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The Princesses of Iowa
What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland.
Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She's pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash, everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot is her creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves. But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can't fix, and choose between living the privileged life of a princess, or owning up to her mistakes and giving up everything she once held dear.
Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She's pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash, everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot is her creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves. But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can't fix, and choose between living the privileged life of a princess, or owning up to her mistakes and giving up everything she once held dear.
464 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2012
34 people are currently reading
3157 people want to read
About the author
M. Molly Backes
2 books47 followersM. Molly Backes is an exciting new talent in the world of young adult novels. After graduating from Grinnell College in Iowa, she moved to New Mexico, where she taught middle school and got 150 of her students to write novels for National Novel Writing Month. She now lives in Chicago, where she works at StoryStudio, Chicago's center for writing and the related arts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 364 reviews
July 20, 2012
Congratulations, Paige Sheridan, you're officially one of the most repulsive literary main characters I've ever had the misfortune of reading. I mean, I don't have a problem reading about shallow, self-absorbed characters who desperately need to be knocked down a peg or ten, but what you say and do is just unreal. There's being clueless and obnoxious, and then there's you. Unbelievable. And your sudden epiphany ten pages before the end when you finally realize how awful you've been, all so you can apologize to the forgiving guy? No, just no.
Forget the summary - it's a lie. Paige is NOT dealing with the aftermath of a drunk driving accident. I know, I was fooled too, and by the prologue as well - she totally tricked me with her contrite tone, I genuinely thought I'd be reading about a girl trying to atone for her mistakes. Nope, prepare to read chapter after chapter of bitching about being exiled to Paris while her friend's a cripple thanks to the accident and ranting about how her boyfriend's ignoring her to spend more time with the crippled friend, because HER parents are getting a divorce. Totally unfair, amirite? (And why isn't this in the summary?) Oh, and let's not forget to mention the massive hypocrisy, because Paige goes after other guys even while she's being paranoid about her boyfriend possibly cheating (emotionally only) with the crippled friend. Insane.
So how do you redeem an unredeemable character? By making Lacey and Jake, the cripple friend and the boyfriend, the characters I actually sympathized with, even more unlikable than her. Yes, let's turn them into homophobic bigots halfway through the story, just so Paige can stand on her moral high horse and lecture about how wrong homophobia is. It almost worked - except isn't Paige almost as judgmental as they are? Should it really matter whether Mr. Tremont is gay or not? So why does she keep thinking about it, and looking for signs like how well dressed he is? He's an excellent creative writing teacher, he shouldn't have been fired because of the gay rumors, why don't we focus on that? But instead, Paige tells us how 'relieved' she is when she sees him with a woman and sees that as evidence the gay rumors are untrue.
And then, Backes finally remembers there's supposed to be a girl dealing with a drunk driving accident plot, and has Nikki, Paige's other friend who's basically done nothing for most of the book, stage a mock accident to raise awareness for drunk driving. The entire thing was just hair brained and weird, and without going into details somehow Paige gets an epiphany that she's been a horrible person this whole time. Umm, I've been reading about her horrible behavior for ninety percent of this book at this point, and she's just realizing it? Now? Because of a guy? No way. (Very convenient character development though.)
It's been a long time since I've read a book where all I felt was utter revulsion. Unfortunately, The Princesses of Iowa qualifies as that rare book. I couldn't understand, sympathize, feel anything for, any of its characters - well I liked Shanti, but only because I hated everyone else. There's just nothing redeeming to any these characters, nobody to root for, nothing to enjoy.
Forget the summary - it's a lie. Paige is NOT dealing with the aftermath of a drunk driving accident. I know, I was fooled too, and by the prologue as well - she totally tricked me with her contrite tone, I genuinely thought I'd be reading about a girl trying to atone for her mistakes. Nope, prepare to read chapter after chapter of bitching about being exiled to Paris while her friend's a cripple thanks to the accident and ranting about how her boyfriend's ignoring her to spend more time with the crippled friend, because HER parents are getting a divorce. Totally unfair, amirite? (And why isn't this in the summary?) Oh, and let's not forget to mention the massive hypocrisy, because Paige goes after other guys even while she's being paranoid about her boyfriend possibly cheating (emotionally only) with the crippled friend. Insane.
So how do you redeem an unredeemable character? By making Lacey and Jake, the cripple friend and the boyfriend, the characters I actually sympathized with, even more unlikable than her. Yes, let's turn them into homophobic bigots halfway through the story, just so Paige can stand on her moral high horse and lecture about how wrong homophobia is. It almost worked - except isn't Paige almost as judgmental as they are? Should it really matter whether Mr. Tremont is gay or not? So why does she keep thinking about it, and looking for signs like how well dressed he is? He's an excellent creative writing teacher, he shouldn't have been fired because of the gay rumors, why don't we focus on that? But instead, Paige tells us how 'relieved' she is when she sees him with a woman and sees that as evidence the gay rumors are untrue.
And then, Backes finally remembers there's supposed to be a girl dealing with a drunk driving accident plot, and has Nikki, Paige's other friend who's basically done nothing for most of the book, stage a mock accident to raise awareness for drunk driving. The entire thing was just hair brained and weird, and without going into details somehow Paige gets an epiphany that she's been a horrible person this whole time. Umm, I've been reading about her horrible behavior for ninety percent of this book at this point, and she's just realizing it? Now? Because of a guy? No way. (Very convenient character development though.)
It's been a long time since I've read a book where all I felt was utter revulsion. Unfortunately, The Princesses of Iowa qualifies as that rare book. I couldn't understand, sympathize, feel anything for, any of its characters - well I liked Shanti, but only because I hated everyone else. There's just nothing redeeming to any these characters, nobody to root for, nothing to enjoy.
May 14, 2012
No matter what happens in life, use it!
Ultimately, The Princesses of Iowa is a book about life; it's about nothing, and everything. I was really taken by surprise at how much I became absorbed in this story. It's filled with reality. Real people, real emotions, raw moments, hard decisions, and true consequences.
Paige is dealing with the aftermath of a drinking and driving accident. She's changed, her friends have changed; everything is different, especially her plans for her long anticipated senior year. Right from the beginning I loved the writing. Paige's narrative is easy to get drawn into. Her thoughts and emotions resonate throughout her story. It's not a fast paced book, however, it's effortless. The way you get immersed inside this girl's mind, you don't even notice you've already read half the book. I loved her intelligent way of thinking; she isn't afraid to break out of her box. She even got me to become fascinated in her creative writing exercises which I usually would have no interest in. To the point where I wish our school would have had a teacher like hers. Someone who could make it so interesting. She's good - really good. She made me feel her passion for it. Plus, it was a great way to get her unfiltered thoughts.
Besides Paige, all the supporting characters had just as much push inside this novel. Nikki, Lacey, Shanti, Ethan, Jake, even Mr. Tremont, the parents - there's a whole lot of them and it's as much a story about them, than about Paige herself. When is life only about you? Any story encompasses a whole lot of people that will be directly, or indirectly affected by the commotions in your life. Inevitably, there will be characters you love, others you hate, some you will applaud, and maybe even one who will surprise you. Overall, I loved the big diverse cast. It kept things moving along nicely.
This story touches on a whole slew of consequences that all stem from the accident. Some of these are trivial, while others are significant; no matter how big or small, they all come together, making Paige question who she is and who she's supposed to become. This is what I mean when I say it's both about nothing, and everything - there isn't one main theme or plot. It's really a story about life. About living through changes until we find ourselves. This gives us a lot of internal dialogue which can seem a bit long after a while, but I never found it tedious.
I wouldn't call this a light read, but it's not extremely intense either. It's thought-provoking and enlightening. There's some sweet romance, heartwarming moments, and dramatic emotions - an altogether beautiful contemporary novel.
I remember...
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
Ultimately, The Princesses of Iowa is a book about life; it's about nothing, and everything. I was really taken by surprise at how much I became absorbed in this story. It's filled with reality. Real people, real emotions, raw moments, hard decisions, and true consequences.
Paige is dealing with the aftermath of a drinking and driving accident. She's changed, her friends have changed; everything is different, especially her plans for her long anticipated senior year. Right from the beginning I loved the writing. Paige's narrative is easy to get drawn into. Her thoughts and emotions resonate throughout her story. It's not a fast paced book, however, it's effortless. The way you get immersed inside this girl's mind, you don't even notice you've already read half the book. I loved her intelligent way of thinking; she isn't afraid to break out of her box. She even got me to become fascinated in her creative writing exercises which I usually would have no interest in. To the point where I wish our school would have had a teacher like hers. Someone who could make it so interesting. She's good - really good. She made me feel her passion for it. Plus, it was a great way to get her unfiltered thoughts.
Besides Paige, all the supporting characters had just as much push inside this novel. Nikki, Lacey, Shanti, Ethan, Jake, even Mr. Tremont, the parents - there's a whole lot of them and it's as much a story about them, than about Paige herself. When is life only about you? Any story encompasses a whole lot of people that will be directly, or indirectly affected by the commotions in your life. Inevitably, there will be characters you love, others you hate, some you will applaud, and maybe even one who will surprise you. Overall, I loved the big diverse cast. It kept things moving along nicely.
This story touches on a whole slew of consequences that all stem from the accident. Some of these are trivial, while others are significant; no matter how big or small, they all come together, making Paige question who she is and who she's supposed to become. This is what I mean when I say it's both about nothing, and everything - there isn't one main theme or plot. It's really a story about life. About living through changes until we find ourselves. This gives us a lot of internal dialogue which can seem a bit long after a while, but I never found it tedious.
I wouldn't call this a light read, but it's not extremely intense either. It's thought-provoking and enlightening. There's some sweet romance, heartwarming moments, and dramatic emotions - an altogether beautiful contemporary novel.
I remember...
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
April 10, 2012
This review originally appeared on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves
Every now and then, a young adult book reminds me that I am not the target audience for YA authors.
The Princesses of Iowa is one of those books.
However, for the target audience of teen girls and their parents (you know, the people who pay for the books that their teenage daughters read), I’d say that The Princesses of Iowa is the perfect book. Except for ONE MAJOR ISSUE that I address at the end of this review for the sake of emphasis.
I say that because while the book has a lot teenagers can relate to in a non-sugarcoated way, it’s still a message book that parents will like. It’s full of lessons about tolerance, the dangers of drunk driving and the virtues of being yourself, even if you don’t know quite what that is yet.
(If you think that all of these valuable lessons crammed into one book sounds like a long book, you’d be right, as The Princesses of Iowa clocks in at a hefty-for-YA 441 pages.)
The novel opens with a monologue by Paige Sheridan, the narrator, on how lectures from adults on alcohol don’t tell kids nearly enough. There’s lots of,
They should have said this, they should have told us that; they should have said this is how it really happens.
Cut to Paige arriving home to Willow Grove, Iowa just before the start of senior year after a summer in Paris. Not a romantic, adventurous summer, but a summer of miserable baby-sitting exile devised by her mother in the hopes that the embarrassment of Paige’s involvement in a drunk-driving accident the previous spring will be forgotten.
Paige’s dream—nay, her goal—since she popped out of the womb has been to be a princess on the homecoming court, along with her two best friends Lacey and Nikki. To secure her princess nomination, Paige needs to dress in a certain way, act in a certain way and do so with the popular clique, which of course includes her best friends.
Egging her on is her mother, herself a former homecoming queen at Willow Grove High School who is still obsessed with appearing pretty and popular in the community. This obsession extends to the point that she doesn’t allow Paige to wear a sweater on the chilly first day of school because it doesn’t complement the rest of the outfit. (As you can see, Paige’s mother provides another reason why parents will like this book, since they can feel better about themselves as parents in comparison to her. At least I hope so.)
At this point, I turned to my SHO, originally from small-town Iowa just like Paige, for his insight. Having attended a small, all-girls Catholic high school in Buffalo, my homecoming experience is zilch. I was all,
"Really? Coordinating outfits with your Mean Girls-lite friends just to secure a homecoming court nomination? Not just that, but a legacy homecoming court nomination? That actually matters to people?! C’mon."
Apparently in Iowa, due to a lack of anything remotely interesting, social hierarchy in high school is everything. Just thinking about it made my SHO grimace, then sigh in relief as he realized that he didn’t actually have to worry about where to sit in the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, for Paige, things have changed. The car accident has left Lacey crippled, distant, and frequently leaning on her long-time friend, who happens to be Paige’s boyfriend Jake, for support. Nikki, deemed responsible for the accident, is preoccupied with a mission she has termed DIEDD (Don’t let frIEnds Drive Drunk). Paige finds herself increasingly apathetic about her social status, tired of having to maintain a pretense of perfection, and frustrated by the limited scope of her small town.
Enter John Keating-lite, creative writing instructor Mr. Tremont.
(Also, enter my favorite character of the book, Ethan, and his friend Shanti.)
Mr. Tremont is inspiring! He teaches Paige about letting it all go and finding herself with free writing sessions! Ethan and Shanti like to write! Ethan and Shanti think that Paige is the only member of her clique who’s not completely insipid and shallow!
Can Paige let go of the life-long pressure to maintain her elite princess status? Can she do it without alienating her long-time friends? What about these warm fuzzy feelings she seems to be developing for Ethan even though she has Jake? And how is she supposed to deal with her jock friends labeling Mr. Tremont a [insert homosexual slur that I refuse to type out but leads to a significant storyline in the book here]?
From my old ass adult point of view, Paige handles every one of the above situations in the most self-centered, cringe-inducing, stupid manner possible.
This was to the point where I was screeching at my Kindle such phrases as,
"None of this B.S. will matter when you go to college next year, Paige!!!"
Which is quite possibly the point, since Paige’s actions, while incredibly frustrating, are typical of how teenagers roll: They fuck up. They hate themselves. They (hopefully) learn.
The most poignant part of the novel, for me, is Paige’s realization that her journey towards self-discovery comes at a cost to both herself and others, in the form of her increasing distance from Nikki and Lacey. Friends grow apart, and sometimes events occur to push them apart. But every party feels aggrieved, hurt and confused. Everyone thinks at some point,
"Why couldn’t things just stay the same?"
or
"Why is my friendship not enough for this person anymore?"
