“Girl in the Mirror” by Kate Farrell is a good book for young girls to read and learn that they too can find the strength to leave abusive relationships and find their own identity.  I would recommend it to girls that are starting to date.