Spin

by K.J. Farnham

Sixteen-year-old Jenna Kemp is a typical high school girl, complete with a loyal group of friends and a seemingly understanding boyfriend. But when the demons from Jenna's childhood resurface, she's suddenly spinning out of control–drinking, partying–anything to numb the pain of the past. After distancing herself from her friends and befriending an outcast, her friends and family start questioning and judging her choices.

But when Jenna doesn't come home one night, her friends and family realize it's more than just adolescent rebellion. Jenna's mysterious disappearance proves that there's more on the line than they realized. As they sift through a series of her personal diaries, the truth becomes terrifying. Will Jenna's final diary entry reveal the greatest mystery of all–her whereabouts?

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Suspense, Ebooks

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2019

About the author

K. J. Farnham writes contemporary fiction for women and young adults. She grew up in the Milwaukee area and now lives in western Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book on the recommendation of a friend and I couldn't put it down. I found it gripping and suspenseful, the YA characters were believable and relatable, and I was compelled to find out what had happened to Jenna. I'm not a huge fan of YA usually but this was a different kind of angst and I felt the loyalty that teenagers have in their efforts to protect their friends reputation from the adults around them.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This review will be on my blog All the Ups and Downs soon.)
--
The synopsis for Spin by K.J. Farnham really grabbed my attention. I had to know why Jenna was acting out. Plus, I liked how the synopsis mentioned that diary entries would be involved. Luckily, I was not disappointed one bit.

Jenna is a 16 year old high school girl. She's the picture of perfection. She's beautiful, popular, makes good grades, athletic, and is a great friend and daughter. However, when a certain person from her past moves back to her town, Jenna's painful memories of the past resurface. When it all becomes too much, Jenna acts out by drinking, taking drugs, and other bad behaviors. One night, on the way to confront her abuser, Jenna disappears. Through Jenna's diary, her point of view, and the points of view from her friends and family, we are able to piece together what happened to Jenna during her childhood and leading up to her disappearance.

I found the plot for Spin to be very interesting. Although it has been done many times before, Farnham was able to keep it fresh as well as fascinating. The plot leaves no cliff hangers and every question I had was answered. The one thing that was a little annoying was that in the same chapter, in a few parts of the book, the tense would switch between past and present. This was obviously missed in editing since the whole book is written in past tense. Other than that, Spin was written beautifully.

I really did enjoy the characters in Spin. Jenna was very likable, and I felt bad for her. I wanted things to go back to normal for her throughout the book. She was so vulnerable, and I hated how her events of her childhood had robbed her of all she had going for her. Keeley and Delaney, Jenna's best friends, felt realistic. Their actions regarding Jenna's behavior seemed like what most friends would be like at that age. I enjoyed reading things from their point of view. Dustin, Jenna's boyfriend, was also a great character. I hated how Jenna was treating him. I understood why she was acting the way she was towards him, but I just hate that he never knew the reasoning behind her actions. It still wouldn't have made it right, but at least Dustin would have had some insight. Leighton was my favorite character in Spin. Even I wanted to be friends with Leighton. I love what a great friend she was to Jenna and how loyal she was. Yes, Leighton did make some bad decisions, but her love for Jenna was admirable. I do wish Bonnie, Jenna's mom, would have read more of her diary. My heart went out to Bonnie especially when she felt like it was her fault after reading an entry in Jenna's diary before she went missing. I did feel that Bonnie was a little strict with Jenna especially when it came to Dustin. I felt like the character of Joseph was written perfectly. Was he truly a changed man or was he still sick?

The pacing for Spin was fantastic. Not once did I feel like the pacing was too slow or slowing down. It was never too quick either where I became lost. This book held my attention throughout. I was buckled up to go wherever Spin wanted to take me!

Trigger warnings for Spin include underage drinking, drug use, sexual situations (although not graphic), rape, attempted rape, child and teen sexual abuse, incest, profanity, and death.

All in all, Spin is a great read with a fantastic set of characters and an enthralling plot. Yes, it is a dark and emotional read, but it will not be a disappointing one for sure! I would definitely recommend Spin by K.J. Farnham to those aged 16+!

[Coco.V]

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[E.S. Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a MUST READ.

K.J. Farnham has created a beautifully written, suspenseful and poignant page-turner that had me reading late into the night.
She masterfully interweaves timelines and covers topics that deserve to be spoken about, while keeping you reading, eager to find out the ending.

If you love YA angst, I wholeheartedly recommend you pick up this book.

[Abby Gunderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I never wanted to put it down!!