When I moved from Central New York to Portland, Oregon, my life and priorities changed, so I lost a few close friends as a result. Take note, teenagers: This is one thing that will still matter after high school.
My main problem with The Princesses of Iowa (minor spoiler alert), and what knocks the book down from being perfect for the target audience to almost perfect, is in regard to the way the author handles sexual situations.
It could be that she simply did not have the room to cram any more issues into this book. However, there are three situations where sex makes an appearance that serves as a catalyst for other major storylines. In all three cases, the girl is massively drunk. One case in particular is unquestionably attempted rape. This is never acknowledged as such in any way. Sex as a teenage issue never makes any other sort of appearance.
This is a HUGE, GAPING problem in a book targeted towards teenage girls.
If you are a parent, make sure your daughter understands the gravity of these situations in this book and how they are NOT OK. I cannot stress this enough. All of the sexual situations in this book are UNACCEPTABLE.
Otherwise, nod at the lessons, and avoid at all costs being as shallow as Paige’s mother.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley. No compensation or other “goodies” were received in exchange for my honest review.
Every now and then, a young adult book reminds me that I am not the target audience for YA authors.
The Princesses of Iowa is one of those books.
However, for the target audience of teen girls and their parents (you know, the people who pay for the books that their teenage daughters read), I’d say that The Princesses of Iowa is the perfect book. Except for ONE MAJOR ISSUE that I address at the end of this review for the sake of emphasis.
I say that because while the book has a lot teenagers can relate to in a non-sugarcoated way, it’s still a message book that parents will like. It’s full of lessons about tolerance, the dangers of drunk driving and the virtues of being yourself, even if you don’t know quite what that is yet.
(If you think that all of these valuable lessons crammed into one book sounds like a long book, you’d be right, as The Princesses of Iowa clocks in at a hefty-for-YA 441 pages.)
The novel opens with a monologue by Paige Sheridan, the narrator, on how lectures from adults on alcohol don’t tell kids nearly enough. There’s lots of,
They should have said this, they should have told us that; they should have said this is how it really happens.
Cut to Paige arriving home to Willow Grove, Iowa just before the start of senior year after a summer in Paris. Not a romantic, adventurous summer, but a summer of miserable baby-sitting exile devised by her mother in the hopes that the embarrassment of Paige’s involvement in a drunk-driving accident the previous spring will be forgotten.
Paige’s dream—nay, her goal—since she popped out of the womb has been to be a princess on the homecoming court, along with her two best friends Lacey and Nikki. To secure her princess nomination, Paige needs to dress in a certain way, act in a certain way and do so with the popular clique, which of course includes her best friends.
Egging her on is her mother, herself a former homecoming queen at Willow Grove High School who is still obsessed with appearing pretty and popular in the community. This obsession extends to the point that she doesn’t allow Paige to wear a sweater on the chilly first day of school because it doesn’t complement the rest of the outfit. (As you can see, Paige’s mother provides another reason why parents will like this book, since they can feel better about themselves as parents in comparison to her. At least I hope so.)
At this point, I turned to my SHO, originally from small-town Iowa just like Paige, for his insight. Having attended a small, all-girls Catholic high school in Buffalo, my homecoming experience is zilch. I was all,
"Really? Coordinating outfits with your Mean Girls-lite friends just to secure a homecoming court nomination? Not just that, but a legacy homecoming court nomination? That actually matters to people?! C’mon."
Apparently in Iowa, due to a lack of anything remotely interesting, social hierarchy in high school is everything. Just thinking about it made my SHO grimace, then sigh in relief as he realized that he didn’t actually have to worry about where to sit in the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, for Paige, things have changed. The car accident has left Lacey crippled, distant, and frequently leaning on her long-time friend, who happens to be Paige’s boyfriend Jake, for support. Nikki, deemed responsible for the accident, is preoccupied with a mission she has termed DIEDD (Don’t let frIEnds Drive Drunk). Paige finds herself increasingly apathetic about her social status, tired of having to maintain a pretense of perfection, and frustrated by the limited scope of her small town.
Enter John Keating-lite, creative writing instructor Mr. Tremont.
(Also, enter my favorite character of the book, Ethan, and his friend Shanti.)
Mr. Tremont is inspiring! He teaches Paige about letting it all go and finding herself with free writing sessions! Ethan and Shanti like to write! Ethan and Shanti think that Paige is the only member of her clique who’s not completely insipid and shallow!
Can Paige let go of the life-long pressure to maintain her elite princess status? Can she do it without alienating her long-time friends? What about these warm fuzzy feelings she seems to be developing for Ethan even though she has Jake? And how is she supposed to deal with her jock friends labeling Mr. Tremont a [insert homosexual slur that I refuse to type out but leads to a significant storyline in the book here]?
From my old ass adult point of view, Paige handles every one of the above situations in the most self-centered, cringe-inducing, stupid manner possible.
This was to the point where I was screeching at my Kindle such phrases as,
"None of this B.S. will matter when you go to college next year, Paige!!!"
Which is quite possibly the point, since Paige’s actions, while incredibly frustrating, are typical of how teenagers roll: They fuck up. They hate themselves. They (hopefully) learn.
The most poignant part of the novel, for me, is Paige’s realization that her journey towards self-discovery comes at a cost to both herself and others, in the form of her increasing distance from Nikki and Lacey. Friends grow apart, and sometimes events occur to push them apart. But every party feels aggrieved, hurt and confused. Everyone thinks at some point,
"Why couldn’t things just stay the same?"
or
"Why is my friendship not enough for this person anymore?"
When I moved from Central New York to Portland, Oregon, my life and priorities changed, so I lost a few close friends as a result. Take note, teenagers: This is one thing that will still matter after high school.
My main problem with The Princesses of Iowa (minor spoiler alert), and what knocks the book down from being perfect for the target audience to almost perfect, is in regard to the way the author handles sexual situations.
It could be that she simply did not have the room to cram any more issues into this book. However, there are three situations where sex makes an appearance that serves as a catalyst for other major storylines. In all three cases, the girl is massively drunk. One case in particular is unquestionably attempted rape. This is never acknowledged as such in any way. Sex as a teenage issue never makes any other sort of appearance.
This is a HUGE, GAPING problem in a book targeted towards teenage girls.
If you are a parent, make sure your daughter understands the gravity of these situations in this book and how they are NOT OK. I cannot stress this enough. All of the sexual situations in this book are UNACCEPTABLE.
Otherwise, nod at the lessons, and avoid at all costs being as shallow as Paige’s mother.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley. No compensation or other “goodies” were received in exchange for my honest review.
January 5, 2012
I love books that end up taking a completely different direction from what I expected. The Princess of Iowa is exactly that kind of book. It's a coming of age story of Paige the rich, popular girl shipped off to Paris for the summer by her overbearing mother after the scandal of being involved in a drink driving accident with her party going friends. When Paige returns after the summer everything and everybody seems different and the only thing getting Paige through her days is a challenging creative writing class (that she thought initially would be a breeze) and the inspiring new poet teacher Mr Tremont and the two writer friends Ethan and Shanti that she makes in the class.
But Paige has always been a Princess, destined for the homecoming court with her equally perfect boyfriend and best friends. Can Paige stay with her friends the popular drunk kids or could she dare to be a writer and fit in with the smart and worthwhile Ethan and Shanti?
Backes has provided some really fantastic love them or hate them characters. Initially Paige really, and I mean really, annoyed me. She's the type of whiny girl who breezes through life only concerned with appearances. However, when she comes back from Paris she starts to look below the surface and realises the people around her are not so perfect after all. From her truly awful, neurotic mother who sends her to school on a freezing cold day in a tiny outfit and no jacket because she must make an impression in the first few days of school to guarantee her place at the homecoming court. I mean what mum does that? It's usually all "button up it's cold outside." Paige starts to realise for her mother it's all about appearances and the strain of trying to stay young and perfect is physically noticeable on her mother if Paige looks hard enough. To her best friend Lacey who is just plain bitchy and empty headed in that the biggest night of her life is planning for a party at bonfire night. To even her own perfect boyfriend who is not only a mean drunk but is bullied constantly by his overbearing father.
Paige wants her life to be more than what her mother planned for her but she's just not quite sure if she can fit in with the smart kids either. It takes the rather lovely Ethan to convince Paige she can be more than just Princess Paige.
"Look" I said quietly. "I have a lot of things I need to figure out. But with you I feel like it's okay that I don't exactly know who I am. Because you don't make any demands of me. You don't expect me to be anyone but myself."
I sighed, frustrated that words were failing me when I needed them most.
"Am I making any sense at all?"
He grinned. "You mean, other than the part where you think that being with me is better than riding unicorns?"
"Other than that."
Ethan's eyes locked with mine.
"Absolutely"
The Princess of Iowa is more than just a coming of age story, it deals quite sensitively with the issue of discrimination and the consequences of drinking and driving, without at any point seeming preachy. A really enjoyable and thought provoking debut.
4.5 out of 5
But Paige has always been a Princess, destined for the homecoming court with her equally perfect boyfriend and best friends. Can Paige stay with her friends the popular drunk kids or could she dare to be a writer and fit in with the smart and worthwhile Ethan and Shanti?
Backes has provided some really fantastic love them or hate them characters. Initially Paige really, and I mean really, annoyed me. She's the type of whiny girl who breezes through life only concerned with appearances. However, when she comes back from Paris she starts to look below the surface and realises the people around her are not so perfect after all. From her truly awful, neurotic mother who sends her to school on a freezing cold day in a tiny outfit and no jacket because she must make an impression in the first few days of school to guarantee her place at the homecoming court. I mean what mum does that? It's usually all "button up it's cold outside." Paige starts to realise for her mother it's all about appearances and the strain of trying to stay young and perfect is physically noticeable on her mother if Paige looks hard enough. To her best friend Lacey who is just plain bitchy and empty headed in that the biggest night of her life is planning for a party at bonfire night. To even her own perfect boyfriend who is not only a mean drunk but is bullied constantly by his overbearing father.
Paige wants her life to be more than what her mother planned for her but she's just not quite sure if she can fit in with the smart kids either. It takes the rather lovely Ethan to convince Paige she can be more than just Princess Paige.
"Look" I said quietly. "I have a lot of things I need to figure out. But with you I feel like it's okay that I don't exactly know who I am. Because you don't make any demands of me. You don't expect me to be anyone but myself."
I sighed, frustrated that words were failing me when I needed them most.
"Am I making any sense at all?"
He grinned. "You mean, other than the part where you think that being with me is better than riding unicorns?"
"Other than that."
Ethan's eyes locked with mine.
"Absolutely"
The Princess of Iowa is more than just a coming of age story, it deals quite sensitively with the issue of discrimination and the consequences of drinking and driving, without at any point seeming preachy. A really enjoyable and thought provoking debut.
4.5 out of 5
July 10, 2012
I will say I enjoyed the writing--I'm a sucker for nice, poetic description dispersed here and there--and there were a few moments that caught me by surprise, in a good way.
But overall, it's just not my kind of story. Maybe I just can't get into petty high school drama, as this book was that and then some. Then, on top of that, reading about Iowa City and creative writing teachers from the workshop--a setting and situation I am very, very familiar with--it just didn't work for me. It's awkward to write about writing and writers in fiction, and then you pile drunk driving and LGBT issues on top, plus a narrator that really doesn't have anything going for her and a premise about "What if being perfect doesn't make you happy?"
The main character Paige took over four hundred pages to resolve all her problems. And there were a lot of them, except you didn't really even care about her because she couldn't get over herself. That was supposed to be the point of her character development, obviously: she "found herself" in writing and learned to love herself and stand up for herself, but really, in the end, she got the boy, so yay!
I would go on, but this spoiler sums up the bulk of my one-star review:
If I got anything original out of this book, something I haven't heard or seen or learned in fiction before, it's that now I fully understand why all my writing professors and TAs say, "Don't write about parties. No one cares, and they're not interesting--they're all the same party, repeated a thousand times." It's so true. Every party scene dragged this story down, and while the morals were there and everything was appropriately, emotionally poignant and whatnot, it just wasn't my thing. Meh.
But overall, it's just not my kind of story. Maybe I just can't get into petty high school drama, as this book was that and then some. Then, on top of that, reading about Iowa City and creative writing teachers from the workshop--a setting and situation I am very, very familiar with--it just didn't work for me. It's awkward to write about writing and writers in fiction, and then you pile drunk driving and LGBT issues on top, plus a narrator that really doesn't have anything going for her and a premise about "What if being perfect doesn't make you happy?"
The main character Paige took over four hundred pages to resolve all her problems. And there were a lot of them, except you didn't really even care about her because she couldn't get over herself. That was supposed to be the point of her character development, obviously: she "found herself" in writing and learned to love herself and stand up for herself, but really, in the end, she got the boy, so yay!
I would go on, but this spoiler sums up the bulk of my one-star review:
If I got anything original out of this book, something I haven't heard or seen or learned in fiction before, it's that now I fully understand why all my writing professors and TAs say, "Don't write about parties. No one cares, and they're not interesting--they're all the same party, repeated a thousand times." It's so true. Every party scene dragged this story down, and while the morals were there and everything was appropriately, emotionally poignant and whatnot, it just wasn't my thing. Meh.
April 8, 2012
This review has to start with, erm, a bit of a warning.
My name is Paige.
This seems irrelevant at first — it’s simply my name, what my parents decided to call me — until you read the book blurb. The main character’s name is…..Paige. Now, first, I have to say I like this — there are hardly ever any main characters named Paige and Paiges in books (when they show up, which is rare) are usually mean, nasty girls.
But this Paige is not!
But she starts out a mean girl.
So right away, I had my assumptions on this book, because obviously SHE HAS MY NAME, and that is COOL and so obviously I should like her, because you know, Paiges gotta stick together!
But even past that first assumption, I really, really enjoyed this book.
At a first, cursory glance, it seems to be a simple, stereotypical “mean girls” story, one that is constantly in the media, something that I’ve remarked on before. But in reality, it is so much more, deeper and richer. Paige knows that what she did was wrong. She’s ashamed of herself. She wishes that she could turn the clock back. And as people point out her brattiness — like, who doesn’t want to go to Paris — she starts to change.
Slowly.
