Nicole Kroon Recommends “Taylor’s Story” to Young Adults

Article by Nicole Kroon—North Andover, Massachusetts

As a junior in high school, I would recommend the novel Taylor’s Story (Gripped Part 5) by Stacy Padula to young adults who are constantly being exposed to drugs and alcohol, and are at a higher risk of being tempted to try them. This book is an excellent deterrent for people who are thinking about taking illegal substances because it shows the dangerous consequences that most people would never even think about. Not only that, but it also demonstrates how to resist negative peer pressure from close friends or family, which is something that young adults in particular are very prone to being exposed too. 

The topics in this book are relevant for teenagers because they are at the perfect age to be convinced to try either illegal drugs or alcohol. Their brains are still developing but they’ve finally been given more freedom in their lives, which gives them the opportunity and desire to try new things. However, because they often haven’t been exposed to the risks, they either don’t know any better or don’t know enough to care about not taking drugs. 

One of the most important messages Gripped 5 sends to readers is the importance of communication. This can be seen in multiple aspects of the story, such as Cathy and Chantal’s fight, or even Taylor’s drug dealing. But no matter which part of the story you’re looking at, it’s clear that calmly talking things through with trusted friends and family can help solve conflicts and get help to people who need it. Another message from this book is the importance of facing your fears and problems. Taylor is especially able to do this a lot in Gripped 5 when he begins facing his fears of taking and dealing drugs and getting out of the Bilotti crime family. The novel shows readers how important it is to be able to confront problems instead of letting them simmer and grow worse over time. The third message I found important from this book was staying true to yourself. Sometimes it can be hard to remember that you’re not going to please everyone, and it’s ok if you don’t, but you have to go with what you believe is right and not lose sight of your values. For example, when Luke was dating Missy, he constantly was throwing parties and even taking drugs just to make her happy. But the whole time, he was actually making himself unhappy, and it only put a strain on their relationship that might have been avoided if Luke had only been honest with himself. Those are three important messages I found in Gripped 5. 

Looking ahead, I’m most curious to discover how Taylor is able to get out of the drug-dealing Bilotti crime family without hurting any of his friends or family. He’s in so deep that it’s hard to imagine a way for him to set everything right without putting anyone’s lives in danger, and I can’t wait to see what he does next!

About Nicole Kroon

Nicole is a junior at North Andover High School and will graduate in 2025.  Her favorite subjects in school are math and biology.  She loves reading and traveling with her family and enjoys going on challenging hikes.  Most recently she visited Iceland, where she hiked on several amazing trails.  Nicole is a varsity runner on the Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track teams at her school, and she also volunteers in the Youth Track and Field program.