[K.J. Farnham]

For more information about SPIN - https://kjfarnham.com/spin/

[Cortnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warning: sexual abuse, drug use, underage alcohol use

Spin is a hard-hitting contemporary novel about a sixteen year old girl named Jenna who loves running. Over the course of the book, we witness her going from sweet friend to spiraling out of control after the reappearance of her extended family in her life. Struggling with demons from her past, she turns towards self-medication as she attempts to navigate her world with a slipping control and eventually ends up pushing away her friends and losing sight of who she is.

This is a book that can be extremely tough to read, especially if you’re a survivor of sexual abuse. That considered, I feel like this very delicate situation was handled with grace and was well-written and respectful. It’s always interesting to see how authors are going to portray an abuser. Many of them are multi-faceted and it’s always important to know that there is power in coming forward.

Honestly, KJ had me guessing how the book was going to end until the last second and there were MANY times where I went to say “I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED” or “I BET IT WAS THIS” and I was wrong until the moment I read it.

It’s always hard recommending books like these, or rating them even, because it can seem wrong but I try to base my opinion on how it’s written, if it’s informative and respectful and that was definitely the case with this book. If you have a habit of reading hard-hitting contemporaries like me, I’m certain you’ll like it.

[Vicki Cuic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me into the story from beginning to end. Will definitely be reading more from this author!

[MzAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking

If you're looking for a light, happy book with a HEA or even a HFN...this is not it. This book is a very heavy read. So let's start with the trigger warning:

POSSIBLE TRIGGER:
*This story features child sexual abuse

This book was very well-written. The back-and-forth between the present day and the days leading up to Jenna Kemp's disappearance confused me a little at first, but once I got the hang of it (I'm old, but it didn't take long), I was totally sucked in.

This book made me sad...it made me angry...it broke my heart. It's a perfect example of hindsight being 20/20...if only this person hadn't done this...if only that person had just said that...

I'll probably be haunted by this book for a while. I need to go find some light-hearted romance to read now.

A final comment--Some secrets aren't meant to be kept. If you have been the victim of any kind of assault or abuse, or if you know someone who has, PLEASE tell someone. (There are even resources listed at the end of this book.)

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking story, told from many different POVs, in two timelines, coming together to reveal a tragedy with so many could have, should haves, I couldn't keep from crying. My heart splintered again and again, "if only" was echoing through my head so loudly, sometimes I had to stop reading. And I am still hung up on the book, still fighting through so many emotions... How could they not have seen?! Of course they didn't. And I can only hope that I never need to see but if it happens, that I am aware and open and there when I have to...

Thank you, K.J. Farnham, for chosing topics that need to be discussed, need to be brought to attention, need to be seen. Even though I've got a headache from crying, a heartache from hoping against hope, I really enjoyed the book.

[Heather Navarre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good.

I found myself reading so slow so I didn’t miss anything.

It is told from many POV and it does a fantastic job of telling what happens after someone goes missing.

This book is about a girl who has suffered abuse so this should only be read if you aren’t triggered.

It is important to watch your kids or watch kids and note any changes to behavior. Also a good message to listen to what they are saying.

[Joleen Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book keeps you guessing and wanting to know what happens. It contains a sensitive storyline. The more you read the more you want I know what happened. Some times it was slow but it all made sense in the end

[John Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spin is full on and an excellent read. But be aware it is about child sexual assault. The way Ms Farnham writes this memorising story, all the people involved and affected by what has happened, is well worth the journey. Keeps you on a knife edge right up to the very end.

[Rachel Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenna Kemp likes to run and hang out with her three best friends at the local park. She is your average teenager, but she is also hiding a huge secret. She has succeeded in pushing down her secrets so deep that she can live her daily life in peace, but those secrets will slowly bubble to the surface. Jenna will try anything to numb the pain, from nighttime pain meds to weed and alcohol. Her friends don’t understand why she is spinning out of control until the day Jenna doesn’t come home one night and her years of secrets begin to unravel.

Spin was incredibly riveting. I was entirely engrossed in the book from the first chapter. What happened to Jenna? What will happen to Jenna? I had to find out and I was not disappointed in the ending. The plot was incredibly well paced and Farnham breaks up the narrative into two time periods: before Jenna’s disappearance and after Jenna’s disappearance. Slowly the days count up and down until they finally meet in the end with the exciting conclusion that answers all the questions.

Jenna Kemp was incredibly well written. Her diary entries seemed a little too polished for a teenager going through emotional torture and turmoil, but her actions and thoughts were very realistic. Her friends’ reactions and thoughts were also incredibly realistic. Their guilt after Jenna’s disappearance is so heartfelt. The emotions that Farnham describes are so authentic that I felt like Keely, Dustin, Delaney, and Leighton could be real people.

The interactions with the police felt real. The interactions between Jenna’s parents and her were also incredibly well written. I loved getting all the different perspectives. Each character had a unique personality and connection to Jenna.

Jenna herself was complex. From the outside she appears like a troubled and rebellious teenager. When you get inside her head and see what she writes in her diary entries, you see her for the adult that she truly is and the baggage that is slowing her down, overwhelming her at times, and growing heavier and heavier through her repeated exposures to her childhood sexual trauma.

The writing style is incredibly polished and this book is the best one of Farnham’s to date. I’m very excited for what she writes next.

[Sarah King · Rating 5 out of 5]

K.J. Farnham’s latest novel is a young adult story with a mystery at its heart. After reading and enjoying all of Farnham’s previous works, including her last YA novel Don’t Call Me Kit Kat, I was really looking forward to getting stuck into my copy of Spin, and I definitely was not disappointed. Spin is a pacey, edgy read which immediately grabbed me; a compulsive page-turner which kept me up way past my bedtime on the several nights it took me to read it.

The mystery of Jenna Kemp’s disappearance and whereabouts is pieced together in a narrative which moves between past and present, and between several different characters’ points of view. This jigsaw-building structure is complex but expertly crafted by Farnham, who uses this format to reveal the story gradually, weaving the details of Jenna’s life in the months before her disappearance in amongst the pain and confusion of her family and friends in the aftermath. I particularly like the way Farnham employs contrasting narratives and tenses as the story moves between the past and the present. For the reader, the use of first person and present tense gives a deep and immediate insight into the responses of Jenna’s loved ones, whilst the use of third person and past tense for Jenna’s part of the story keeps her, rather aptly, at arms length.

As in her previous YA work, Farnham’s Spin deals with some difficult topics, delving deeply into some complex emotional and mental health issues as Jenna’s story unfolds. Without wishing to give too much away about the plot (and therefore the mystery), I think that Farnham’s handling of this tough subject matter is commendable for its realism and sensitivity. The story pivots around a number of strong, well-drawn characters; all flawed in one way or another and not all likable, but all easily imagined as they play their various parts in steering the reader towards answering the question: where is Jenna Kemp? The answer, when it comes, is unexpected, shocking, and a fitting end to a very tough tale.

A gripping, suspense-filled read. Five stars.

[Polly Barreto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Ms. Farnham’s best work to date!

Spin is told in multiple POV’s, but each chapter is clearly defined as to which character is talking.

I couldn’t put this book down! She had from hooked from the first page to the last word written.
Jenna Kemp appears to be a normal high school teenager, but in reality she is hiding a secret from her family and friends. This secret starts to consume her and her once normal life starts spinning all around her. It starts as a slow spin, but is soon spiraling out of control, and she needs to find a way to make it all stop.

Just when Jenna finally starts the process of getting her life back on track, she goes missing. After a few nights of her not returning home, her family and her friends realize that Jenna was in more trouble than they thought.

Everyone is trying to figure where she went, with whom and why….including myself. I was literally on the edge of my seat trying to play detective. EVERY time I thought I would know those answers, Ms. Farnharm would flip something around or give me a little more information, and I would have to start all over again!

Can her friends and family find her? Will Jenna finally expose her secret or will her life just keep spinning downward. One of my favorite lines from this book is “When they were kids, going as fast as possible was the ultimate goal. But now that they were older, going slow seemed like the right thing to do”.

I highly recommend this book!

[Kristine Berger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, another hit by Farnham! I have read her previous books so was a bit surprised with the change to a mystery. She still has the ability to never want to put the book down, easy reading page-turning style. She was spot on on the high school adolescent story line and had me wondering til the very end. My only reason for not giving this a 5 star was because it took me a while to get into the book. I found all the characters and timing a bit distracting. Now that I know the ending, I want to read again to see if I missed any clues. You will not regret reading this book and I especially like how Farnham captured the feelings of Jenna's friends and their guilt as she went missing. Great job!

[Natalie Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book held me captive from the start. Jenna lives the "perfect" life, has the best friends and boyfriend that anyone would love to have. Unfortunately, she's living a lie.... What seems on the outside as a typical happy teenager, is inside dealing with Heart wrenching pain and trauma. With no way to deal with her struggles and pain, she slowly starts spinning out of control.
This is a gut wrenching story that will not only break your heart, but will have you holding your breath. This author has written a story that, unfortunately happens too often in our society. I cried so much reading this one! This is a MUST READ!!!

