Review: The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman

 

Synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old Courtney Hoffman is determined not to go insane like her crazy grandfather did—right before he tried to drown her when she was seven. But something is happening to her. She’s being visited in her bedroom at night by aliens who claim to have shared an alliance with her now-dead grandfather. And Courtney knows that aliens aren’t real, which means she must be going crazy. And her mother and her new boyfriend have zero tolerance for craziness.

Then Courtney meets Agatha Kirlich, a mysterious older girl with sleuthing skills and alien-obsession issues of her own, and together—armed with ancient stories of a human-alien bloodline, a few photographs, and the creepy tattoo left on Courtney’s rib cage by her grandfather before he disappeared—the girls embark on a mission to uncover the truth about Courtney’s alien visitors. Ultimately, Courtney must put her fears aside, defy her mother, embrace her true identity, and risk everything in order to save herself—and the world.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman by Bradley G. Stefani is an interesting read for all ages. Yes, it’s geared for teens but as an adult, I enjoyed reading it. The main character, a teenage girl, is growing through a difficult time period in her life. She just lost her grandpa whom many deem crazy. Yes, he was a bit crazy but this tale proves he was also a genius as well. A grandpa who gave his granddaughter a tattoo that she knows nothing about…and the talk of aliens. Who believes in aliens…and where’s the proof? As Courtney live each day she is taunted with the nightmares. Her mother and mother’s boyfriend treat her like a crazed lunatic. A mother who puts her daughter into an asylum, based on the trauma her daughter is going through and because her boyfriend is a Doctor.  A Doctor who is more than beats the eye. The mother is clueless and it’s up to her daughter to save the world and to prove the Doctor is evil…

The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman is addictive, well done, and highly suspenseful. I found myself turning the pages faster with every turn. Bradley G. Stefani writes a story that drags readers into the characters drama and sweeps them off their feet into the danger ahead. Absolutely loved reading this tale. Courtney feels alienated from her peers and family and once she lands into the world her grandpa was in, she finds a peace that makes her life normal. Funny, crazy, but well-developed. Overall, I highly recommend this YA novel to all.