Review Detail

Reader reviewed by lookwaticando08

In Carolyn Macker's new book, "Vegan, Virgin, Valentine" is a good, easy read, perfect for an airplane flight or just another book credit for school. This book is perfect for teen girls ages 13 - 16 looking for a contemporary teen story about love and the discovery of what you really want and need. The story is set in Brockport in New York State, where the biggest thing to do is go to Rochester, which is 45 minutes away. The story starts with Mara Valentine (the main character) explaining her life to us. She's 17, a high school senior,a vegan, a Yale-bound, straight-A student and her parents pride and joy. Mara has an older sister, Amy, who is eighteen years older than Mara and has a daughter, Vivian, known as V. V is only a year younger than Mara. Amy moves around often, so Mara and V don't see each other often but neither seems to mind, since they are complete opposites. As much as Mara is a girl who isn't dating anyone, studies all the time and does extracurriculars, V is a girl who is, let's say, rather "popular" with the boys, doesn't seem to care much about school and enjoys the after-school activity of doing nothing. So you can imagine how Mara felt when her parents told her that V was coming to live with them, at least until the summer. Mara doesn't know how she'll be able to survive. When V gets to Brockport, she instantly starts setting off rumors about herself and making out with many of the boys at school. Mara can't stand it. Mara is also in the running for valedictorian against her ex- (and only) boyfriend, Travis Hart. The two are usually only separated by a decimal point or two and the competition is fierce. Travis was always pressuring Mara to have sex and after they broke up (Mara still a virgin), she used all her pent - up anger to will herself to make him the salutatorian of the class. Mara also has a job at a coffee shop called Common Grounds, which she loves. She soon falls in love with the owner of the shop, James. The only problem is, he's 22, never been to college and is not the kind of boy Mara's parents want her to be with. So, she hides their relationship from her parents and makes up lies to cover up the time she's spending with James, saying she's with friends she hasn't spoken to in a year. Meanwhile, V has been teaching Mara to lighten up and enjoy herself and Mara is starting to take her advice. But Mara is also starting to learn about herself - what she wants, not what her parents or principal or friends want. This book contains a plethora of character versus self conflict, with Mara rebelling against everything - she even starts to eat cheese, a food definitely not allowed if you are a vegan. V and Mara also begin to understand each other and start to become good friends. Finally, Mara tells her parents about James, that she is going to skip the college prep class she was going to take that summer. What she didn't tell them is that she and James were planning to go camping for a weekend in the summer - she figures they might not have been able to handle that, since the previous news came as quite a shock to them. When graduation time comes, Mara decides to skip it, which was bound to happen due to all the things Mara had been thinking and doing leading up to (and during) her "rebellion". Instead, she convinces V to drive with her to the beach. V pleads with Mara to make her parents and everyone happy by at least going to the ceremony and giving her valedictorian speech and everything, as in fairy tales, ends happily ever after.