And then there’s the other person, the boy. Ethan, the cute boy who looks like a freshman. He’s really a senior, though, and he really has an attraction for Paige. They have similar characteristics, and he knows he can’t have her. Paige has a boyfriend. But he doesn’t chase her, try to find her or make her love him. And when it comes time for his confession of love, he’s afraid.
And there are the other characters — Miranda, who’s a “rebel teen” but really just wants to get away from her mother; Shanti, who is Indian but has a boyfriend while being studious; Nikki, who is more than she seems — and many more.
I really liked how the characters were different; based on cliches, formed around them, but then changed into something different, something more.
I really love all the things explored through the story. A lot of topics get covered, and it never seems like too much or overbearing.
One of these topics is homosexuality. The characters remark on it many times — they call their friends “gay” and “homo” and the assortment of other crude names given to GLBTQ people. But as the story continues, it starts to become an issue, a problem, and the characters remark on their real standings — do they want gays to be allowed to marry? How do they feel about it? I loved this because it is so in the “right now” — homosexuality and GLBTQ rights are all over the news. But I also love that the author wasn’t afraid to let her characters have stances. Some of them are against gay marriage, and they make their points for why they are against it. Some of the characters are for it, and they too explain their reasons. And then there are the ones in the gray area, neutral and confused. In their hometown, homosexuality isn’t really discussed. I loved this because the author didn’t simply say “gays and lesbians deserve rights” (though there is a positive GLBTQ standing throughout the book, and gay and lesbian people are regarded as deserving rights). It was a really interesting arc to explore.
I also loved the element of writing, the wonder of being unsure if you should write, what the heck you should actually write, if you want to be a writer or a poet or someone who works with writing. This was a great way to see Paige’s true colors, her love for writing and quiet spots.
Backes’ writing is strong too. The voice is marvelous; it seems like Paige’s voice is dripping off the page. She acts and sounds like a real teenager, and she’s a normal kid, with insecurities. The voice really just ads another element to this already impressive book.
I read this book on Netgalley, thanks to the generosity of Candelwick Press, but I will most certainly be buying a copy for my own bookshelf.
Above all, I loved this book.
5 stars.
-----
I received this book as an advanced readers’ copy from Candlewick Press. Under the FTC guidelines I did not receive any monetary amount or other bribe in return for a copy of this book.
My name is Paige.
This seems irrelevant at first — it’s simply my name, what my parents decided to call me — until you read the book blurb. The main character’s name is…..Paige. Now, first, I have to say I like this — there are hardly ever any main characters named Paige and Paiges in books (when they show up, which is rare) are usually mean, nasty girls.
But this Paige is not!
But she starts out a mean girl.
So right away, I had my assumptions on this book, because obviously SHE HAS MY NAME, and that is COOL and so obviously I should like her, because you know, Paiges gotta stick together!
But even past that first assumption, I really, really enjoyed this book.
At a first, cursory glance, it seems to be a simple, stereotypical “mean girls” story, one that is constantly in the media, something that I’ve remarked on before. But in reality, it is so much more, deeper and richer. Paige knows that what she did was wrong. She’s ashamed of herself. She wishes that she could turn the clock back. And as people point out her brattiness — like, who doesn’t want to go to Paris — she starts to change.
Slowly.
And then there’s the other person, the boy. Ethan, the cute boy who looks like a freshman. He’s really a senior, though, and he really has an attraction for Paige. They have similar characteristics, and he knows he can’t have her. Paige has a boyfriend. But he doesn’t chase her, try to find her or make her love him. And when it comes time for his confession of love, he’s afraid.
And there are the other characters — Miranda, who’s a “rebel teen” but really just wants to get away from her mother; Shanti, who is Indian but has a boyfriend while being studious; Nikki, who is more than she seems — and many more.
I really liked how the characters were different; based on cliches, formed around them, but then changed into something different, something more.
I really love all the things explored through the story. A lot of topics get covered, and it never seems like too much or overbearing.
One of these topics is homosexuality. The characters remark on it many times — they call their friends “gay” and “homo” and the assortment of other crude names given to GLBTQ people. But as the story continues, it starts to become an issue, a problem, and the characters remark on their real standings — do they want gays to be allowed to marry? How do they feel about it? I loved this because it is so in the “right now” — homosexuality and GLBTQ rights are all over the news. But I also love that the author wasn’t afraid to let her characters have stances. Some of them are against gay marriage, and they make their points for why they are against it. Some of the characters are for it, and they too explain their reasons. And then there are the ones in the gray area, neutral and confused. In their hometown, homosexuality isn’t really discussed. I loved this because the author didn’t simply say “gays and lesbians deserve rights” (though there is a positive GLBTQ standing throughout the book, and gay and lesbian people are regarded as deserving rights). It was a really interesting arc to explore.
I also loved the element of writing, the wonder of being unsure if you should write, what the heck you should actually write, if you want to be a writer or a poet or someone who works with writing. This was a great way to see Paige’s true colors, her love for writing and quiet spots.
Backes’ writing is strong too. The voice is marvelous; it seems like Paige’s voice is dripping off the page. She acts and sounds like a real teenager, and she’s a normal kid, with insecurities. The voice really just ads another element to this already impressive book.
I read this book on Netgalley, thanks to the generosity of Candelwick Press, but I will most certainly be buying a copy for my own bookshelf.
Above all, I loved this book.
5 stars.
-----
I received this book as an advanced readers’ copy from Candlewick Press. Under the FTC guidelines I did not receive any monetary amount or other bribe in return for a copy of this book.
March 14, 2012
At First Sight: Paige Sheridan seems to have everything in life: she's pretty, popular and well-off, in fact, she just spent the summer before senior year in Paris. But things are not quite as rosy colored once you look closer. The previous Spring, Paige was involved in a drunk-driving accident with her best friends Nikki and Lacey, and her mother exiled her to Paris so the scandal would die down quietly.
Now that she's back, Paige expects things will go back to normal, with her and her friends at the top of the High School food-chain. But that's easier said than done. Nikki is an apologetic wreck who has lost too much weight and is obsessed with this big 'Don't let your friends drive drunk' presentation she's planning. Lacey is in full-frienemy mode, bitter because she has been through a hell physical therapy and will probably walk with a limp from now on.
Lacey is also holding onto Paige's secrets - things about the night of the accident that Paige herself isn't ready to remember - and manipulating Paige's boyfriend into spending time with her instead of Paige. That's how Paige finds herself in a Creative Writing class all alone - as her boyfriend transferred to Film Appreciation to 'be there for Lacey'.
Paige wants to hate the class but she soon finds herself sucked in the whirlwind their new teacher, Mr. Tremont, starts. Through writing and letting her thoughts go, she starts to deal with - and remember - what really happened the night of the accident, and she also starts to hang out with a different crowd of people - like the school's news paper editor Jeremy, or outspoken Shanti, or new boy in town Ethan - and become closer to her sister, and to see the cracks in the foundation of her Perfect Life.
Second Glance: Confession time! When I saw the size of this book I didn't think I was going to be able to finish it (it's over 450 pages long). But when I started to read and before I knew I had read 200 pages and I was hooked.
The Princess of Iowa is a very interesting and engaging book. At first I didn't like Paige, of any of her friends, in fact, they all irritated me, but I really wanted to know what had happened with the accident so I kept on reading and when I met the Creative Writing crowd, I loved those guys.
Paige wasn't always easy to like, and even late in the book she made some questionable choices, but she learns from her mistakes and I realized she was just really struggling with whom she was going to be if she wasn't Perfect Princess Paige.
I loved Shanti and Ethan and Miranda/Mirror (Paige's sister). I even liked Nikki by the end - she's one of those characters that you totally dismiss and then they surprise you though they remain essentially what they have always been.
I had two small problems with the book, though. One that it's long and sometimes it felt long, there is a lot of stuff happening and I think that some of it could stand to be cut to make the novel flow a little better. And two, the romance. There was so little of it that I felt like it could have been cut and the story would have been fine. I liked it but sometimes it felt like an afterthought because the book was more about Paige growing up than anything else.
Bottom Line: The Princess of Iowa surprised me with how how much I loved it and how fun it was to read. The characters felt real and they were complicated. It's very much a story of growing up and learning to face the consequences of our actions. It's a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to read more of this author's work.
Favorite Quote: "How the hell do you sum up your sister in three minutes? She's your twin and your polar opposite. She's your constant companion and your competition. She's your best friend and the biggest bitch in the world. She's everything you wish you could be and everything you wish you weren't."
Now that she's back, Paige expects things will go back to normal, with her and her friends at the top of the High School food-chain. But that's easier said than done. Nikki is an apologetic wreck who has lost too much weight and is obsessed with this big 'Don't let your friends drive drunk' presentation she's planning. Lacey is in full-frienemy mode, bitter because she has been through a hell physical therapy and will probably walk with a limp from now on.
Lacey is also holding onto Paige's secrets - things about the night of the accident that Paige herself isn't ready to remember - and manipulating Paige's boyfriend into spending time with her instead of Paige. That's how Paige finds herself in a Creative Writing class all alone - as her boyfriend transferred to Film Appreciation to 'be there for Lacey'.
Paige wants to hate the class but she soon finds herself sucked in the whirlwind their new teacher, Mr. Tremont, starts. Through writing and letting her thoughts go, she starts to deal with - and remember - what really happened the night of the accident, and she also starts to hang out with a different crowd of people - like the school's news paper editor Jeremy, or outspoken Shanti, or new boy in town Ethan - and become closer to her sister, and to see the cracks in the foundation of her Perfect Life.
Second Glance: Confession time! When I saw the size of this book I didn't think I was going to be able to finish it (it's over 450 pages long). But when I started to read and before I knew I had read 200 pages and I was hooked.
The Princess of Iowa is a very interesting and engaging book. At first I didn't like Paige, of any of her friends, in fact, they all irritated me, but I really wanted to know what had happened with the accident so I kept on reading and when I met the Creative Writing crowd, I loved those guys.
Paige wasn't always easy to like, and even late in the book she made some questionable choices, but she learns from her mistakes and I realized she was just really struggling with whom she was going to be if she wasn't Perfect Princess Paige.
I loved Shanti and Ethan and Miranda/Mirror (Paige's sister). I even liked Nikki by the end - she's one of those characters that you totally dismiss and then they surprise you though they remain essentially what they have always been.
I had two small problems with the book, though. One that it's long and sometimes it felt long, there is a lot of stuff happening and I think that some of it could stand to be cut to make the novel flow a little better. And two, the romance. There was so little of it that I felt like it could have been cut and the story would have been fine. I liked it but sometimes it felt like an afterthought because the book was more about Paige growing up than anything else.
Bottom Line: The Princess of Iowa surprised me with how how much I loved it and how fun it was to read. The characters felt real and they were complicated. It's very much a story of growing up and learning to face the consequences of our actions. It's a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to read more of this author's work.
Favorite Quote: "How the hell do you sum up your sister in three minutes? She's your twin and your polar opposite. She's your constant companion and your competition. She's your best friend and the biggest bitch in the world. She's everything you wish you could be and everything you wish you weren't."
August 11, 2020
"I always identified with the kids who didn't fit in, but one day I started wondering about the kids who did. What if you did everything 'right,' and it still wasn't enough? What if being 'perfect' didn't make you happy?"
-- M. Molly Backes, on the inspiration for this novel
I tried to read this in 2012 but the prologue -- 6 pages of drunken, rambling justification for why teenagers end up concluding that cigarettes, drugs and alcohol aren't as bad as adults make them out to be in 4th grade -- annoyed me so much that I promptly threw it back.
But I never forgot it. Over the years I have periodically thought about its appealing cover/setting and promising heft, in much the same way I kept The Miseducation of Cameron Post in the back of my mind, hoping I would grow into it and be ready for it one day. Long story short, I'm so glad I waited.
Short story long below.
It would be very easy to hate a book about a popular rich girl who can't seem to stop kissing other guys even while ragingly jealous that her boyfriend is spending time with her friend, and who keeps getting drunk at parties despite having been in a major car crash six months ago as a result of getting drunk at a party. Especially one whose biggest focus in life is how badly she needs to campaign for Homecoming Queen.
But here's the thing: this is a story about how Paige Sheridan slowly, gradually, learns to become someone better than that, despite having been shaped for years by both friends and family to care about the shallow things in life, to prioritize glamour and social cachet at the expense of all else. She has setbacks along the way but she is so, so worth taking a chance on.
(Lacey is not. Lacey fails to evoke any hint of sympathy from beginning to end, and believe me, I tried hard to see what Jake was talking about re: her needing a friend. A pity, because it seemed like the author was setting her up for a redemptive scene at some point -- so much so that I wonder if it was there at one point and got workshopped out -- but every chance she gets just results in her spitting more poison.)
This is a long book, and it needs to be. There are a lot of things going on, despite taking place over the course of roughly six weeks or so.
Friendships
Part of it is Paige struggling to regain her footing in her friend group after having been whisked away by her mother post-accident with minimal communication all summer. She doesn't understand why Lacey is suddenly so cold to her, or why her boyfriend seems to have become Lacey's personal footman, but she'd better figure it out quickly. She and Lacey and Nikki have spent the better part of 5 years preparing to be named to the Homecoming Court, and her mother -- a former Queen herself -- never lets her forget it, constantly harping on her appearance and what she needs to do to win votes.
Relationships
Part of it is struggling to navigate her relationship again after 3 months apart. I LOVE that Jake is neither a hero nor a villain. He is a genuinely good guy, as far as helping Lacey out of the goodness of his heart and being stupidly puppy-dog-in-love with Paige, whom he's dated for years and had a crush on even longer. You can sympathize that he's under horrible pressure from his father to be a football star, get into the best schools so he can join the law firm, and most importantly BE A MAN!! A real man. Not some pansy candy-ass man. (Did I mention his dad is super homophobic? Like, weirdly and aggressively, "writing is gay" homophobic.)
And that feeds into why Jake is also not a good guy. He takes that inherited homophobia and runs with it, Chain of Screaming style. He drinks too much and sometimes that makes him aggressive. There is a particularly horrible scene where he deliberately swerves to run over a raccoon, and I won't even mention the night of the big party. It's hard to realize he's the same guy sometimes.
