Scars Like Wings Audiobook By Erin Stewart cover art

Scars Like Wings

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Scars Like Wings

By: Erin Stewart
Narrated by: Emma Galvin
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Buy for $19.03

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Everyone has scars. Some are just easier to see ...

16-year-old Ava Lee is heading back to school one year after a house fire left her severely disfigured. She’s used to the names, the stares, the discomfort, but there’s one name she hates most of all: Survivor. What do you call someone who didn’t mean to survive? Who sometimes wishes she hadn’t?

When she meets a fellow survivor named Piper at therapy, Ava begins to feel like she’s not facing the nightmare alone. Piper helps Ava reclaim the pieces of Ava Before the Fire, a normal girl who kissed boys and sang on stage. But Piper is fighting her own battle, and when Ava almost loses her best friend, she must decide if the new normal she’s chasing has more to do with the girl in the mirror — or the people by her side.

The beautiful, life-affirming debut from Erin Stewart that's being called the YA answer to Wonder. Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Nicola Yoon and John Green.

“A heartfelt and unflinching look at the reality of being a burn survivor and at the scars we all carry. This book is for everyone, burned or not, who has ever searched for a light in the darkness.” – Stephanie Nielson, New York Times bestselling author of HEAVEN IS HERE and a burn survivor

"A gripping story, which examines what it means to survive." - i newspaper Difficult Situations Literature & Fiction Survival Disabilities
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This book was so difficult at the beginning, because it's hard to imagine a happy ending--for a teenager who's had their life so completely shattered and destroyed. And yet, Erin Stewart weaves together a story of healing, of hope. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from George Carlin -- "What really ought to be said after one of these so-called tragedies is, "Let the scarring begin.”

Still, it's a wonderful read. Pithy, sarcastic, heartbreaking, with the extra bonus of making my theatre geek heart squee. Well worth the reading.

A difficult and wonderful read.

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Nineteen surgeries after Ava loses her parents and cousin to a fire, she returns to school. With 60% of her body covered in burn scars, she doesn’t expect to meet Piper, another burn survivor who attends her support group and school. Together the girls bolster each other. As Ava finally sees the possibility of a “new normal”, Piper becomes clingy.

Debut writer Erin Stewart kept me glued to my kindle. I finished SCARS LIKE WINGS in one sitting, rooting for Ava every step of the way. Major and minor characters felt like the real kids you meet in high school. Stewart’s word building read like that of a seasoned writer.

At times Ava felt like a trope, the damaged girl who needs convincing life is worth living who overcomes being her worst obstacle. I’ve seen her character in other books.

***minor spoilers***

What kept me from giving SCARS LIKE WINGS more stars was the unhealthy friendship aspects that go unaddressed. Taking bullying from a friend, even if she’s depressed is not healthy. Friends shouldn’t be martyrs to their friends’ mental illnesses, especially when they’re also struggling. Their therapist should have been encouraging time apart to find and heal themselves instead of encouraging enmeshment. The Piper character was a trope, an annoyingly awful trope.

***end spoilers***

The Disneyesque version of burn recovery

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