See What I See By Gloria Whelan

See What I See By Gloria Whelan
Release Date: December 28, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 208
Buy This Book: Amazon

Summary: Kate Tapert sees her life in paintings. Yet one place she never sees her life is in the work of the famous and reclusive artist Dalton Quinn—her father, whom she hasn’t seen or heard from in nearly ten years. Now Kate has an art dream of her own, and a scholarship to art school to help make it a reality. The last piece to the puzzle is staying with her father, which means it’s time for Kate to work her way into Dalton’s life, into his mind, and into his heart, whether he likes it or not.

See What I See is a powerful family story filled with uneasy relationships, deep secrets, reluctant togetherness, and an examination of the unbreakable bond between father and daughter. Celebrated National Book Award–winning author Gloria Whelan delivers her most modern story yet, with all the beauty, emotion, and timeless themes that she is known for.  

My Thoughts: I won't lie, I don't read many books like this. I'm more of a romance reader. But I got this for review and I liked the sound of it plus I knew a few friends were excited for it so decided to give it a chance. We meet Kate who has spent her whole life with her mom, in a trailer, barely getting by. She wants to become an artist, go to art school, do something she loves. Her father is a famous painter but he left them while she was just a child and had nothing to do with them all these years.  

She decides to go to art school in the town he lives which is only 4 hours away from her home. He moved back a while back getting away from New York. She gets a scholarship so now all she needs is a room to live in. She shows up on his doorstep and asks to live with him. I don't want to spoil the whole plot but she finds out there is a lot more to his story than she originally thought. It was heartbreaking to read this book but at least it was a shorter book so I didn't have to keep those tears in my eyes for long. I think it just hit too close to home for me.  Kate was very independent and loyal. She was very mature for her age and knew how to handle things.  

Overall: A wonderful story about following your heart, your goals, and going after what you want but realizing things that are beyond your control may interfere sometimes. I really enjoyed reading this but felt myself tear up a few too many times.  

Cover: Its such an artistic cover and it fits the book perfectly! 

What I'd Give It: