Title: Is a New School a New Chance: The First Quarter
Author: B.J. Bartlett
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-6655-0464-5
Pages: 108
Genre: Romance
Reviewed by: Suzanne Gattis

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Many would call B.J. Bartlett’s Is a New School a New Chance a love story – but I see it as much broader. It is a story about many types of relationships, some of which are hostile and unhealthy. It is a good insight into the people and relationships that teens are faced with in today’s world.

However, the love story of Jason and Jasmine is my favorite part of the story. Both having had bad experiences with their ex’s, these two began cautiously with a friendship; I think that helped them start with a healthy foundation. It’s hard to move on from any bad relationship, especially one where cheating makes you doubt that you should ever trust. After spending time together and being treated nicely, both decided thought that it was worth the chance to pursue. The book has you rooting for the characters to finally get together.

Some of the other relationships in the book do not have such a happy ending. Matt and Kayla are two characters who truly antagonize Jason throughout the book. Jason does not care for them in large part by how they treat people, which is admirable. I think in their interactions with each other a bit of the author’s naivete about the world came out. For example, as stable adults, most of us do not go around fighting each other. I think as the author sees more of the world, he will be able to write in more mature ways to handle conflicts.

Even with that above criticism, I did like the book and found it easy to read. Young love is always enduring as is cheering for the hero, in this case Jason. A few times when people were talking, the dialog was a little off, arranging the words in a way that most people would not say them. I think for a young writer, Is a New School a New Chance, is a nice final product and I look forward to seeing more.