Inebriated

'Inebriated' by Katey Taylor is a hauntingly real look at the power of intoxication, whether it be in the form of alcohol, drugs, or the lure of partying. The story finds its footing exploring a world in which the allure of each of these tests various characters' abilities to make morally sound choices.

Cait and her best friends Steph and Allie are high school girls headed into their senior year. They seemingly have it all – beauty, friendship, and the ability to get what they want when they want it. When Cait and Steph head out one night to Swank, a nightclub in San Francisco, to see Adrien Cross, their favorite musician, little do they know that this one night out is going to turn into a torrid love affair for Cait and Adrien. Despite being several years younger than him, having used a fake ID to get into the club, Cait's attraction to Adrien, and vice versa, is too strong to contain. When she ends up going home with him after his concert, she loses herself in him. Their time together is seemingly over until he calls her after finding something of hers in his apartment.

While her life outside of her house is going great, hanging out with a hot musician, getting drunk and living life to its fullest, her home life is going down the drain. Her parents' divorce, while she knew it was coming, weighs on her and causes her to use it as a means of acting out. She doesn't consider herself to be lashing out at her parents. They don't even know what's going on. Yet, Cait's decisions, despite seeming to be better than those of her friends at times, are more often than not questionable. When trouble strikes, she has to find a way to cope with her past decisions, along with those of her friends.

Truth and perspective, the reality of addiction, and the struggle to shape one's life in a meaningful way while still being too young to know how to make wiser decisions than drinking all day long rule this novel. Katey Taylor has crafted a very telling and vivid picture of the way in which privilege and insecurity can go hand in hand. Looking forward to reading Cait's next adventure in 'Neon Nights,' the sequel to this story.

What I Liked
This book was fantastic. It depicted down to a tee what it is like to be a high schooler on summer vacation. Anybody could read this book and see themselves in Cait and her friends. I know I did. Even though this is most likely a work of fiction, it had elements of truth behind it and that is this books biggest strength.

Cait, who was the main character, was written quite well. It’s not always easy to write teenagers but Katey Taylor did an excellent job of capturing the fickleness of teenagers. I truly saw my teenage self in Cait. The events she experienced during the course of the book was something teenagers face everyday. I enjoyed her voice and found myself rooting for Cait all the way.

What Left Me Wanting More
It was difficult to come up with something that left me wanting more because this book was terrific but I did manage to come up with at least one. One thing, and this is more of a personal choice, is the way the text messaging/instant messaging was formated in the book. It was the same text style as the rest of the book so it made it a little tricky to discern when there was a text and when there was the rest of the story. This might not bother some as it did help with the flow of the book.

Final Verdict
Inebriated is a one of kind book that everybody should read. It has well written teenagers, a great, albeit heartbreaking plot and a main character that you will absolutely fall in love with.