Friends AND Relationships
Part of it involves her making new friends in her creative writing class, by necessity since most of hers are in a different elective. She more or less stumbles into a friendship with Shanti, an Indian girl who stands out in this very white town, and Ethan, who is singled out by the jocks on day 1 as That Gay Freshman (neither descriptor is accurate) because he does weird things like enjoy writing instead of playing football and loudly objectifying women.
Both of them are wonderful, and the more she pulled away from her popular friends to hang with these nerds, the bigger my heart grew. Ethan, in particular, is an absolute sweetheart (though his patience has limits), and much of my time was spent torn between OBVIOUSLY YOU NEED TO DATE HIM, PAIGE, and the fact that I actually understood why she struggled with the idea of leaving Jake, between not wanting to hurt him and legitimately worrying that if she does, her mom will get fired by his mom.
(But seriously, Ethan keeps showing up even when she's made her preference clear, and sometimes his presence involves taking care of her and sometimes it involves him yelling at her for being self-absorbed, but either way, he's always doing the right thing. Except the time he proceeded to tell her he liked her and would understand if she didn't feel the same way, and then got real bitter when she in fact did not feel the same way, or at least refused to act on it.)
Awesome Teacher Alert
Aaaand best part last, the highlight on their long-term creative writing sub, Mr. Tremont, a grad student borrowed from the Iowa Writers Workshop (this is where the turning wheels in your head are probably going, "that's where the author wrote this book, isn't it"). I absolutely love YA novels that focus on a passionate teacher, and this one gave me everything I wanted in spades, from plenty of class time to innocuous chats between or even outside classes to chaperoning school events. I love him so much.
Bonus: Creative Writing
The scenes in the classroom include a lot of lessons/exercises (it feels a bit like you're getting a mini course, in a way that could feel like a contrived way for someone to memorialize either their lessons learned or their lesson plans, but really works for the story), and I really liked how assignments were used to establish flashback stories and memories. I also liked the bits of creative writing examples shown from other characters. But most of all, I loved Paige's description of the little forest glen she tucks herself in to write. So picturesque!
Actually, there's yet more I want to say, so:
Spoiler Section
Conclusion
I am wavering between 4 and 5 stars because honestly, as good as the redemption is, this isn't 5-star subject matter. Popular girls are inherently boring. And yet...beyond the excess of swearing and slurs used to underscore how backwards this town is, it's just so beautifully written. Plus, in a rare departure for this level of popularity at this age, nothing graphic or gross; clothing is only ever half shed at most or referenced in passing past tense, and nothing ever escalates on the page beyond some feeling up that is swiftly shut down.
I've been thinking about this book for days and I want to crawl deeper inside this world, so that's how I know it made an impact.
P.S. The one thing I have always cherished from the prologue is the line "your teacher made you believe there would be trench-coated junkies hanging around the school yard, but then she always used articles with drugs, like 'the marijuana,' so in retrospect maybe she wasn't the best source of information." I don't agree with the rest of it, but "the marijuana" is a source of endless amusement to me and I quote it whenever possible, like in this status update for Something Happened. Apologies for not remembering the book it came from at the time.
-- M. Molly Backes, on the inspiration for this novel
I tried to read this in 2012 but the prologue -- 6 pages of drunken, rambling justification for why teenagers end up concluding that cigarettes, drugs and alcohol aren't as bad as adults make them out to be in 4th grade -- annoyed me so much that I promptly threw it back.
But I never forgot it. Over the years I have periodically thought about its appealing cover/setting and promising heft, in much the same way I kept The Miseducation of Cameron Post in the back of my mind, hoping I would grow into it and be ready for it one day. Long story short, I'm so glad I waited.
Short story long below.
It would be very easy to hate a book about a popular rich girl who can't seem to stop kissing other guys even while ragingly jealous that her boyfriend is spending time with her friend, and who keeps getting drunk at parties despite having been in a major car crash six months ago as a result of getting drunk at a party. Especially one whose biggest focus in life is how badly she needs to campaign for Homecoming Queen.
But here's the thing: this is a story about how Paige Sheridan slowly, gradually, learns to become someone better than that, despite having been shaped for years by both friends and family to care about the shallow things in life, to prioritize glamour and social cachet at the expense of all else. She has setbacks along the way but she is so, so worth taking a chance on.
(Lacey is not. Lacey fails to evoke any hint of sympathy from beginning to end, and believe me, I tried hard to see what Jake was talking about re: her needing a friend. A pity, because it seemed like the author was setting her up for a redemptive scene at some point -- so much so that I wonder if it was there at one point and got workshopped out -- but every chance she gets just results in her spitting more poison.)
This is a long book, and it needs to be. There are a lot of things going on, despite taking place over the course of roughly six weeks or so.
Friendships
Part of it is Paige struggling to regain her footing in her friend group after having been whisked away by her mother post-accident with minimal communication all summer. She doesn't understand why Lacey is suddenly so cold to her, or why her boyfriend seems to have become Lacey's personal footman, but she'd better figure it out quickly. She and Lacey and Nikki have spent the better part of 5 years preparing to be named to the Homecoming Court, and her mother -- a former Queen herself -- never lets her forget it, constantly harping on her appearance and what she needs to do to win votes.
Relationships
Part of it is struggling to navigate her relationship again after 3 months apart. I LOVE that Jake is neither a hero nor a villain. He is a genuinely good guy, as far as helping Lacey out of the goodness of his heart and being stupidly puppy-dog-in-love with Paige, whom he's dated for years and had a crush on even longer. You can sympathize that he's under horrible pressure from his father to be a football star, get into the best schools so he can join the law firm, and most importantly BE A MAN!! A real man. Not some pansy candy-ass man. (Did I mention his dad is super homophobic? Like, weirdly and aggressively, "writing is gay" homophobic.)
And that feeds into why Jake is also not a good guy. He takes that inherited homophobia and runs with it, Chain of Screaming style. He drinks too much and sometimes that makes him aggressive. There is a particularly horrible scene where he deliberately swerves to run over a raccoon, and I won't even mention the night of the big party. It's hard to realize he's the same guy sometimes.
Friends AND Relationships
Part of it involves her making new friends in her creative writing class, by necessity since most of hers are in a different elective. She more or less stumbles into a friendship with Shanti, an Indian girl who stands out in this very white town, and Ethan, who is singled out by the jocks on day 1 as That Gay Freshman (neither descriptor is accurate) because he does weird things like enjoy writing instead of playing football and loudly objectifying women.
Both of them are wonderful, and the more she pulled away from her popular friends to hang with these nerds, the bigger my heart grew. Ethan, in particular, is an absolute sweetheart (though his patience has limits), and much of my time was spent torn between OBVIOUSLY YOU NEED TO DATE HIM, PAIGE, and the fact that I actually understood why she struggled with the idea of leaving Jake, between not wanting to hurt him and legitimately worrying that if she does, her mom will get fired by his mom.
(But seriously, Ethan keeps showing up even when she's made her preference clear, and sometimes his presence involves taking care of her and sometimes it involves him yelling at her for being self-absorbed, but either way, he's always doing the right thing. Except the time he proceeded to tell her he liked her and would understand if she didn't feel the same way, and then got real bitter when she in fact did not feel the same way, or at least refused to act on it.)
Awesome Teacher Alert
Aaaand best part last, the highlight on their long-term creative writing sub, Mr. Tremont, a grad student borrowed from the Iowa Writers Workshop (this is where the turning wheels in your head are probably going, "that's where the author wrote this book, isn't it"). I absolutely love YA novels that focus on a passionate teacher, and this one gave me everything I wanted in spades, from plenty of class time to innocuous chats between or even outside classes to chaperoning school events. I love him so much.
Bonus: Creative Writing
The scenes in the classroom include a lot of lessons/exercises (it feels a bit like you're getting a mini course, in a way that could feel like a contrived way for someone to memorialize either their lessons learned or their lesson plans, but really works for the story), and I really liked how assignments were used to establish flashback stories and memories. I also liked the bits of creative writing examples shown from other characters. But most of all, I loved Paige's description of the little forest glen she tucks herself in to write. So picturesque!
Actually, there's yet more I want to say, so:
Spoiler Section
Conclusion
I am wavering between 4 and 5 stars because honestly, as good as the redemption is, this isn't 5-star subject matter. Popular girls are inherently boring. And yet...beyond the excess of swearing and slurs used to underscore how backwards this town is, it's just so beautifully written. Plus, in a rare departure for this level of popularity at this age, nothing graphic or gross; clothing is only ever half shed at most or referenced in passing past tense, and nothing ever escalates on the page beyond some feeling up that is swiftly shut down.
I've been thinking about this book for days and I want to crawl deeper inside this world, so that's how I know it made an impact.
P.S. The one thing I have always cherished from the prologue is the line "your teacher made you believe there would be trench-coated junkies hanging around the school yard, but then she always used articles with drugs, like 'the marijuana,' so in retrospect maybe she wasn't the best source of information." I don't agree with the rest of it, but "the marijuana" is a source of endless amusement to me and I quote it whenever possible, like in this status update for Something Happened. Apologies for not remembering the book it came from at the time.
March 9, 2012
THIS REVIEW ON B'S BOOK BLOG!
I received the ARC of this book from NetGalley and Candlewick Press.
What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland.
This book was a love at first sight as well as at first read for me, meaning it is as good as it looks! I was hooked from the very first page where Paige talks about last spring and the accident that changed everything in her life. It's told in such an honest clarity that I fell in love with the voice of Paige Sheridan aka Princess Paige or Perfect Paige.
After the accident, Paige is exiled to Paris. Her mother cleans up the mess that was the accident during her absence. When Paige comes back to Iowa, she expects to see her two best friends, Lacey and Nikki, and her boyfriend Jake, waiting to welcome her back at the airport, but they don't show up. She meets them all later at Jake's barbecue party (if I'm not mistaken), that's when she realizes things aren't exactly the way they were before. Lacey, now crippled from the accident last spring, is mean to her and avoids her. Nikki spends all her time trailing after Lacey and sucking up to her. And Jake doesn't even have time for Paige anymore, always saying something like Lacey's going through a tough time right now and he has to be there for her.
Apparently Paige and Lacey are having a fallout. You'd think that if Lacey's s having it so tough she'd turn to her best friend and tell her what was wrong. But no, that's not what she does. She, in fact, barely says a word to Paige at all since she got back, if not a sarcasm or something mean. That annoys Paige. And the fact that her other best friend and her boyfriend are practically taken away from her by Lacey also annoys her even more.
I totally felt for Paige. I hate people like Lacey. I hate it when best friends turn their backs on each other. I hated Lacey so much. I wanted to smack her head on a goddamn stone. I wanted tattoo "bitch" on her friggin forehead. I wanted to run a car over her. Using her own private misfortunes to manipulate people like that disgusted the hell out of me. It was also no excuse to be a bitch. You know the feeling when you hate someone so much you want to scream and break things? Yep. My hatred for this character was so strong I thought my head was playing tricks on me, but then I realized it was the book. It could make you feel so much. Good job, Backes!
I think the greatest thing in The Princesses of Iowa is the Creative Writing class. I've never had a creative writing class before. High schools where I live don't have this class, which sucks, because it's the one I want to take most, rather than stupid math and frustrating Thai I could never ace. Anyway. Paige takes Creative Writing (which is an elective Jake was supposed to take with her but he changed to Film Appreciation or something because "Lacey needs a friend". Yeah right.). There is a new teacher, Mr. Tremont, who's totally gorgeous and also a great teacher. In this class, they interview a partner, do free writing starting with "I remember...", and do a workshop where the selected few write something for the whole class to analyze and criticize. This is so cool, guys. I never knew what a Creative Writing class is like, 'cause apparently I've never taken one, so it's nice to read about it. Mr. Tremont is awesome. Through this class, Paige slowly discovers things about herself and about other people. She realizes that she's happy when she's with Shanti and Ethan, two new friends she makes in the class, as well as feelings about certain things she never knew she feels that way about before until the free writing. It dawns on her that maybe Princess Paige isn't who she really is, but who she wanted to be, who everyone expects her to be. And maybe she doesn't want to be a princess anymore.
I love that The Princesses of Iowa starts out with the day the accident happened last spring which leaves some questions in our heads, like who was driving, and what happened exactly. I thought the author would leave it at that, and I was prepared to say that I didn't like it that way. But this book goes on to surprise me when near the end, things are finally revealed. Memories start coming back to Paige in vivid details. Love it!
Now, as I already mentioned my hatred for Lacey, let's talk about other characters. I really really do like Paige for her down-to-earth-ness and her honesty. She might seem kind of snobby at first, being the perfect girl everyone looks up to and all, but her character develops and she evolves to become a very likable character indeed. I also like Shanti and Ethan very much. Shanti is this opinionated person who isn't afraid to say just what she's thinking, no matter how unvarnished it is, and takes no crap from no one. Ethan is a funny and sweet guy. A total cutie! He likes to joke and every time he does, I felt myself falling a little bit more for him. At first, Paige is slightly held back with them, but then she relaxes and then she's happy when she's with them. Awww. They really have fun together.
Paige's family is a little bit weird. She rarely ever mentions her father who's actually there. I often found myself convinced that she has no dad or something. Her dad's really nice, from little information we have about him. However, Paige's mom is such a pain in the butt. I mean, what kind of mom insists that her daughter wears only a tiny dress and no sweater although the day is cold as hell, just because the sweater doesn't look good with the dress and that Paige has to make a good first impression because she only has that one chance? Please. She's trying too hard to keep Paige's image perfect that she doesn't really have time to care about the real Paige. I understand why Paige's little sister, Miranda aka Mirror, is so against her in the beginning of the story. Paige is her mom's favorite daughter, I guess, because she's pretty and has a shot at becoming Homecoming Queen. Mirror was practically a bitch to Paige, but then it changes when she sees that Paige has changed. The sisterly love is between them is cute.
Paige's boyfriend Jake and the other best friend Nikki are okay characters to me. Jake seems very endearing at first, but when the Lacey thing happens again and again, he started to bug me. However, he does some really sweet things for Paige, like writing her poems. That's extremely sweet, okay. Another part I like is when Jake accepts it when Paige says it's over, and graciously steps back. Although he's a bit of a jerk, you can't say he's that bad a boyfriend. Clean-cut ending, yay! Nikki similarly bugs me too. She's like a dog trailing after Lacey, always trying to please her. She's also kind of dumb. She hasn't been a great friend to Paige after her return to Iowa, so I can't really say I like Nikki much.