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the first book by this author was recommended I dismissed it because it was definitely not my genre. Eventually I did read DON'T CALL ME KIT KAT and found the subject so relevant, critically important and well presented that it should be a mandatory read for young adults AND their parents. I have now read each of K J Farnham's subsequent books. Each book presents critical life experience lessons in a meaningful and entertaining way. SPIN is a critical, timely message wrapped in a mystery. It is a page-turner which should be enjoyed by anyone.

[Susan Homan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spin

This book is written in multiple POV, and I believe it totally worked for this book. This book kept me interested and reading way past my bedtime because I had to finish it that night. Jenna is a high school student, who has always been a good student and responsible. She loves running and runs track with one of her best friends. She was sexually assaulted at a young age, but seemed to have handled it well. But suddenly, she is not herself. She is pushing her lifelong friends away, and they don't understand why, but don't really push her to try to find out, or to talk to her. She feels comfortable with her new friend Leighton, and confides in her. She lets more out to Leighton after drinking too much, but Leighton was the one who took care of her. Right when Jenna decides she is going to take charge of her life, and confront her abuser, she goes missing. Much of the book is about the hunt for her. There are many twists and turns in this book, and it will keep you guessing. It is also heartbreaking for Jenna, and her friends...as they figure out the pieces and realize they should have tried to help her. I highly recommend this book for all teenagers and parents.

[Alicalynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farnham has done it again, but in the best way possible. I literally couldn’t put this book down from the second I read, “It’s the last entry. The one from October twenty-sixth. We’re going to find her, Joseph.”
The friendships, the pull of young love, the struggles of dealing with trauma for everyone involved; everything so emotionally connected and beautifully executed. The ending was so heartbreaking, I couldn’t recover for days. But I loved every minute of it.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely amazing!! I was constantly intrigued as to what was about to happen and found it nearly impossible to put the book down. It covers heavy topics which are very prominent in current society and will send anybody on an emotional roller coaster. If you want a book that will keep you guessing, I would highly suggest this!!

[dawn roper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for EVERYONE! Especially patents.

This book is guy wrenching to read because it's a story so many have loved and are living. Patents, you need to look for signs in your children. Get to the bottom of their behavior by listening to them. Regardless of age. Kid's it's so important that if this is or has happened to you tell someone. You are not alone!

[Meleaha Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! It is told through multiple POV's, and bounces from before Jenna's disappearance to after. This book may contain triggers for some because Jenna was sexually abused. As heartbreaking as this story was, I am glad that justice was served.

[Neisha Exeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual go-to book, however once I started reading this book, I just could not seem to put it down. Told from dual points of view, Spin was an emotional read for me. A very heartbreaking story with a tragedy. I am looking forward to what more this author has in store. Fantastic book and highly recommended.

[Sophie Ruthven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

Wow. Just wow.
This was a page turner at it's best.
This was such a gripping tale that you can't look away from.
It's a true reminder of how you have no idea what's going on behind closed doors, or behind people's facades.
Definitely a must read and hope to see more like this from this author.

[Samantha Waldow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spin by K.J. Farnham is about Jenna. She doesn't come home one night. Her stort is told in multiple points of view. This story does have triggers of abuse. I enjoyed reading this story. At times it did drag but it is definitely worth the read and by the end ot all came together. Its well written and will suck you in.

[Loralie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a tough read. It starts out with a teenage girl disappearing. I liked that the there was more than one first-person accounts. It was a good way to see how Jenna was perceived. You think you have an idea and then the story goes the other way. I wanted to scream and throw the book many times. She had a big secret and was acting out, and it was tough to watch those around her struggle to figure out why she acted like she did. This is a great read if you're looking for a heartbreaker.

[Andrzejewski Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It was based on a sensitive subject that should never be taken lightly. The sexual trauma Jenna experienced and hid throughout her childhood and early adolescence, caused her to face terrible consequences in her late teen years. It was sad to watch her push everyone she was close with away. When Jenna felt like she had noone she formed a bond w Leighton.
Leighton turned into being a confidant and a support for Jenna. I found the ending very sad and emotional.

Too bad if Jenna would of opened up to her family. Things might of ended a bit differently and on a happier note.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Book! Really well written. I so loved the unexpected twist at the end. LOVED IT SO MUCH.