Ottilie Weber

Imagine you’re on a school field trip, a trip that turns into a project to teach the students the responsibility of adulthood. Sound a little weird, does it? Just wait. This is only the beginning.

In PROJECT US by Ottilie Weber, the reader meets a group of high school students as they set out on an overnight field trip, at least that’s the way it starts out. When Rachel Hertz discovers that her roommate is Nick March, a guy she’s known for years, she’s puzzled. Something is wrong. Teachers would not allow a girl and a guy to share a room, right? No mistake has been made, however. The other students are matched the same as Rachel and Nick, a boy and a girl assigned to each room. Even worse, if possible, they have little or no contact with their parents to help straighten matters out. I don’t want to give anything away, but the situation gets worse.

Rachel is a likable character, trying to figure out her life as most teens do. Nick is adorable, and the connection between the two is fun and realistic. Told from alternate points-of-view (Rachel and Nick) we get to see both sides of the story.

A fun read with some serious thoughts, which led me to the question: how much control should the government have over our schools and students? What about the parents? Shouldn’t they know what’s going on with their children? What do you think?… (mais)

Sometimes our lives don’t turn out the way we had hoped. Circumstances beyond our control change our fate. After the death of her parents, twenty-three-year-old Eponine struggles to provide for herself and her ten-year-old sister so she won’t lose custody. Riley struggles to accept his new life after he was terribly scarred by the war.

BENEATH THE SCARS, by Author Ottile Weber, is the story of one woman’s courage as she puts her own life aside to care for her sister. Eponine faces a case worker determined to terminate her custody rights, a would-be lover getting even because she won’t date him, and earning enough money to support herself. Riley is a war hero, but the burns he suffered while on duty and the way people stare at him when he leaves his apartment make him feel like a monster, so he hides under a hoodie and avoids going out. Told in alternating points of view, we get a glimpse of Eponine’s and Riley’s thoughts and lives.

Ottile Weber has written a story of family and love. BENEATH THE SCARS is also a story of looking at the person, not just what we see on the outside but the beauty that is on the inside. Ms. Weber also touches on the challenges and dangers our military men and women face each day. This is a novel that will touch your heart and perhaps make you more aware of the sacrifices paid by those that are defending our country and its people. It has me.… (mais)

A fair amount of the books here on Goodreads has reviews by their authors, and I have been putting this off because I do not know how I feel about that. So here is a review of my own book? I have had a loving relationship with Fairy Tales my whole life, and when I write I'm sure that seeps into my wording. I enjoy history so I'm sure that shows up in the story as well... I wrote Family Ties when I was 16 years old then when I was 20 I did a little tweeking, such as editing, adding scenes, and even a character Teddy... For the second edition I got the book re-edited and changed the cover :)

Abby is an average girl in a small town always thinking she can not wait to get out of her town to see the world and adventures that were waiting for her. However instead she is spending her summer vacation with her best friend Cory working in a location Country Club in town (if you leave near Deal NJ, you can kind of picture the resturant that I'm writing about...). Abby walking home alone one night is kidnapped and brought to a world she only knew about in tales of her Great Grandmother that her father told her while she grew up.

In this book it is told by three POV, Abby, Cory, and Emma (Abby's Great Grandmother). There is wit, friendship, love, and adventure all wrapped up in a tale about not your average Fairy Tale. This is a story where Girl's are not waiting for the knight and shinny armor to save the day, but takes charge. I hope you give Family Ties a try, you will never know how you feel about a book unless you try it.… (mais)