Review- Wolves, Boys & Other Things That Might Kill Me

Wolves, Boys & Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

When KJ Carson is assigned to write a column for her school newspaper about the wolves in nearby Yellowstone National Park, she’s more interested in impressing Virgil Whitman, the new kid in school and the photographer assigned as her partner, than in investigative journalism. But before long, KJ has a face-to-face encounter with a wolf that changes her and the way she thinks about wolves. With her new found passion for protecting these controversial animals, KJ inadvertently ignites the fuse of the anti-wolf sentiment in the community. First Virgil is injured during a town parade, and then her father’s store is set on fire in retribution. To stop the escalating violence, KJ follows Virgil to the cattle ranch of the most outspoken anti-wolf activists in town, against her father’s will. What she discovers there threatens everything and everyone she cares about.
In KJ’s fierce and funny attempt to make peace between the wolves and the people that despise them, she must first face her own long-held fears. It’s terrifying, but then, finding yourself always is.

Taken from Kristen Chandler's site.
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To me this story was unexpected. I won it through a contest on Bree Despain's (the author of The Dark Divine and the sequel, to be released this December, The Lost Saint) blog. I just thought "Oh this will be a fun, young love story." Boy was I WRONG!

This novel goes deep into the heart of every animal-lover out there. The town that K.J. lives in seems so selfish at first, but throughtout the novel you begin to see the reasons behind the controversy, and although you may not agree with their methods, the people do have good reasons.

K.J. was and is that awkward, silent, wall-blending girl that most teenage girls can relate to. But by the middle of the novel you realize that her heart and drive is more dedicated than any hard-core environmentalist. She made me laugh, she nearly brought me to tears, and I adored her.
K.J.'s love interest with Virgil however was a little shakier to me. He was the person who introduced her to the "rebelling" lifestyle, but yet by the end of the novel he seems like he's trying to cover every point he's made, up. Don't get me wrong, it was a cute teen love story, but I didn't find it as riveting as others. And some people probably hated the ending to the book asking, "What? How could she do that?" but I thought it was a depiction of the real world and not some made up "Cinderella" story.

Overall this novel opened my eyes a little more and left me with a heartwarming feeling.

3.5/5 stars