Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Julie M. Prince

Sixteen-year-old Kate is in the embarrassing position of working at a mall booth with her eccentric father selling overpriced infomercial vitamins. Her father recently quit his normal job to pursue this dream, and as a result, things are going downhill fast in the Brown household.

To top it off, the one person Kate would usually turn to in times of stress and trouble is now pretending she doesnt exist. Her best friend, Anna, has shed 80 poundswell, more than that if you count Kate, whom she dumped along with all the weight. Now that Anna is running with the popular crowd, Kate is left on the sidelines.

The authors voice is easily distinguishable. If I were to read something else by Elizabeth Scott, like her previous novel, BLOOM, or her next one, STEALING HEAVEN, I wouldnt have any trouble recognizing her work. Shes just got that certain something that stands out.

This story is fun and relatable, with great, realistic interactions, especially between Kate and her older brother, Todd. I found Kates love interest, Will, to be my favorite character. He teases Kate in much the way boys tease the girls they like in grade school. Kate was at her best when she bantered back and forth with Will.

At times, Kates whining self-centeredness seemed a bit over the top, especially when she launched into the list of her lifes problems for the fourth or fifth time. This can be contributed to teen angst, I suppose, but I found it mildly irritating.

However, the fun story overrode the irritation, and I had trouble putting it down. I was anxious to see how things turned out with Kates relationships with Will and Anna, as well as whether someone would thump her dad upside the head to knock some sense into him. Id like to see more from Elizabeth Scott!

Im not the only one. Check out these other YABC reader reviews:

» Awesome - reviewed by Alexis

» An honest look into a teen's life. - reviewed by Tasha

» Amazing! - reviewed by Holly

» Nearly perfect! - reviewed by Kristin

» Kate's life may not be perfect... but the book pretty much was! - reviewed by Megan

» perfect you, perfect book - reviewed by Hillary

Off to turn another page&.