Girl on the Ferris Wheel by Julie Halpern, Len Vlahos

Release: January 12th, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Amazon
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo.

In Girl on the Ferris Wheel, Julie Halpern and Len Vlahos expertly tackle this quirky and poignant romance that explores what first love really means—and how it sometimes hurts like hell.

Tenth graders Eliana and Dmitri could not be more different. He’s an outgoing, self-confident drummer in a punk band called Unexpected Turbulence. Eliana is introspective and thoughtful and a movie buff who is living with depression.

Dmitri quite literally falls for Eliana when he sees her in gym class and slams into a classmate. The pair then navigate the ins and outs of first love. Exciting, scary, unexpected, and so much more difficult than they ever imagined. They say opposites attract, but they soon realize that there is so much they don’t understand about each other. It begs the question: How long can first love possibly last when you’re so different?

About the Author:

JULIE HALPERN is the author of five young adult novels and one picture book for young readers. Maternity Leave is her first novel for adults. Before her life as a full-time mom and author, Julie was a school librarian. She enjoys traveling, watching television for grown-ups, and eating baked goods in her imaginary spare time. Julie lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, author and illustrator Matthew Cordell, and their two children.

Len Vlahos dropped out of NYU film school in the mid-80s to play guitar and write songs for Woofing Cookies.
He was part of a band that broke up in 1987 and then followed his other passion, books. He has worked in the book industry ever since.
For fun, he still plays guitar and piano and sometimes plays ice hockey too.
He lives in Colorado with his super awesome wife Kristen, two sons, and their very energetic dog.

Girl on the Ferris Wheel Review:

The “Girl on the Ferris Wheel” was a fun YA contemporary romance that accurately speaks about depression.

There are many moments that I enjoyed in the story. The first thing which stood out for me was how realistic and relatable the author made the storyline. The plot, along with the characters, feel like reading a book of your next-door neighbors. You can easily connect with the characters and empathize with them. Then there is the sweet romance between Dimitri and Eliana. The two of them don’t have the perfect relationship. Besides, their friendship starts on a humorous, awkward note in a washroom setting. But they have charming chemistry.

Eliana is a complex character and pretty much drives the storyline. I loved how well and accurately the author portrayed the character’s depression. On the other hand, Dimitri is the guy you immediately love because of his charm and eagerness. I loved the lengths he went through to prove his love for Eliana. I also loved Yia Yia’s character and the Greek terms that Dimitri’s family used in their dialogues.

Also, many moments in the story stood out for me. I love their movie date night where they watch “Psycho” or where he tries to serenade her. The song Dimitri writes for her is also sweet. On a side note, the author makes numerous pop-culture references that are very entertaining!

However, I felt the book ended abruptly. There were quite a few things that I felt did not get resolved. For instance, Dimitri’s parents are racist, and Daisy is a nasty character, but there is no closure to their plotlines.

Apart from that, this was a cute story that I recommend if you are in the mood for a lovely contemporary Young Adult novel.