Amazon The Circle of Friends Category:  Young Adult/Teen Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. ISBN-10:  09811621007 Type: Fiction Pages: 368 Copyright: March 2009 ISBN-13: 9780981621005 Books I & II Described as “encouragement personified”, Wolfe’s five-book Southern-based series portrays love and friendship overcoming all obstacles. THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS BOOK I … LORI BY L. DIANE WOLFE   Driven by Olympic dreams…   To the outside world, Lori Anders has it all. The only child of affluent parents, she is a gifted swimmer with Olympic dreams. Armed with a winning attitude and genuine spirit, Lori appears destined for success.   Yet despite her certainty in the pool, something inhibits Lori from achieving her full potential. Her focus on swimming has left little time for relationships. Lacking in confidence, Lori’s light has few opportunities to shine.   When an altercation with the school bullies brings her to the attention of the star quarterback, Lori finds herself in a unique position. Jason’s affections renew her hope and force the shy swimmer out of her comfort zone. But, will it be enough to achieve her lifelong dream?   $20.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 368 pages, Fiction/YA ISBN 978-0-9816210-0-5 / 0-9816210-0-7   “L. Diane Wolfe expertly combines the social interaction between teens and realistic problems that face our teens today for a genuine feel good novel.” - Donna M. McDine, Children's Author & Member SCBWI   Described as “encouragement personified”, Wolfe’s five-book Southern-based series portrays love and friendship overcoming all obstacles. Known as “Spunk On A Stick” to her fans, Wolfe is also a professional speaker. Originally from Oregon, she now resides in North Carolina. “With a positive attitude, any goal can be achieved!”       THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS BOOK II … SARAH BY L. DIANE WOLFE   Second best to your best friend... Second best to your brothers... First in no one's life...   No awards for second best…   A student at Georgia Tech, Sarah Martin is bold, intelligent, and appears destined for a career in biochemistry. But her poor self-image has been masked by behavior unbecoming to a young lady brought up in an affluent Southern family. Estranged from her father, envious of her best friend’s perfect life, Sarah feels inadequate and unable to measure up to expectations.   When a friendship suddenly turns romantic, Sarah questions herself even more. A future NFL receiver, Matt’s joyful spirit and social status appear beyond her reach. Yet beneath his eager smile and playboy antics lies a young man hiding in shadows and desperate to trust again.   Faced with challenges, they must help each other come to terms with past disappointments before insecurities and doubt threaten to sabotage their future.   $20.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 360 pages, Fiction/YA Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. ISBN 978-0-9816210-1-2 / 0-9816210-1-5   "Sarah: Circle of Friends Book II is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing and moving books I have ever read. Wolfe has written the impossible: a story of real people facing life’s real issues and she does this with style, grace and aplomb. Anyone who has suffered from poor self-image and low self esteem needs to read this book. It will not only restore your faith in yourself but your faith in others." - Jamieson Wolf, The Book Pedler Reviews   “I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. It was the first I had ever read by L. Diane Wolfe and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is the story line very realistic it is very inspirational. It shows both the joys and the many pains of young adults in today's society trying to fit in but still be true to themselves.” – Katie’s Book Blog

Donna McDine
“L. Diane Wolfe expertly combines the social interaction between teens and realistic problems that face our teens today for a genuine feel good novel.” - Donna M. McDine, Children's Author & Member SCBWI

TeensReadToo
LORI by L. Diane Wolfe
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 3/31/09
Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Rating: 4 Stars


For anyone that says there are few young adult books out there with a positive message with little sexual content or
foul language, then they haven’t discovered THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS series by Ms. Wolfe yet. LORI is the first
in the series.

Lori Anders is pretty, but she’s always been shy and lonely. Neither of her parents are around all that often, so she
has been given pretty much anything she’s ever asked for. The house she lives in comes with an indoor pool that she
uses every day for her training. She has dreams of an Olympic gold medal in swimming.

