Elizabeth Myles

At the risk of sounding dismissive of self-published e-books, this was a lot better than I expected. It’s not the best new book I’ve read in a while, but it was a lot of fun to read. (Again, I don’t want to be dismissive of all self-pubbed e-books, but my track record with them so far hasn’t been the greatest.)

I had fun reading this. It’s a very light and easy read, so it was good to pick up while I was in-between books. Veronica’s not the most engaging character, she’s pushed around by Lia and the novel’s circumstances, but she felt like a real teen girl who wasn’t particularly good at anything. I do wish that she would have been fleshed out a little more—we get that Veronica plays the drums, but she’s not really into them; she likes horror movies; and she’s constantly late and not a good student. But we never get the full details about what makes those things Veronica. She doesn’t feel bland enough that she could be anyone reading this book, but I could have used more of her. I did like the fact that Veronica does take charge of her life and starts to develop better habits for herself, which is a nice change.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Lia, though—she feels like a lot of the best friends that I’ve read in YA, as she’s more outgoing and pushes Veronica around. If there were more facets to their relationship, I think I would have liked her better. A big part of the problem is that of almost all the other friends Veronica has, Lia’s the one with the most screentime and her opinion rules all. I would have really liked to have seen a deeper level to Paige, who only seems to exist as the ‘other’ girl Veronica will have to fight for Jake’s attention, and Melina’s only purpose is cause a rift between lower-class Veronica and her upper-class potential boyfriend Alex.

As for the romance, that was another aspect I think that could have been developed a little more. I do like that Veronica does date other guys and doesn’t exactly paint them as evil or inferior to Jake. However, her attraction to Jake feels really undeveloped. On the one hand, I liked that she has a reaction of “OMG, I like him but I can’t tell him, how do I tell him?” which felt really realistic. On the other, I just didn’t see Jake’s appeal; it felt like he was the standard YA love interest.

The main/suplot about saving local hangout Lynch’s and Lia trying to get an interview from local Rock God Clyde Kameron actually took an interesting turn and resolution. While I don’t think the girls would have gotten away with as much as they did in the plot, the resolution and ending felt closer to the reality of the situation, and as much as I was expecting the last minute save and getting all of the money, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it wasn’t the case. I was disappointed, but I liked that there wasn’t a deus ex machine appearance of money.

If there’s one thing that I really liked about the book, it’s not dated. The heading explicitly state that the book takes place in the early fall of 1994, but aside from mentions of VCRs and no cell phones, the book doesn’t feel that dated. I also liked the emphasis on the local music scene and ‘zine culture Lia and Veronica take part in. While these elements could have dated the book more, they’re handled admirably, and they give more of a sense to the DIY culture of the early-mid 90s punk scene.

Read now, no. But for the amount I paid for it, it wasn’t that bad, and it’s an enjoyable read.
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Lia and Veronica are two best friends who are trying to keep their favorite hangout from closing down by organizing a benefit concert. Veronica is a senior in high school who is not sure about what she wants to do with the rest of her life while trying to play in her best friend’s band and dealing with high school. The book is set in the summer/fall of 1994 before the Internet and cell phones became widespread. Lia’s brother Jake is also home from college as well where he was the child prodigy. Veronica feels better when Jake does not know what to do with his life as well. The book takes an interesting book at high school in the early nineties where there are some things that do not change such as rivalries.… (más)

I read this (as best as possible) from the perspective of a high school student, since I am a teacher. I thought the storyline was very true to the life of today's teens (everything from crushing on your best friend's brother, to worrying about future plans, to high school bullies), but I found the plot to be a bit predictable at times. It was refreshing to not be smothered with drugs, alcohol (mild drinking scene), and sex, which, unfortunately, is the case in a lot of the newer "teen" reads. I did have a problems with the "summarized" dialogue, as it really distorted the flow of the conversations at times. Another small issue is that I wish the novel had been set more recently. 1994 seems pretty dated for today's teens. Overall, I would recommend the book to my students.… (más)