Not a whole lot happened, but a sweet story just the same. ( )

This was one of those random books I picked up. There wasn't anything that particularly inspired me to read it beyond the fact that it was a new release for the library. The cover was nice, but no wow factor for me. Even the blurb was just okay. Despite this I was willing to read, mainly because I needed a break from all of the paranormal and zombie books I've been reading lately.

In All You Get is Me, Prinz attempts to tackle some serious social issues and manages to do so without coming off as preachy. Illegal immigration is a touchy point with me as I am an immigrant myself. But I didn't feel like she was trying to promote illegal immigration, just make the reader aware of how those people are viewed by some.

Prinz also has a great way of bringing a setting to life. This works wonderfully some of the time, and in fact the first few chapters really held my attention, so much so that I stayed up until midnight on a work night reading. After the opening chapters though it became a bit too much. I lost interest and began skimming. I don't like skimming books, mainly because it's too easy to miss conflict and then you end up confused and just need to go back and read it anyways. Not the case here. There was so little conflict that I could have skipped over multiple chapters and not gotten lost.

Roar's relationship with her father feels the most realistic and important. Even though many of their conversations are only described, it's easy to see the resentment roar feels for him and how he has absolutely no idea how to interact with his teenage daughter. When she discovers he's been hiding information about her mother from her, I was disappointed that there wasn't more anger and hurt from Roar or more regret and sorrow from her father. He talked about still loving her mom and it was evident that he was grieving about that, but his actions made me think he was trying to protect Roar. Yet he didn't seem to grieve the fact that his daughter was suffering from a second abandonment from her mother.

The romance between Forest and Roar was just blah. There was no spark there, and although Forest started out a bit mysterious, he was just a basic, nice, overly perfect boyfriend. There was no drama between them, even when he finds out that she's been hiding the fact that her dad is filing a lawsuit against his mom. The ending was too girly. He's been recording the process of falling in love with her since before they even spoke and now he wants her to read it? but wait, even better is the fact that he'll wait a year and he'll come and work on her family farm the next summer to be with her? Gag.

There was also an over abundance of secondary characters. Characters that kept popping up and have long, boring interactions with Roar, yet never lead anywhere. Her best friend Storme is only there to constantly bring up Roar's "extra-virgin" status, Steve provides a bit of eye candy that we never get to see, and there are so many others that popped up that I can't even keep their names straight. It was all just filler. The hardcover comes in at 288 pages and could easily have been closer to 200.

Perhaps the most annoying thing about the book was the names. Roar (Aurora), Forest, Storme? Really? It just screams trying to hard.

Wouldn't bother reading this one again, and I'm doubtful that I'll pick up any thing else from this author. ( )

The blurb doesn't really do this book justice. It's so much more than just a story about a reluctant farm girl, although that's part of it. ALL YOU GET IS ME is a beautifully constructed novel about love and justice and truth--all done without a preachy, the-moral-of-the-story-is tone.

I'm trying to think of a way to tell you about this book without giving anything away. I've already deleted a paragraph because so much happens in the first ten pages, and it's so much better if you just experience it for yourself. Those events are the catalysts for the rest of the story.

And then there's the love story of Forest and Roar (don't be scared of her name--it's short for Aurora. If you had a big ole name like "Aurora Borealis Audley", you'd probably shorten it, too). Unlike many YA's today, this love story develops slowly, building to a crescendo of deep love and friendship. No instantaneous love, no destined to be together because it's fated or ordained. Just good, old fashioned falling-in-love over the summer.

Along with the love story are several subplots involving farm workers and question of what rights those who come across the border illegally to work those farms have, land development, and organic farming. These subplots don't dominate or shout "I'm trying to prove a point here!". Instead, they're subtly woven throughout the story, enhancing it. It's an interesting look into a world I'm completely unfamiliar with and rather eye-opening. (Actually, it piqued my curiosity about organic farming, composting and eating locally. Kind of wanted to move to Roar's farm for a while to experience it all.)

The character development was wonderful. I love how Roar's dad is so passionate about his beliefs. He risks a lot when he chooses to help someone who is considered "less" by many. And I love the relationship between Roar and her dad and how they rebuilt their family on that farm. Roar's best friend Storm (who decided they needed to be friends because they were both forces of nature) is hilariously outrageous--the kind of crazy friend everyone should have for at least a little while. Storm's rebellions are not particularly safe or good for her, and Roar tries to be a good friend to her. I really liked all the other minor characters, too. They were interesting and well-developed, each with their own quirks and personalities.

ALL YOU GET IS ME was a wonderful story. I rated it PG-15 because of the teen drinking and sex (there's not that much, and it's not like teens don't know about it but, yanno, just trying to be responsible here!). During reading time on Friday, I book talked it to one of my students, who asked to read it when I was done. Yay! Love when that happens. ( )

Okay, this was one of those that I really wanted to like, and actually thought I would like. Aurora "Roar" is a 15 year girl who loves photography and carries her camera with her everywhere. Reminds me of my daughter. Yay! That's where my interest stopped, unfortunately.The premise was very interesting and had me buying the book... the idea of a girl falling for a boy who happens to be the son of the woman who just happened to be responsible for killing someone you know by reckless driving....loads of conflict, right? It just didn't go anywhere for me. The author could have done so much more with that conflict, but in many ways, I think she took the easy way out. For instance, Roar keeps it a secret from Forest that her dad is suing his mom. What happens when he finds out? He's not outraged at all on his mother's behalf. Even if you don't agree with something your relative has done, you're going to want to be defensive, at least a little bit. At the very least, go away angry and come back and give it one of the old, "I've had time to think about it and..." moves. I just didn't find his complete agreement and acceptance realistic.That is something I could overlook. The biggest problem to me was pacing and detail. There seemed to be a lot of random stuff in the book that had nothing to do with anything important. You could have left Storm out of the story entirely and you wouldn't have missed anything... not because she's not an interesting character but because her storyline with Roar was completely irrellevent. Nothing tied in together.I just had trouble maintaining interest in general. Will I keep this book? Probably not. Will I ever read another book by this author? Of course I will. I like the author... one book I didn't care for won't turn me off entirely. And there were elements I did enjoy. I liked her friendships with her coworkers, life on the farm, and her photography. I just wish the author had done more with this. ( )

All You Get Is Me pleasantly surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did for it seemed like just a simple story about a city girl adjusting to her new life as a farmer’s daughter. But it was so much more than that. Roar is a realistic teenage voice who is falling in love for the first time and dealing with a legal catastrophe that gives it a vibe reminiscent of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Roar and Forest, the son of a city woman who has stirred up a lot of chaos in the small town, fall for each other right before our eyes. Though their relationship does happen pretty quickly, it’s not rushed. It’s wonderfully paced and it’s the kind of literary relationship that has you putting down the book just to squeal from the sheer adorableness of it all. (Boys, read this book. Take notes from Forest because he‘s adorable.)

There were quite a few things that I didn’t care for such as Brody Burk’s role in the book and Roar’s mother. I feel like both were kind of foreshadowed to be bigger parts of the story than they ended up to be, but fortunately their roles don’t interrupt or derail the story.

Overall, All You Get Is Me is a wonderful story of first love that will keep you enthralled and absolutely captivated. With gorgeous descriptions of country scenery, a genuine teenage protagonist, a clumsy first romance and a legal battle in a small town that rivals To Kill A Mockingbird, it’s definitely a perfect read for a rainy day! ( )