Mr. Tremont = fantastic. Enough said, really. I hope my to-be Creative Writing teacher will be like him.
I didn't have any problem with the length. I didn't think it's too long or much longer than it needs to be. The characters and the story both need time to develop. Honestly I think it's good the way it is, although it really is long. It's so fun to read and so addictive that time just flies by. I really did enjoy Backes' writing. There are some parts where she created fast-paced narrations using no full stops. She just let Paige talk. It's these parts that I really enjoyed reading, because it gave me such excitement and the feeling like I was on top of the roller-coaster going down as my eyes quickly followed the words. She did a great job with both the characters and the storytelling here. Fantastic.
The Princesses of Iowa deals with teen problems such as drinking and driving, friendship falling apart, and self-discovery. Told in a clear and honest voice, it's the kind of book you want to read again. At least for me. I'm definitely going to pick up a copy when it hits bookstores on May 8, 2012.
I received the ARC of this book from NetGalley and Candlewick Press.
What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland.
This book was a love at first sight as well as at first read for me, meaning it is as good as it looks! I was hooked from the very first page where Paige talks about last spring and the accident that changed everything in her life. It's told in such an honest clarity that I fell in love with the voice of Paige Sheridan aka Princess Paige or Perfect Paige.
After the accident, Paige is exiled to Paris. Her mother cleans up the mess that was the accident during her absence. When Paige comes back to Iowa, she expects to see her two best friends, Lacey and Nikki, and her boyfriend Jake, waiting to welcome her back at the airport, but they don't show up. She meets them all later at Jake's barbecue party (if I'm not mistaken), that's when she realizes things aren't exactly the way they were before. Lacey, now crippled from the accident last spring, is mean to her and avoids her. Nikki spends all her time trailing after Lacey and sucking up to her. And Jake doesn't even have time for Paige anymore, always saying something like Lacey's going through a tough time right now and he has to be there for her.
Apparently Paige and Lacey are having a fallout. You'd think that if Lacey's s having it so tough she'd turn to her best friend and tell her what was wrong. But no, that's not what she does. She, in fact, barely says a word to Paige at all since she got back, if not a sarcasm or something mean. That annoys Paige. And the fact that her other best friend and her boyfriend are practically taken away from her by Lacey also annoys her even more.
I totally felt for Paige. I hate people like Lacey. I hate it when best friends turn their backs on each other. I hated Lacey so much. I wanted to smack her head on a goddamn stone. I wanted tattoo "bitch" on her friggin forehead. I wanted to run a car over her. Using her own private misfortunes to manipulate people like that disgusted the hell out of me. It was also no excuse to be a bitch. You know the feeling when you hate someone so much you want to scream and break things? Yep. My hatred for this character was so strong I thought my head was playing tricks on me, but then I realized it was the book. It could make you feel so much. Good job, Backes!
I think the greatest thing in The Princesses of Iowa is the Creative Writing class. I've never had a creative writing class before. High schools where I live don't have this class, which sucks, because it's the one I want to take most, rather than stupid math and frustrating Thai I could never ace. Anyway. Paige takes Creative Writing (which is an elective Jake was supposed to take with her but he changed to Film Appreciation or something because "Lacey needs a friend". Yeah right.). There is a new teacher, Mr. Tremont, who's totally gorgeous and also a great teacher. In this class, they interview a partner, do free writing starting with "I remember...", and do a workshop where the selected few write something for the whole class to analyze and criticize. This is so cool, guys. I never knew what a Creative Writing class is like, 'cause apparently I've never taken one, so it's nice to read about it. Mr. Tremont is awesome. Through this class, Paige slowly discovers things about herself and about other people. She realizes that she's happy when she's with Shanti and Ethan, two new friends she makes in the class, as well as feelings about certain things she never knew she feels that way about before until the free writing. It dawns on her that maybe Princess Paige isn't who she really is, but who she wanted to be, who everyone expects her to be. And maybe she doesn't want to be a princess anymore.
I love that The Princesses of Iowa starts out with the day the accident happened last spring which leaves some questions in our heads, like who was driving, and what happened exactly. I thought the author would leave it at that, and I was prepared to say that I didn't like it that way. But this book goes on to surprise me when near the end, things are finally revealed. Memories start coming back to Paige in vivid details. Love it!
Now, as I already mentioned my hatred for Lacey, let's talk about other characters. I really really do like Paige for her down-to-earth-ness and her honesty. She might seem kind of snobby at first, being the perfect girl everyone looks up to and all, but her character develops and she evolves to become a very likable character indeed. I also like Shanti and Ethan very much. Shanti is this opinionated person who isn't afraid to say just what she's thinking, no matter how unvarnished it is, and takes no crap from no one. Ethan is a funny and sweet guy. A total cutie! He likes to joke and every time he does, I felt myself falling a little bit more for him. At first, Paige is slightly held back with them, but then she relaxes and then she's happy when she's with them. Awww. They really have fun together.
Paige's family is a little bit weird. She rarely ever mentions her father who's actually there. I often found myself convinced that she has no dad or something. Her dad's really nice, from little information we have about him. However, Paige's mom is such a pain in the butt. I mean, what kind of mom insists that her daughter wears only a tiny dress and no sweater although the day is cold as hell, just because the sweater doesn't look good with the dress and that Paige has to make a good first impression because she only has that one chance? Please. She's trying too hard to keep Paige's image perfect that she doesn't really have time to care about the real Paige. I understand why Paige's little sister, Miranda aka Mirror, is so against her in the beginning of the story. Paige is her mom's favorite daughter, I guess, because she's pretty and has a shot at becoming Homecoming Queen. Mirror was practically a bitch to Paige, but then it changes when she sees that Paige has changed. The sisterly love is between them is cute.
Paige's boyfriend Jake and the other best friend Nikki are okay characters to me. Jake seems very endearing at first, but when the Lacey thing happens again and again, he started to bug me. However, he does some really sweet things for Paige, like writing her poems. That's extremely sweet, okay. Another part I like is when Jake accepts it when Paige says it's over, and graciously steps back. Although he's a bit of a jerk, you can't say he's that bad a boyfriend. Clean-cut ending, yay! Nikki similarly bugs me too. She's like a dog trailing after Lacey, always trying to please her. She's also kind of dumb. She hasn't been a great friend to Paige after her return to Iowa, so I can't really say I like Nikki much.
Mr. Tremont = fantastic. Enough said, really. I hope my to-be Creative Writing teacher will be like him.
I didn't have any problem with the length. I didn't think it's too long or much longer than it needs to be. The characters and the story both need time to develop. Honestly I think it's good the way it is, although it really is long. It's so fun to read and so addictive that time just flies by. I really did enjoy Backes' writing. There are some parts where she created fast-paced narrations using no full stops. She just let Paige talk. It's these parts that I really enjoyed reading, because it gave me such excitement and the feeling like I was on top of the roller-coaster going down as my eyes quickly followed the words. She did a great job with both the characters and the storytelling here. Fantastic.
The Princesses of Iowa deals with teen problems such as drinking and driving, friendship falling apart, and self-discovery. Told in a clear and honest voice, it's the kind of book you want to read again. At least for me. I'm definitely going to pick up a copy when it hits bookstores on May 8, 2012.
April 26, 2012
The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes was a book that left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the plot wasn’t exactly what I expected, and the characters were hard to like. But on the other hand, Paige’s emotions as a teenager felt realistic.
To be honest, I thought The Princesses of Iowa would deal more directly with the consequences of the drunk driving accident that Paige and her friends were involved in. Instead, Paige’s incredibly shallow mother ships her daughter off to Paris in the middle of the night to be an au pair for the summer (so that everyone can forget that Paige was involved in a car accident), and by the time Paige returns, it’s a subject that she and her friends ignore discussing. They’d much rather think about becoming the homecoming queen – a goal they and their mothers have been working towards for a very long time.
Midway through the book, The Princesses of Iowa suddenly begins to deal with gay rights. Although Backes does manage to tie it together into the overall plot, considering that the topic of drunk driving was barely addressed, I thought it was perhaps one issue too much.
Furthermore, none of the characters were overly appealing. Paige herself isn’t exactly nice, makes dumb decisions, and isn’t there for her best friend Lacey when Lacey needs her. She also becomes jealous and suspicious that her boyfriend Jake (who has been friend with Lacey for years) is cheating on her when Lacey starts relying on Jake for a sympathetic ear.
What I really liked though about The Princesses of Iowa was that Backes shows that life is complicated. Things may not always work out the way you want, rumours can spiral out of control, and best friends can grow apart. Those are situations that we all understand and can really relate to.
Note: One particular thing that bothered me extremely was that Paige was almost raped by Jake in The Princesses of Iowa. The book however makes it seem like a trivial event used to further the plot, especially because Paige never mentions the incident and repeatedly insists that Jake is a good guy at heart.
To be honest, I thought The Princesses of Iowa would deal more directly with the consequences of the drunk driving accident that Paige and her friends were involved in. Instead, Paige’s incredibly shallow mother ships her daughter off to Paris in the middle of the night to be an au pair for the summer (so that everyone can forget that Paige was involved in a car accident), and by the time Paige returns, it’s a subject that she and her friends ignore discussing. They’d much rather think about becoming the homecoming queen – a goal they and their mothers have been working towards for a very long time.
Midway through the book, The Princesses of Iowa suddenly begins to deal with gay rights. Although Backes does manage to tie it together into the overall plot, considering that the topic of drunk driving was barely addressed, I thought it was perhaps one issue too much.
Furthermore, none of the characters were overly appealing. Paige herself isn’t exactly nice, makes dumb decisions, and isn’t there for her best friend Lacey when Lacey needs her. She also becomes jealous and suspicious that her boyfriend Jake (who has been friend with Lacey for years) is cheating on her when Lacey starts relying on Jake for a sympathetic ear.
What I really liked though about The Princesses of Iowa was that Backes shows that life is complicated. Things may not always work out the way you want, rumours can spiral out of control, and best friends can grow apart. Those are situations that we all understand and can really relate to.
Note: One particular thing that bothered me extremely was that Paige was almost raped by Jake in The Princesses of Iowa. The book however makes it seem like a trivial event used to further the plot, especially because Paige never mentions the incident and repeatedly insists that Jake is a good guy at heart.
April 19, 2012
There's so much going on in this book, but it's the kind of chaos that I'm sure mirrors the lives of many teens who regularly face complex problems and issues. Backes fearlessly covers topics like teen drinking (and driving), descrimination, entitlement and also the kinds of pressures (from friends and parents) that can often be crippling for young adults. Paige is entering her senior year after spending the summer away from her Iowa town, a summer where she was sent away by her parents after a horrible accident involving her and her friends. With the help of a new teacher and a couple of new friends, Paige starts to see the world in a different light and realizes there so much more outside her insular town, and maybe the life she's been living doesn't fit with her new, expanded world view. A satisfying read with real characters who should be more unlikable, but who are yet sympathetic.
February 26, 2013
Thoroughly despicable characters trapped in a homophobic web of misogyny, privilege and casual sexual predation. Ironically, it is not poorly written; but the underlying messages are depressingly regressive.
dnfs
May 22, 2017Things were decent until Paige decided to join in the bullying of a guy everyone thinks is gay by calling him Fairy Spice. Our protagonist, ladies and gentlemen. She's the girl we're all supposed to like.
Other than that, this feels like one of those bratty "teens behaving badly" YA novels that weren't strangers in the mid to late 2000s. The setting of a more suburban Iowa (which didn't feel like Iowa, and that's coming from a native) with popular socialite girls dating football players and dressing well and going to parties and all that jazz is a very familiar sight, but it doesn't feel like it represents anything but that select group of well-off white Americans (and the one Indian side character who did pop up). Sexism, racism, and homophobia are mentioned, but hopefully they'll be investigated more for those who want to stick around.
I just didn't find anything that would make The Princesses of Iowa stand out. The writing was average, the characters were the ones I've seen before (coupled with a mature freshman, who was the aforementioned classmate, whose dialogue didn't feel realistic in the slightest), and Paige played off her self-entitlement like it was nothing when it was obvious she fell under it. I was done after she joined in on the gay jokes. If I have to sit through 400 more pages of that, no thank you.
Other than that, this feels like one of those bratty "teens behaving badly" YA novels that weren't strangers in the mid to late 2000s. The setting of a more suburban Iowa (which didn't feel like Iowa, and that's coming from a native) with popular socialite girls dating football players and dressing well and going to parties and all that jazz is a very familiar sight, but it doesn't feel like it represents anything but that select group of well-off white Americans (and the one Indian side character who did pop up). Sexism, racism, and homophobia are mentioned, but hopefully they'll be investigated more for those who want to stick around.
I just didn't find anything that would make The Princesses of Iowa stand out. The writing was average, the characters were the ones I've seen before (coupled with a mature freshman, who was the aforementioned classmate, whose dialogue didn't feel realistic in the slightest), and Paige played off her self-entitlement like it was nothing when it was obvious she fell under it. I was done after she joined in on the gay jokes. If I have to sit through 400 more pages of that, no thank you.
August 15, 2018
I picked up this book because of the setting being in Iowa, the state in which I was born and raised and currently reside. I thought it would be interesting to read a YA novel set in my home state. What I was not prepared for, was how intense and relevant this book would be.
I would love if the schools would have this book in their libraries and possibly even on a High School suggested reading list. There is so much to be taken away from the story. The one that sticks out the most is teen drunk driving. The topic is explored in a very real way that is tangible and will be easy to relate to as a young adult. The lesser, but still very important themes range from tolerance, to admitting when you've done something wrong and taking responsibility for your actions. All of this is also woven up in a love story of sorts. Even the love story, however, can teach teens about following your heart and conscience instead of being with someone (whether they be friend or significant other) for the popularity or because it's familiar.
As a mother of three teenagers, I like when I can come away from a YA novel with some ideas of how to relate to and discuss difficult topics with my own children. I definitely got that from this novel and will be recommending it to my oldest to read. There is some language, which is why I will wait to have my younger two teens read it.
