"Cloudburst" Review

"Cloudburst"
by V.C. Andrews

Publisher: Pocket Star
Release Date: Oct 25, 2011 
Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

The follow-up to Family Storms from New York Times bestselling author V.C. Andrews features high school senior Sasha Porter in search of her sister—but instead she learns secrets that could tear her family apart.

Sasha is a popular senior in high school, with excellent grades and no more secrets to hide. She finds herself more and more interested in one boy, Duane Banks, who stands out not because he flaunts his good looks and his achievements at the school like so many, but because he is shy and somewhat withdrawn.

When auditions for the new school play begin, she and Duane both get parts and with the rehearsals, Duane seems to be coming out of his shell, permitting himself to hope and succeed at something. Sasha and Duane become a couple, and their relationships continues to grow.

When the play opens, Sasha’s foster parents attend, but neither of Duane’s parents show up. Duane goes into a depression, and he begins to ignore not only his schoolwork, but also his appearance. She tries to warn his mother to be more concerned, but she resents Sasha’s inserting herself into their private lives and does nothing. Meanwhile, things take a bizarre turn at home for Sasha and then a sudden tragedy makes her wonder whether there’s anybody she can truly trust.

My Review:

When you're in the mood for some melodrama, there's no one better to turn to than VC Andrews. This book really delivers on the over the top family drama. While some of the story was a little predictable, especially the foster sister and foster father storylines, the rest was more dramatic than even what I thought would happen.

You'd think with a ghost writer writing under the VC Andrews name, that the storytelling would be subpar but this is just not the case. The writing is fast paced and really draws you in. I was turning the pages so fast with this book, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. The writing may be missing that special something that VC Andrews herself had, but it's still good writing.

Sure, a lot of the story is way over the top, and in some cases simplified too much. There were some awkward moments, but overall it was an engrossing story.


Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Cover: 3/5
Writing: 4/5


Bottom Line: I wouldn't go into this book expecting the next great literary masterpiece, but as far as entertaining, over the top melodrama goes, it hits the mark.