It isn’t until Lori defends her friend, Maria, from bullies at school that the course of her life totally changes. The
bullies retaliate against Lori and she is rescued by none other than the quarterback of the school’s football team.
Unbeknownst to Jason, Lori has had a crush on him. Jason is amazed that he’s never noticed Lori before, because
he finds her truly stunning. And she is totally different from any other girl he has ever met.

After he rescues her, Jason invites Lori to have lunch at his table. She is immediately welcomed into the group. It’s
not long after that that she and Jason begin to date. They quickly become an item, and a couple that everyone
admires. But Lori tells Jason that she will not have sex with him. She explains that she believes in saving herself until
marriage. Although Jason isn’t happy with the news, he realizes that Lori is special and is willing to wait.

From that point on, the rest of LORI shares the trials and tribulations of the couple as they go from senior year of
high school through their college years. The two struggle together to remain a couple and are determined to make
their relationship work. Lori is at one university on a swimming scholarship and Jason is at another school, reaching
for his separate dream of an NFL contract at the end of his college football career.

Life isn’t perfect for Lori and Jason, but through love and understanding, they do the best that they can.

Lori Anders is such a positive influence for anyone. She shows complete devotion to those she loves, and an
unwavering determination to reach her dreams. There may be hints at sexual situations, but they are done within the
limits of marriage - and abstinence is the message until marriage.

Overall, anyone that picks up LORI will come away with a warm feeling by the end of her journey.

http://www.teensreadtoo.com/LoriCOF.html

The American Chronicle
The Circle of Friends Book I: Lori by L. Diane Wolfe
Jamieson Villeneuve March 15, 2009What would you do if your life went in a direction you hadn´t planned? Would you charge on forward? Would you have the confidence to continue down an unknown path? Or would you crumble under your own self doubt?

Lori Anders lives the good life. She is the child of wonderful parents. She has incredible grades in school. She is popular and well liked by everyone. She is also an amazing swimmer who has dreams of swimming in the Olympics.

But, even with all sorts of good things going for her, Lori still feels empty. Though she puts on a good face to the world, always appearing happy and content, inside Lori is unsure of herself and extremely unhappy.

That all changes when she meets Jason Phillips.

When Lori is attacked after helping her friend deal with some bullies, Jason Phillips comes to her aid. He marvels at the fact that Lori is able to stand up to so much pressure, so much tension and still think positively.

Lori immediately tried to pull within herself, unsure as to why one of the most popular guys in school would even stop to help her. As Lori battles her self doubt and her lack of confidence, her relationship with Jason develops into something more than friendship.

Jason´s interest in her and their growing love help force Lori out of her shell and build up her confidence. But when something happens that tests her newfound confidence, will Lori give in to her old demons?

The Circle of Friends Book I: Lori is an absolute delight from start to finish. Never have I read such an emotionally charged wonderful book. Wolfe has succeeded in writing a book about people that matter, about people you can grow attached to. Real people.

What I found most interesting about The Circle of Friends Book I: Lori was its warmth. You can tell that the author has so much love for these characters that it is not possible to love them as well. It´s rare for me to become emotionally involved with a book but, while reading Lori, I was hoping and cheering right along with the characters.

It´s also rare for me to read a book with a message and not come away feeling as if I´ve had half a pound of sugar. Most books with a message usually hit the reader over the head from page one; but one of Wolfe´s strengths is that she doesn´t do that. She lets actions speak louder than words, lets the characters speak for themselves.

Wolfe manages to teach us some very wise advice while giving us an incredible story: never stop yourself from going after your dreams. Never give up on yourself. Never let lack of self-confidence stand in the way of achieving your dreams. It´s an incredible, inspiring message interwoven into one of the best novels I have ever read. Period.

If you want to read an incredibly well written novel that will change the way you see yourself, this is the book for you. Once you become a part of The Circle of Friends, you will never want to leave.

The Circle of Friends Book I: Lori is an amazing book that will leave you breathless for more.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/94509