I would love if the schools would have this book in their libraries and possibly even on a High School suggested reading list. There is so much to be taken away from the story. The one that sticks out the most is teen drunk driving. The topic is explored in a very real way that is tangible and will be easy to relate to as a young adult. The lesser, but still very important themes range from tolerance, to admitting when you've done something wrong and taking responsibility for your actions. All of this is also woven up in a love story of sorts. Even the love story, however, can teach teens about following your heart and conscience instead of being with someone (whether they be friend or significant other) for the popularity or because it's familiar.
As a mother of three teenagers, I like when I can come away from a YA novel with some ideas of how to relate to and discuss difficult topics with my own children. I definitely got that from this novel and will be recommending it to my oldest to read. There is some language, which is why I will wait to have my younger two teens read it.
June 24, 2013
oh man, i am so glad i read this. i was working on a quarterly read challenge, and one was to read a 5 star book by one of your goodreads friends. i immediately went to A.'s page, because she so rarely gives out five stars, and she's sold me on a lot of good books.
i didn't feel the length, though i can see how other people, particularly teens, might. i almost wonder if the book would be better marketed to adults - as a teen in the middle of a lot of the drama and angst and self-doubt, i can see why paige would be such a hard character - in a way, she's TOO much like you to like.
while i didn't go to a high school that had homecoming (much less football - go all female catholic schools!), the same sort of issues still came up. the teacher that inspired both intense dislike and intense almost-worship. the question of homosexuality and how to deal with it as a reality in a society that pretends it doesn't exist. the way friendships can fall apart when you aren't looking. the way we all grow and change and often don't remember why or how and forget to realize that people around us are changing too.
m. molly backes does an excellent job of getting to that point in the teenage brain where the individual has tunnel vision. it's a reactionary time, rather than a thoughtful one. you have just realized that heroes don't exist, you are going to be leaving your family and everything you have known for something new, and you are learning things that challenge you to think in different ways.
is anyone really so surprised the angsty teen has become such a cliche?
what i liked most about paige's story was that we saw her develop agency. in the beginning - and often in the middle - and even at some points in the end - she just does what she's told. she didn't question going to paris or fight her mom or ask to say goodbye to lacey and nikki and jake. she just went along. she didn't stick up for herself and stay in film appreciation, she let jake make the decision. but by the end, paige realizes this is a problem, and she is trying to make it better. isn't that what adolescence is all about, in a way? thinking the world should be fair and just, according to you, and having to reconcile with a world that doesn't follow those rules?
the writing was focused and lush and the reason i didn't mind the length at all. i was caught up in the story, in the characters. i loved shanti. i even liked jake, for all his faults, for thinking about poetry. lacey, for not changing anything. and nikki, who everyone wrote off as the stupid one of the group. mirror and ethan and jeremy - everyone felt full to me.
now to address some of the issues that bothered other reviewers: the incident with jake near the end
and then there's the one regarding homophobia.
most of all i think the book is about paige realizing that every action (or non-action) has a result. that what she chooses to do or not do does affect others. she says something about mr. tremont to take the focus off of ethan and never thinks of what the consequences might be.
this is a big and beautiful book and i love it to pieces.
i didn't feel the length, though i can see how other people, particularly teens, might. i almost wonder if the book would be better marketed to adults - as a teen in the middle of a lot of the drama and angst and self-doubt, i can see why paige would be such a hard character - in a way, she's TOO much like you to like.
while i didn't go to a high school that had homecoming (much less football - go all female catholic schools!), the same sort of issues still came up. the teacher that inspired both intense dislike and intense almost-worship. the question of homosexuality and how to deal with it as a reality in a society that pretends it doesn't exist. the way friendships can fall apart when you aren't looking. the way we all grow and change and often don't remember why or how and forget to realize that people around us are changing too.
m. molly backes does an excellent job of getting to that point in the teenage brain where the individual has tunnel vision. it's a reactionary time, rather than a thoughtful one. you have just realized that heroes don't exist, you are going to be leaving your family and everything you have known for something new, and you are learning things that challenge you to think in different ways.
is anyone really so surprised the angsty teen has become such a cliche?
what i liked most about paige's story was that we saw her develop agency. in the beginning - and often in the middle - and even at some points in the end - she just does what she's told. she didn't question going to paris or fight her mom or ask to say goodbye to lacey and nikki and jake. she just went along. she didn't stick up for herself and stay in film appreciation, she let jake make the decision. but by the end, paige realizes this is a problem, and she is trying to make it better. isn't that what adolescence is all about, in a way? thinking the world should be fair and just, according to you, and having to reconcile with a world that doesn't follow those rules?
the writing was focused and lush and the reason i didn't mind the length at all. i was caught up in the story, in the characters. i loved shanti. i even liked jake, for all his faults, for thinking about poetry. lacey, for not changing anything. and nikki, who everyone wrote off as the stupid one of the group. mirror and ethan and jeremy - everyone felt full to me.
now to address some of the issues that bothered other reviewers: the incident with jake near the end
and then there's the one regarding homophobia.
most of all i think the book is about paige realizing that every action (or non-action) has a result. that what she chooses to do or not do does affect others. she says something about mr. tremont to take the focus off of ethan and never thinks of what the consequences might be.
this is a big and beautiful book and i love it to pieces.
May 8, 2018
I would've loved this book in high school
December 6, 2012
Usually, when a book has unlikeable characters, I don't think it takes away from the story, or the experience of reading. But every now and then, a book comes along in which the characters are so annoying, and learn absolutely nothing in the end. Nothing changes about how awful they are, no one sees 'the light' and tries to change. Nothing truly life-changing happens to them, either.
Paige Sheridan lives in the kind of world that only feels like it exists in books. People are obsessed with being prom queen, or homecoming queen, or whatever queen. She wants to become a "Princess," and in fact, she and her mother have worked so hard to achieve that. Because, of after all, when you're a girl in Iowa, apparently that's all there is to look forward to. And it doesn't matter if you've abandoned friends, turned your back on kids you used to hang out with, because becoming a Princess means everything, it's really the only thing, ever. Now, Paige grows disinterested in this half-way through, but not for reasons that signify great personal growth. It's mostly because her friends have shut her out, and now she has to slum it with the not-white girl and the boy who, for whatever reason, it interested in her.
Of course, the only way for us to know that we're supposed to root for Paige is because she totally leaves the room when her friends start trashing the new teacher in school. There's rumor that he's gay, and it doesn't sit well with Paige -- but she sits back and watches people say things, doesn't really try to stop them. The most she can do is leave the room and stew about how awful it is, what they're saying. By the time she actually tries to do something good, it's too late.
But that's not all! This book actually involves one of the things that I hate the most about reading YA sometimes. The characters take a writing class (taught by that maybe-gay teacher), and that's how we're supposed to know they're really okay, deep down. Except Paige isn't. She's bratty and upset because her friends aren't paying attention to her, and her best friend and boyfriend are spending like, way too much time together. So she writes about it, and aforementioned not-white girl is there to be accepting of Paige, even though she doesn't deserve it. Which, unfortunately, brings me to something I really wish YA would stop doing.
Can we stop having non-white characters being the sidekicks for privilege white girls? We saw this in Hannah Harrington's SPEECHLESS, too, and I'd really like for it to stop. They're always there to be the wise sidekick, the forgiving one whose heart is just too big, but they're never more than that role. There's always attention being brought to how the main character is accepting of this person, even though they're, whisperwhispernotwhite. Which is exactly what Paige does.
For all the frustration this book caused, there were some things that worked. The writing style is blunt and honest, almost unforgiving. Here's the truth: absolutely no one in this novel comes out looking like a great person. Paige and Lacey are irresponsible, selfish brats who endangered their lives and the lives of others by driving drunk -- and the prologue actually tries to make excuses for why they did it. That's just like, what you do when _____ happens, right? And that bugged the hell out of me, but deep down, I understood that's exactly what these idiots do when they choose to drive intoxicated. They make excuses for why they don't care if they die, or if they kill someone else. It's the kind of unfortunate truth that teenagers will nod along with, which leaves me incredibly unsettled.
Because there is no real consequence for Paige. She gets what she wants, the new boy she's interested in. She has friends, she makes it through. Everything's roses for Paige Sheridan. And she doesn't deserve it.
While it might seem like I really hated this book, I don't think that this is the last time I'll pick up a book by the author. Her writing stile lends itself really well to contemporary dramas, and I do appreciate the honesty she uses in exploring the homophobia, classism, sexism, and racism in this weird little town. These places still exist, unfortunately, and it's nice to see them called out, so to speak. With less of a reliance on gimmicks like writing to explore a character, and the lesson-driven homophobia plot, I feel her writing could really shine.
Paige Sheridan lives in the kind of world that only feels like it exists in books. People are obsessed with being prom queen, or homecoming queen, or whatever queen. She wants to become a "Princess," and in fact, she and her mother have worked so hard to achieve that. Because, of after all, when you're a girl in Iowa, apparently that's all there is to look forward to. And it doesn't matter if you've abandoned friends, turned your back on kids you used to hang out with, because becoming a Princess means everything, it's really the only thing, ever. Now, Paige grows disinterested in this half-way through, but not for reasons that signify great personal growth. It's mostly because her friends have shut her out, and now she has to slum it with the not-white girl and the boy who, for whatever reason, it interested in her.
Of course, the only way for us to know that we're supposed to root for Paige is because she totally leaves the room when her friends start trashing the new teacher in school. There's rumor that he's gay, and it doesn't sit well with Paige -- but she sits back and watches people say things, doesn't really try to stop them. The most she can do is leave the room and stew about how awful it is, what they're saying. By the time she actually tries to do something good, it's too late.
But that's not all! This book actually involves one of the things that I hate the most about reading YA sometimes. The characters take a writing class (taught by that maybe-gay teacher), and that's how we're supposed to know they're really okay, deep down. Except Paige isn't. She's bratty and upset because her friends aren't paying attention to her, and her best friend and boyfriend are spending like, way too much time together. So she writes about it, and aforementioned not-white girl is there to be accepting of Paige, even though she doesn't deserve it. Which, unfortunately, brings me to something I really wish YA would stop doing.
Can we stop having non-white characters being the sidekicks for privilege white girls? We saw this in Hannah Harrington's SPEECHLESS, too, and I'd really like for it to stop. They're always there to be the wise sidekick, the forgiving one whose heart is just too big, but they're never more than that role. There's always attention being brought to how the main character is accepting of this person, even though they're, whisperwhispernotwhite. Which is exactly what Paige does.
For all the frustration this book caused, there were some things that worked. The writing style is blunt and honest, almost unforgiving. Here's the truth: absolutely no one in this novel comes out looking like a great person. Paige and Lacey are irresponsible, selfish brats who endangered their lives and the lives of others by driving drunk -- and the prologue actually tries to make excuses for why they did it. That's just like, what you do when _____ happens, right? And that bugged the hell out of me, but deep down, I understood that's exactly what these idiots do when they choose to drive intoxicated. They make excuses for why they don't care if they die, or if they kill someone else. It's the kind of unfortunate truth that teenagers will nod along with, which leaves me incredibly unsettled.
Because there is no real consequence for Paige. She gets what she wants, the new boy she's interested in. She has friends, she makes it through. Everything's roses for Paige Sheridan. And she doesn't deserve it.
While it might seem like I really hated this book, I don't think that this is the last time I'll pick up a book by the author. Her writing stile lends itself really well to contemporary dramas, and I do appreciate the honesty she uses in exploring the homophobia, classism, sexism, and racism in this weird little town. These places still exist, unfortunately, and it's nice to see them called out, so to speak. With less of a reliance on gimmicks like writing to explore a character, and the lesson-driven homophobia plot, I feel her writing could really shine.
October 18, 2012
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
There seems to be a growing trend in young adult fiction I’ve been reading. Taking the popular girl main character and giving her a conscience. Sometimes this frustrates me because I was never the popular girl. I was the bookworm. The majorette in band. A CVS worker who liked to work in the shampoo aisle. The creative one. The existing moment that makes me relate to a character that is so unlike me, who is in fact the people I usually completely write off, is very small. Miniscule. Yet here I am connecting on an intense level with a girl like Paige. Rich, gorgeous, popular, mean to the small people. To the point where I am wondering if there are other girls I went to school with who maybe felt constricted by their status, the pressures of their moms who are always trying to relive their younger years, who really had no idea who they were.
It’s not like I was automatically on Paige’s side either. She’s in a horrific car accident because her or one one of her best friends drank too much (the real story unfolds along the way) and her mom is glad to ship her off to Paris for the summer where she works as a nanny. This gives her mom time to wipe up the mess and ensure her daughter’s (and her family’s) gold-star reputation. Paige returns to a world turned upside down. Her best friends (Lacey & Nikki) are giving her the cold shoulder, and her boyfriend is more interested in being there for Lacey. At this point, Paige’s thoughts and worries could definitely be seen as a bit selfish… what did I do… don’t they realize that I’m upset too… but you know what, I seriously would have been thinking the same things.
It takes a fantastic writing class and some new friends to push Paige onto this journey of discovery. Mr. Tremont sounds like the kind of writing teacher that I would have loved to have had in high school. I was lucky to have a few of them in college like this, but holy crap, wow. I loved how he talked about writing being this difficult thing. He was completely inspiring, and I can see why Paige was so intrigued by him and this other part of herself that seemed to come out of nowhere. It was inspiring to me. Especially because her own writing is the device she used to figure out what happened in that car accident last spring and make sense of it and her surroundings and the expectations that have become a burden instead of something she thought she wanted for so long.
The new friends – Shanti & Ethan – would, of course, normally be out of Paige’s general circle of friends a year ago. And I liked how they sort of tiptoe around each other when it comes to making this commitment to be real friends. Paige even acts like a real bitch at some points, and while I hated that about her, it was true to her character and made even more sense when she disentangles herself from her own norm and shies away from the spotlight.
