Review: Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende

Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende

Publisher: Harper 

Pages: 400 

Format: ARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:   Set in the present day (a new departure for the author), tells the story of a 19-year-old American girl who finds refuge on a remote island off the coast of Chile after falling into a life of drugs, crime, and prostitution. There, in the company of a torture survivor, a lame dog, and other unforgettable characters, Maya Vidal writes her story, which includes pursuit by a gang of assassins, the police, the FBI, and Interpol. In the process, she unveils a terrible family secret, comes to understand the meaning of love and loyalty, and initiates the greatest adventure of her life: the journey into her own soul.


Kritters Thoughts:  An interesting trip through the present day and the past of this young girl who through unfortunate events was caught in the crossfires of the authorities and the con men of Las Vegas.  Maya is a young girl who with the death of her grandfather started spiraling out of control and as the book jumps from past to present with ease.  The reader is taking the journey through the past to find out why Maya is in the current place she is in.

Maya is a character that was easy to fall in love with, but at the same moment you wanted to snap her into shape.  The other character that I absolutely loved reading was Manuel, her guardian in Chile who was really there for her and with a twist for him, I loved where the book ended with him.  Finally, when I thought that all the clues had been divulged there were even more things that were revealed and they kept taking the book up a notch and another.

My only qualm about the book was that I would get hooked on the story whether the present or the past and then it would change to the other.  Although it was a qualm, it kept me reading because I wanted to know the whole story.  For fans of mysteries that have characters woven in and out, this would be a perfect read.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

 The tour schedule: 

Wednesday, April 24th: Twisting the Lens

Thursday, April 25th: 5 Minutes For Books

Monday, April 29th: A Dream Within a Dream

Tuesday, April 30th: Tiffany’s Bookshelf

Wednesday, May 1st: Peppermint PhD

Thursday, May 2nd: A Bookish Affair

Monday, May 6th: Jenn’s Bookshelves

Tuesday, May 7th: Drey’s Library

Wednesday, May 8th: A Bookworm’s World

Thursday, May 9th: Speaking of Books

Monday, May 13th: Olduvai Reads

Tuesday, May 14th: Kritters Ramblings

Wednesday, May 15th: Savvy Verse & Wit

Thursday, May 16th: What She Read … - joint review

Monday, May 20th: Book Club Classics!

Tuesday, May 21st: Man of La Book

Wednesday, May 22nd: From the TBR Pile

Thursday, May 23rd: Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World