By Jodi Picoult
455 pages printed on paperback, excluding the Readers’ Club Guide.
Published by Washington Square Press.
ISBN 978-0-7434-9673-5.

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All stories start slow. And Nineteen Minutes is no exception. I picked up this book from my daughter; she loves the author’s books. I was hesitant because the cover screamed “Female teen/tween romantic book”. 
But then, why not? At the end of the day, it is a story and you just might enjoy it.

The book tackles a sad reality in today’s society. About how violence has invaded even areas considered off-limits, a sanctuary for many. 

There were times I did not want to put the book down. The few twists and turns were such that I needed to know what followed next. Now, not later. An issue is that I somewhere past the middle, I had gathered enough clues to guess how the story ends. 

The draw at continuing reading, then, is to find out if I was right.

There is a section “Reader’s Club Guide” to assist book discussions. And a Q&A with the author Jodi Picoult.

I honestly enjoyed the book. The beginning parts are slow, and sections made me remember how teens once were, and are. But the story does pick up, I just have to be patient.

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