In the small town of Nabor-with-an-A lives a girl named Olivia Owen. Olivia, or Livvie, is a high-schooler that likes the simple things in life. Like her mud mug, cats, blankets, and slippers. She lives with her mother(Karen), father(Simon), older sister(Natasha), and little sister(Lanie). The only problem is, Livvie has Autism. Autism is a serious disease that affects the way a person speaks or communicates.

This story starts with Livvie rearranging the cup cabinet at 9pm. When, all of the sudden, she hears the old paper mill whistle. She drops and shatters her favorite mug, but she doesn't care. All she can think about is the whistle, because it hasn't blown in close to a decade. Also it would always blow at 6am or 6pm, but never at 9. When her parents confront her about the commotion, they claimed they didn't hear the whistle. This leads us on a winding tale of best friends, messed up schedules, nightmares, real estate magazines, and much more!

I feel that Sarah Dooley has done an amazing job with her debut novel Livvie Owen Lived Here. It surprises me how this is only her first novel. I loved everything, but how short it was. I believe that Dooley could have developed a deeper plot. This book just goes to show how strong a person can be in their worst moments. I feel that Livvie Owen Lived Here is directed towards teenagers and young adults.

Overall, Dooley has gave us another reason to appreciate all that we have in life. I think that everyone should read this book. If you like a story about a young person overcoming a challenge, with all the odds stacked against them, then Livvie Owen Lived Here is a book for you. You fall in love with Livvie from the beginning of the first chapter, it doesn't tell you exactly what happened, all you can tell is that Livvie is finally happy.