Age: 16+
Character Development: A
Plot Development: A+
If I had the creative talent Ali Dean has in her pinky...it would be a blessing. Yet again she writes a book that seems to be a normal coming of age story but then - WHAM - there's this hidden twisted backstory that plunges all the characters into turmoil. Seriously, as many books of hers that I've read, you'd think I would expect its but nope blind sided again.
Hazel is literally me...except for the super-hot, super-rich boyfriend and crazy drama. Entering her senior year of high school she still doesn't know where she really fits in:
"I’m serious. I couldn’t decide where I fit. Punks, hippies, jocks, nerds, outcasts and social climbers, they were all my people. And yet none of them really were. I suppose my default group was the overachieving crowd."
This was me; I was in marching band, drama club, tennis team, honor society, science club, social studies student board, and so many more extracurricular activities that I honestly can't remember. I had friends from every social group and my main group of friends each had their own interests that I really didn't know how to classify where I belonged (but trust me when I say it looks hella good on your college applications).
Now unlike Hazel I didn't really have to deal with bratty underclassmen like Afua and her little girl group. They had some guts walking straight up to her and assuming she's the reason they didn't make varsity:
Afua took a deep breath. “And we think there’s been a mistake,” she rushed out. “Three mistakes,” Pigtails added.
BOLD. AS. HECK. Speaking as someone who went to a sports centric school, I can guarantee you at my school, anyone who didn't make the cut wouldn't confront a student who may or may not of influenced the choice, they'd talk to the coach, bust their butts, and kiss up to the coaching staff. Which is what Afua and her little buddies will end up having to do.
A huge thank you to Ali Dean for making this available as an advance copy to me but...I'm kind of mad that I can't binge read the whole series like I did with her Black Diamond series. Regardless, you can bet when I get my hands on the next book, I will devour it in a day like I did Defiance Falls! Mark your calendars for October 19th!