Young Adult Novel “The Right Person” Recommended for Homeschooled Students

Posted byAuthor Stacy A. PadulaPosted inUncategorizedTags:, , ,

Written by Isabelle Semas

Isabelle Semas is in her junior year of high school, and has been homeschooled most of her life.  She looks forward to graduating next year and hopes to pursue a career in Early Childhood Education.  In her spare time, she sings in a christian band named NHB with her friends, is very involved in her church’s children’s ministry, and enjoys art.  She hopes to someday publish a book of her own.

As a homeschooler, many of the concepts and plots in The Right Person, by Stacy Padula, were foreign to me.  But this book made me feel as though I were there, in the novel, facing the same temptations as Chris and Courtney.  I have never had to deal with drugs, parties, or alcohol. But I would recommend this book for those who are homeschooled or teens who will be going into high school so that they may be aware of these things.

Through this novel, I noticed the harsh effects of peer pressure on a young mind. Chris and Courtney moved in opposite directions in the plot. Chris began to regret his involvement in the party scene, and his alcohol and various drug addictions. Courtney, who once held these things at an arm’s length, begins to let chips in her armor, becoming enamored by the popularity and fun these things seem to bring. I very much enjoyed the ending which simply lays it on the table: these things only bring emptiness, and only God fulfills.

As teens, we think we know it all. I know, because I am a teen myself. This book realistically depicts the truth. Each character in the novel has different pasts and social standings, convictions, and lives. It displays the consequences we face by trying to do things our own way, and let peer pressure and popularity (major themes throughout the novel) rule our decisions.

Synopsis

Growing up in the shadow of two NFL-destined cousins, Chris Dunkin has high hopes for his own future in football. However, a drug addiction threatens to destroy everything he has worked hard to attain. When Chris meets Courtney Angeletti–the mayor’s straightedge Christian daughter–he believes she could be the source of inspiration he needs to overcome his destructive lifestyle. Courtney, however, has other ideas.

The desire to rebel has been tugging on Courtney’s heartstrings for some time, and Chris’s “bad-boy” reputation draws her to him like a moth to a flame. After all, he is a central part of the most popular clique in her high school. Will Chris pull Courtney away from her faith or will Courtney inspire him to overcome his addiction?

Published by Author Stacy A. Padula

Stacy Padula has spent the last 14 years working daily with teenagers as a college counselor, mentor, and life coach. She was named "Top Inspirational Author of the Year" for 2022 by the International Association of Top Professionals (New York, NY). In 2021, she was broadcast on the famous Reuters Building in Times Square as "Empowered Woman of the Year." Her Gripped book series is currently being adapted for TV by Emmy-winning producer Mark Blutman. She is the founder and CEO of Briley & Baxter Publications: a publishing company that donates a portion of its proceeds to animal rescues each month. She has edited and published a variety of titles, including Boston Bruins Anthem Singer Todd Angilly and Rachel Goguen's The Adventures of Owen & the Anthem Singer, LaTonya Pinkard of Netflix's Last Chance U's Nate & His Magic Lion, and former NHL player Norm Beaudin's memoir The Original: Living Life Through Hockey. Stacy resides in Plymouth, Massachusetts with her husband Tim and two miniature dachshunds, Briley and Baxter.