The Princesses of Iowa is so rich in story, and the intensity is built up so perfectly. It’s like a house of cards that could break at any time. And I couldn’t put it down. It gets scary and frustrating but Backes succeeds in tackling some very sensitive and serious storylines very well. Her characters are well-developed and real and even disappointing and surprising. What hit home for me the most was Backes’ belief in the power of writing and expression. That in itself is such a truth in my own life and she nailed it. Many many times. And all I know is that I will be buying a copy of The Princesses of Iowa when it is released on May 8th. I already have a place in my bookshelf waiting for it.
”It’s your writing you guys. Follow it wherever it takes you. All you need to do is tell your truth.”
There seems to be a growing trend in young adult fiction I’ve been reading. Taking the popular girl main character and giving her a conscience. Sometimes this frustrates me because I was never the popular girl. I was the bookworm. The majorette in band. A CVS worker who liked to work in the shampoo aisle. The creative one. The existing moment that makes me relate to a character that is so unlike me, who is in fact the people I usually completely write off, is very small. Miniscule. Yet here I am connecting on an intense level with a girl like Paige. Rich, gorgeous, popular, mean to the small people. To the point where I am wondering if there are other girls I went to school with who maybe felt constricted by their status, the pressures of their moms who are always trying to relive their younger years, who really had no idea who they were.
It’s not like I was automatically on Paige’s side either. She’s in a horrific car accident because her or one one of her best friends drank too much (the real story unfolds along the way) and her mom is glad to ship her off to Paris for the summer where she works as a nanny. This gives her mom time to wipe up the mess and ensure her daughter’s (and her family’s) gold-star reputation. Paige returns to a world turned upside down. Her best friends (Lacey & Nikki) are giving her the cold shoulder, and her boyfriend is more interested in being there for Lacey. At this point, Paige’s thoughts and worries could definitely be seen as a bit selfish… what did I do… don’t they realize that I’m upset too… but you know what, I seriously would have been thinking the same things.
It takes a fantastic writing class and some new friends to push Paige onto this journey of discovery. Mr. Tremont sounds like the kind of writing teacher that I would have loved to have had in high school. I was lucky to have a few of them in college like this, but holy crap, wow. I loved how he talked about writing being this difficult thing. He was completely inspiring, and I can see why Paige was so intrigued by him and this other part of herself that seemed to come out of nowhere. It was inspiring to me. Especially because her own writing is the device she used to figure out what happened in that car accident last spring and make sense of it and her surroundings and the expectations that have become a burden instead of something she thought she wanted for so long.
The new friends – Shanti & Ethan – would, of course, normally be out of Paige’s general circle of friends a year ago. And I liked how they sort of tiptoe around each other when it comes to making this commitment to be real friends. Paige even acts like a real bitch at some points, and while I hated that about her, it was true to her character and made even more sense when she disentangles herself from her own norm and shies away from the spotlight.
The Princesses of Iowa is so rich in story, and the intensity is built up so perfectly. It’s like a house of cards that could break at any time. And I couldn’t put it down. It gets scary and frustrating but Backes succeeds in tackling some very sensitive and serious storylines very well. Her characters are well-developed and real and even disappointing and surprising. What hit home for me the most was Backes’ belief in the power of writing and expression. That in itself is such a truth in my own life and she nailed it. Many many times. And all I know is that I will be buying a copy of The Princesses of Iowa when it is released on May 8th. I already have a place in my bookshelf waiting for it.
”It’s your writing you guys. Follow it wherever it takes you. All you need to do is tell your truth.”
March 17, 2017
Re-read February 2017. Still very much enjoyed it but I don't know if 2017 Maggie would give it 5 stars.
This book. I don’t even know why I finally decided to read this book. It had been sitting on my Kindle forever and I’ve been trying to read what’s sitting on there, but seriously, I do not know why I decided to pick this one up, all I know is that I’m so, so happy I did. I don’t know about anyone else, but there are books that I just love, books that if I had to only read one type of book for the rest of my life I would pick or, god help us, if I ever got an idea or the motivation to write a book, I’d want it to be like. This is absolutely one of those books.
The story completely snuck up on me. Not only did I have no expectations, I also wasn’t totally sold off the bat. I liked the story, but I wasn’t blown away. I did like Paige immediately, even though, frankly, she’s kind of a rhymes-with-witch. Paige is the popular girl who’s made a big mistake; after a party where she was supposed to be the designated driver, but ended up doing shots, she gets in a car with her two drunk friends and they crash. Paige isn’t driving, but her parents still ship her off to Paris for the summer. Rather than enjoying life is Paris Paige was pretty much a nanny-slave for a crazy-sounding family. The story picks up when Paige returns from Paris worrying about how her friends will react to her. Will her boyfriend Jake still be waiting for her? How are her best friends Nicki and Lacey doing with the crash?
The thing I love the most about this book was how real it was. Paige is the popular girl, but her life isn’t perfect and she’s more than just a pretty face or a nice personality. It’s not only Paige though, it’s all the other characters. From the description of the book I had expected Paige’s friends and boyfriend to ignore her upon her return, but they don’t. Jake waited for her and still wants to be with her, but he’s also caught up trying to comfort Lacey and be the son his parents want him to be. Lacey resents Paige for being able to escape to Paris and Nicki is trying to place peacekeeper between them. I thought this subtle tension and gradual growing apart was so realistic.
There’s a lot of realism in this book that’s very off-putting. A lot of the people in Paige’s small town are pretty close-minded. The jocks in her creative writing class tease and try to torment the new student by calling him “freshman” or using homophobic slurs and overall the town is pretty homophobic (something that comes into play later in the book). I won’t ruin anything, but honestly, I thought their homophobia, although difficult for me to read about, was really, sadly, true to life. I also thought that the character’s reactions to homophobia were very realistic. Paige has heard homophobic things her entire life and while she doesn’t agree with them she doesn’t speak out against them, either. Would it be nice if Paige stood up and tried to make a difference in her community? Sure, of course, but that’s just not something everyone can do. And, even though I wanted them to be different, I really liked the change/lack of change/reactions of many of the characters, especially Jake and Mr.Tremont.
Bottom Line: I just loved The Princesses of Iowa. It’s one of those things where I have a really difficult time putting it into words, but this is pretty much everything I look for in a book. I fell for Paige’s character, faults and all, and I appreciated how she evolved throughout the story. Even though many of the things the characters said and did left me uncomfortable I thought it was such an accurate portrayal of so many different types of people that I admire what M. Molly Backes did immensely.
This review first appeared on my blog.
This book. I don’t even know why I finally decided to read this book. It had been sitting on my Kindle forever and I’ve been trying to read what’s sitting on there, but seriously, I do not know why I decided to pick this one up, all I know is that I’m so, so happy I did. I don’t know about anyone else, but there are books that I just love, books that if I had to only read one type of book for the rest of my life I would pick or, god help us, if I ever got an idea or the motivation to write a book, I’d want it to be like. This is absolutely one of those books.
The story completely snuck up on me. Not only did I have no expectations, I also wasn’t totally sold off the bat. I liked the story, but I wasn’t blown away. I did like Paige immediately, even though, frankly, she’s kind of a rhymes-with-witch. Paige is the popular girl who’s made a big mistake; after a party where she was supposed to be the designated driver, but ended up doing shots, she gets in a car with her two drunk friends and they crash. Paige isn’t driving, but her parents still ship her off to Paris for the summer. Rather than enjoying life is Paris Paige was pretty much a nanny-slave for a crazy-sounding family. The story picks up when Paige returns from Paris worrying about how her friends will react to her. Will her boyfriend Jake still be waiting for her? How are her best friends Nicki and Lacey doing with the crash?
The thing I love the most about this book was how real it was. Paige is the popular girl, but her life isn’t perfect and she’s more than just a pretty face or a nice personality. It’s not only Paige though, it’s all the other characters. From the description of the book I had expected Paige’s friends and boyfriend to ignore her upon her return, but they don’t. Jake waited for her and still wants to be with her, but he’s also caught up trying to comfort Lacey and be the son his parents want him to be. Lacey resents Paige for being able to escape to Paris and Nicki is trying to place peacekeeper between them. I thought this subtle tension and gradual growing apart was so realistic.
There’s a lot of realism in this book that’s very off-putting. A lot of the people in Paige’s small town are pretty close-minded. The jocks in her creative writing class tease and try to torment the new student by calling him “freshman” or using homophobic slurs and overall the town is pretty homophobic (something that comes into play later in the book). I won’t ruin anything, but honestly, I thought their homophobia, although difficult for me to read about, was really, sadly, true to life. I also thought that the character’s reactions to homophobia were very realistic. Paige has heard homophobic things her entire life and while she doesn’t agree with them she doesn’t speak out against them, either. Would it be nice if Paige stood up and tried to make a difference in her community? Sure, of course, but that’s just not something everyone can do. And, even though I wanted them to be different, I really liked the change/lack of change/reactions of many of the characters, especially Jake and Mr.Tremont.
Bottom Line: I just loved The Princesses of Iowa. It’s one of those things where I have a really difficult time putting it into words, but this is pretty much everything I look for in a book. I fell for Paige’s character, faults and all, and I appreciated how she evolved throughout the story. Even though many of the things the characters said and did left me uncomfortable I thought it was such an accurate portrayal of so many different types of people that I admire what M. Molly Backes did immensely.
This review first appeared on my blog.
February 22, 2013
I finished this book yesterday, but for some reason, despite the time I’ve had to think about it, I’m having a hard time gathering my thoughts on it. I think it’s maybe because this book deals with some hard issues—and gave me so much to think about—that even now I'm still processing it all. But anyway . . .
Paige is a bit of a difficult character. And I mean that in the best possible way. She feels so real, for better or worse. While I never disliked her, some of her decisions made me cringe big time, since she does some pretty unkind, thoughtless, petty things. But where Paige redeems herself is in her slow evolution from a popular, flawless, one-dimensional girl into someone who starts to see that maybe being perfect isn’t everything and that there’s more to life than being homecoming queen. The process is slow and painful, and she backslides quite a bit, but still, she moves forward and gradually becomes someone I can admire.
Somewhat perversely, I really liked the deteriorating relationship between Paige and Jake. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t like Jake and I was rooting for Ethan the whole time, but still . . . I really thought Paige and Jake’s relationship was well written. The author made it so easy to understand why Paige is clinging so hard to her relationship with Jake, even when it’s clear to her and everyone that it’s just not working. To Paige, Jake represents an idyllic time when everything seemed perfect in her life, and I can’t blame her for finding it hard to let go of that, even when I got frustrated with Paige for letting herself stay in a toxic relationship for so long.
This book tackles quite a few issues: drinking and driving, homophobia, the beginning and ending of friendships and romantic relationships, parental pressures, popularity, taking responsibility, and a few others. Before I started this book I wondered why it was so long for a contemporary YA (464 pages), and now that I’ve finished it, I can see that the book needed to be that long just to deal with all the issues. And I appreciated the way that the author wrote about all these topics—I didn’t feel preached to or condescended to, and I liked that she took the realistic route and didn’t tie everything up with a nice little bow. Some stuff doesn’t get resolved, or it doesn’t get resolved the way I, or the characters, would have liked, but that’s how it goes in the real world. The book ends happily, but not everything is perfect, which is a valuable lesson, I think—that things don’t have to be perfect to find happiness.
Overall, a well-done issues-centered book. Recommended for fans of Lauren Oliver’s “Before I Fall” and Courtney Summers’s “Some Girls Are.”
Original review at Book Light Graveyard
Paige is a bit of a difficult character. And I mean that in the best possible way. She feels so real, for better or worse. While I never disliked her, some of her decisions made me cringe big time, since she does some pretty unkind, thoughtless, petty things. But where Paige redeems herself is in her slow evolution from a popular, flawless, one-dimensional girl into someone who starts to see that maybe being perfect isn’t everything and that there’s more to life than being homecoming queen. The process is slow and painful, and she backslides quite a bit, but still, she moves forward and gradually becomes someone I can admire.
Somewhat perversely, I really liked the deteriorating relationship between Paige and Jake. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t like Jake and I was rooting for Ethan the whole time, but still . . . I really thought Paige and Jake’s relationship was well written. The author made it so easy to understand why Paige is clinging so hard to her relationship with Jake, even when it’s clear to her and everyone that it’s just not working. To Paige, Jake represents an idyllic time when everything seemed perfect in her life, and I can’t blame her for finding it hard to let go of that, even when I got frustrated with Paige for letting herself stay in a toxic relationship for so long.
This book tackles quite a few issues: drinking and driving, homophobia, the beginning and ending of friendships and romantic relationships, parental pressures, popularity, taking responsibility, and a few others. Before I started this book I wondered why it was so long for a contemporary YA (464 pages), and now that I’ve finished it, I can see that the book needed to be that long just to deal with all the issues. And I appreciated the way that the author wrote about all these topics—I didn’t feel preached to or condescended to, and I liked that she took the realistic route and didn’t tie everything up with a nice little bow. Some stuff doesn’t get resolved, or it doesn’t get resolved the way I, or the characters, would have liked, but that’s how it goes in the real world. The book ends happily, but not everything is perfect, which is a valuable lesson, I think—that things don’t have to be perfect to find happiness.
Overall, a well-done issues-centered book. Recommended for fans of Lauren Oliver’s “Before I Fall” and Courtney Summers’s “Some Girls Are.”
Original review at Book Light Graveyard
March 24, 2012
2.5.
While I loved the writing in this one, as well as the characters who were just so damn unlikable, ultimately, this book didn't hold up over the course of its very long 450 pages.
Paige has a great voice in this book, and she's not a great person. She's made a ton of mistakes, and she doesn't really feel bad about them. She's stuck up, snotty, and very proud of her affluence and the fact she's had everything handed to her (there's a particular scene where she goes to the coffee shop Ethan's working at and her attitude there says everything about her privilege). Further, she's living with a terribly vapid mother and a sister who isn't a whole lot better. Paige's boyfriend is nothing to be excited about and her friends, Nicky and Lacey, are pretty much mirror images of everything Paige is. I was so eager to see everything fall around these people because they deserved everything coming to them, and that's saying a lot since the story begins with Paige and her two friends being in a serious car accident after a night of too much drinking and partying.
Now the story doesn't at all focus on the accident -- it's a prologue. The story really takes place in the following school year as Paige tries to figure out who her friends are and aren't now.
The problems with the story come when the writing-as-therapy storyline treads too far into didactic territory, and it was evident from the start of Paige's taking the writing class that this was going to happen. Likewise, I found myself unsurprised at all the drama that emerged with the writing teacher/s. It was too neat and tidy to have it all stand in as symbolism for writing itself. That it's hard, that there are road blocks, that there are your cheerleaders and detractors, that people will tell you you're crazy or they'll tell you this is the right thing for you to do. I think had it been a tighter storyline with Paige and reconciling the relationships she had, it wouldn't have felt so over the head.
My other far bigger problem was that It only further emphasized the story being a big letter about writing. I could be okay with that as the story (the love letter to writing as an art/form of therapy/understanding yourself) but it felt oddly dissonant with all of the heavy themes in the story itself.
Paige gets out way too easily, and I didn't believe her turn around at all.
Longer review to come.
While I loved the writing in this one, as well as the characters who were just so damn unlikable, ultimately, this book didn't hold up over the course of its very long 450 pages.
Paige has a great voice in this book, and she's not a great person. She's made a ton of mistakes, and she doesn't really feel bad about them. She's stuck up, snotty, and very proud of her affluence and the fact she's had everything handed to her (there's a particular scene where she goes to the coffee shop Ethan's working at and her attitude there says everything about her privilege). Further, she's living with a terribly vapid mother and a sister who isn't a whole lot better. Paige's boyfriend is nothing to be excited about and her friends, Nicky and Lacey, are pretty much mirror images of everything Paige is. I was so eager to see everything fall around these people because they deserved everything coming to them, and that's saying a lot since the story begins with Paige and her two friends being in a serious car accident after a night of too much drinking and partying.
Now the story doesn't at all focus on the accident -- it's a prologue. The story really takes place in the following school year as Paige tries to figure out who her friends are and aren't now.
The problems with the story come when the writing-as-therapy storyline treads too far into didactic territory, and it was evident from the start of Paige's taking the writing class that this was going to happen. Likewise, I found myself unsurprised at all the drama that emerged with the writing teacher/s. It was too neat and tidy to have it all stand in as symbolism for writing itself. That it's hard, that there are road blocks, that there are your cheerleaders and detractors, that people will tell you you're crazy or they'll tell you this is the right thing for you to do. I think had it been a tighter storyline with Paige and reconciling the relationships she had, it wouldn't have felt so over the head.
My other far bigger problem was that It only further emphasized the story being a big letter about writing. I could be okay with that as the story (the love letter to writing as an art/form of therapy/understanding yourself) but it felt oddly dissonant with all of the heavy themes in the story itself.
Paige gets out way too easily, and I didn't believe her turn around at all.
Longer review to come.
April 9, 2013
Solid 3.5 stars!
I've been sitting on writing this review for a little while, though I'm not entirely sure why. I think it's because I'm struggling with what to say about this book. Did I like it... sure. Did I love it... no. In fact, when we talked about this book in the bookclub that I read it for, I stated that I hated just about every single character in this book. Yet, still... The story was engaging and made you want to read more.
Paige Sheridan lives the perfect life... she's popular and rich and she's been groomed to become a 'princess' her whole life. After a night of bad choices and partying that ends in an accident, she's shipped off to Paris for the summer, leaving her friends and family to assume she's had a glamorous time. In fact, it wasn't. Upon her return things are awkward. Her best friend no longer talks to her unless she has to, and her boyfriend seems to be spending more time with her ex BF than her.
Throwing herself headfirst into her creative writing class, and at his urging he pushes her to try and find herself... not who she was brought up to be.
So... the accident is the catalyst for change for these characters. Only Lacey, Paige's best friend, was seriously injured but the accident seems to have caused a rift among the best friends.
One thing I will say is that this book tackles A LOT of topics. Homophobia, drinking and driving, cheating, prejudice, date rape, inattentive parents. To be honest, I'm not sure if I liked that all this was thrown in here or not. While reading, it did feel like it was all a bit much, but nothing was added gratuitously and the story flows really well, even with all that crammed in there.
Like I said earlier, I hated almost all the characters here. The lone bright spots for me were Shanti and Ethan and even Mr. Tremont.
While all those topics up there are pretty heavy for a single book, the book doesn't get overly heavy in tone. Yes, there are some serious and angsty parts, but overall it was a quick and somewhat light read for me. This is a story about finding yourself, and making your own path and ultimately realizing that who you are when you're in your teens, most likely isn't who you're going to end up being.
If you're looking for a contemporary with a bit of romance and drama than I think The Princess of Iowa might be just what you're looking for.
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
I've been sitting on writing this review for a little while, though I'm not entirely sure why. I think it's because I'm struggling with what to say about this book. Did I like it... sure. Did I love it... no. In fact, when we talked about this book in the bookclub that I read it for, I stated that I hated just about every single character in this book. Yet, still... The story was engaging and made you want to read more.
Paige Sheridan lives the perfect life... she's popular and rich and she's been groomed to become a 'princess' her whole life. After a night of bad choices and partying that ends in an accident, she's shipped off to Paris for the summer, leaving her friends and family to assume she's had a glamorous time. In fact, it wasn't. Upon her return things are awkward. Her best friend no longer talks to her unless she has to, and her boyfriend seems to be spending more time with her ex BF than her.
Throwing herself headfirst into her creative writing class, and at his urging he pushes her to try and find herself... not who she was brought up to be.
So... the accident is the catalyst for change for these characters. Only Lacey, Paige's best friend, was seriously injured but the accident seems to have caused a rift among the best friends.
One thing I will say is that this book tackles A LOT of topics. Homophobia, drinking and driving, cheating, prejudice, date rape, inattentive parents. To be honest, I'm not sure if I liked that all this was thrown in here or not. While reading, it did feel like it was all a bit much, but nothing was added gratuitously and the story flows really well, even with all that crammed in there.
Like I said earlier, I hated almost all the characters here. The lone bright spots for me were Shanti and Ethan and even Mr. Tremont.
While all those topics up there are pretty heavy for a single book, the book doesn't get overly heavy in tone. Yes, there are some serious and angsty parts, but overall it was a quick and somewhat light read for me. This is a story about finding yourself, and making your own path and ultimately realizing that who you are when you're in your teens, most likely isn't who you're going to end up being.
If you're looking for a contemporary with a bit of romance and drama than I think The Princess of Iowa might be just what you're looking for.
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
January 28, 2013
I truly enjoyed the book as it dealt with the issues in an honest and open manner. Paige has her senior year all planned out for herself but at the end of her junior year, a drunk driving accident occurs and her plans are trashed. As a reader, you don’t find out the whole details of the incident until the end of the book but small details are scattered throughout the story and as a reader you piece the puzzle together. Paige, Lacey and Nikki dreams were to be homecoming queens together and these dreams had been planned for years. Their senior year was going to be the best! After the accident, Paige is carted away to Paris to be a nanny for the summer, Lacey undergoes therapy at the hospital and Nikki, well her life is shrinking away, literally. When Paige returns, the threesome is not what they used to be. Paige seems so confused at this part in her life. Where does she fit in? Her mother has always had this mold for her as the perfect person that makes you want to scream and this mold continues upon her return back to Iowa. Her friends have been living the summer without her and think her time in Paris was a vacation and Paige just wants to pretend that nothing major has happened. Add to the drama of Paige’s boyfriend Jake, who has been taking care of Lacey and you have more drama than this book can hold. As school starts, a creative class helps Paige but she must learn to let go and be herself. What the future holds for this group of seniors depends on what’s inside each of them.
Living in Iowa, I enjoyed reading about the references to places in Iowa and reminisced with some of the events that the individuals did. The truck stop scavenger hunt was comical and just like every tourist stop you see around the U.S., you find quite a variety of unique items that highlight your state. The characters emotions and drama felt real and although the book was a long one, the pages flew by. There were times that I had to put the book down as I felt so overcome with emotions that I just had to stop. I felt there was some promiscuous activities taking place in the book and hoped that someone would put a stop to that. I would hope that with the information that is available out in society, something would be done to curb that behavior. This is a wonderful coming of age story.
“I thought too much: that was my problem. What I needed to do was relax, take a deep breath, maybe get another drink, and kick it with the people around me, people who, if not true friends, were at least a comfortable and easy group to be a part of: High school was for having fun, after all.”
This book contains sexual content and explicit language.
Living in Iowa, I enjoyed reading about the references to places in Iowa and reminisced with some of the events that the individuals did. The truck stop scavenger hunt was comical and just like every tourist stop you see around the U.S., you find quite a variety of unique items that highlight your state. The characters emotions and drama felt real and although the book was a long one, the pages flew by. There were times that I had to put the book down as I felt so overcome with emotions that I just had to stop. I felt there was some promiscuous activities taking place in the book and hoped that someone would put a stop to that. I would hope that with the information that is available out in society, something would be done to curb that behavior. This is a wonderful coming of age story.
“I thought too much: that was my problem. What I needed to do was relax, take a deep breath, maybe get another drink, and kick it with the people around me, people who, if not true friends, were at least a comfortable and easy group to be a part of: High school was for having fun, after all.”
This book contains sexual content and explicit language.
August 1, 2012
Paige does everything right, until one day she starts wondering if maybe she's been wrong all along.
Good grades, smooth hair, perfect eyeliner, just the right extracurriculars, the most popular and put-together friends. She's her mother's dream of perfection, bound -- inevitably, it seems -- for a spot on the senior home-coming court.
But now she's questioning it all. Just before "The Princesses of Iowa" opens, Paige and friends attend a cool-kids party where even the designated driver has a few drinks. Nobody's killed, but everyone involved in the crash that follows is changed by the experience.
I have to confess that I was afraid to start reading this book. I know the author, don't read a lot of YA fiction -- especially books about popular kids -- and was terrified by the possibility that the book would not be good.
But Paige's journey is a universal one, and her process of self-exploration is one that I've lived through many times. We all should periodically stop to look at our lives and how well they align with who we want to be. What is important to me? Who is important to me? Why do I care about these people? How can I support them? How do they support me? How do they fail me, and how can I overcome their shortcomings? How do I overcome my own? When have conformity and the desire to please others trumped my own values? What can I do to change my life, my self, my priorities, so that I live more true to who I want to be?
Of course, a young adult book about self-exploration and philosophy would probably be a big of a slog if that's all that was going on. But Molly Backes is subtler than all that. Self-exploration is the subtext here, but the plot deals in the concrete truths of friendships, boyfriends, mothers, teachers, the pain of abandoning the familiar when it holds you back, and the fear, loss and joy that can come with being brave.
I stayed up five hours past my bedtime when I started reading this book, and then picked it up immediately when I woke up the next day and couldn't put it down until it was done. I can't wait to see what Molly Backes has next in store.
Good grades, smooth hair, perfect eyeliner, just the right extracurriculars, the most popular and put-together friends. She's her mother's dream of perfection, bound -- inevitably, it seems -- for a spot on the senior home-coming court.
But now she's questioning it all. Just before "The Princesses of Iowa" opens, Paige and friends attend a cool-kids party where even the designated driver has a few drinks. Nobody's killed, but everyone involved in the crash that follows is changed by the experience.
I have to confess that I was afraid to start reading this book. I know the author, don't read a lot of YA fiction -- especially books about popular kids -- and was terrified by the possibility that the book would not be good.
But Paige's journey is a universal one, and her process of self-exploration is one that I've lived through many times. We all should periodically stop to look at our lives and how well they align with who we want to be. What is important to me? Who is important to me? Why do I care about these people? How can I support them? How do they support me? How do they fail me, and how can I overcome their shortcomings? How do I overcome my own? When have conformity and the desire to please others trumped my own values? What can I do to change my life, my self, my priorities, so that I live more true to who I want to be?
Of course, a young adult book about self-exploration and philosophy would probably be a big of a slog if that's all that was going on. But Molly Backes is subtler than all that. Self-exploration is the subtext here, but the plot deals in the concrete truths of friendships, boyfriends, mothers, teachers, the pain of abandoning the familiar when it holds you back, and the fear, loss and joy that can come with being brave.
I stayed up five hours past my bedtime when I started reading this book, and then picked it up immediately when I woke up the next day and couldn't put it down until it was done. I can't wait to see what Molly Backes has next in store.
January 6, 2013
I'm inflating the rating on this one a little bit because it surprised me by its substance. I was expecting more of a "pink" book full of typical high school machinations and characters with more obvious plot and character movement. Heavier than but not hitting me over the head seems worth four.
Princess is what Paige had always wanted to be with her two best friends Lacy and Nikki when senior year homecoming rolled around. Instead she returns after a horrific summer of being an unpaid au pair for a miserable couple and their baby in Paris, coming home to resentment and a strange new dynamic with her boyfriend Jake. Everything changed when the girls got into a drunk driving accident at a college party the spring before. Now Lacey walks with a limp after surgeries and a grueling summer of physical therapy, and she has a close, maybe too close, bond with Jake forged throughout her ordeals. Nikki's strange manic nature has turned dangerously daffy, but her boy craziness is still strong.
No one is acting the same, so it's hard for Paige to feel the thrill of being young, beautiful, and popular in their Iowa town, even more so when her easy Creative Writing teacher is replaced by Mr. Tremont, a substitute fresh from the university's graduate writing program, one who knows how to write, how to teach, and how to get writers looking inside themselves to get at the real stuff. Real isn't exactly what Paige has specialized in, so it's fairly uncomfortable, even more so when some of her classmates from Creative Writing, ones she shouldn't really have deigned to notice, start to show her friendship in three dimensions. Shanti is exotic and real; Jeremy is funny and smart and intensely interested in her.
Paige has to struggle through this new version of her life, deciding what she can keep from what she has known for so long and what she is willing to become, facing resistance from boyfriend, BFFs, and even her homecoming queen mother.
I see some pretty good YA appeal here. Need to test it out on some willing victims.
Princess is what Paige had always wanted to be with her two best friends Lacy and Nikki when senior year homecoming rolled around. Instead she returns after a horrific summer of being an unpaid au pair for a miserable couple and their baby in Paris, coming home to resentment and a strange new dynamic with her boyfriend Jake. Everything changed when the girls got into a drunk driving accident at a college party the spring before. Now Lacey walks with a limp after surgeries and a grueling summer of physical therapy, and she has a close, maybe too close, bond with Jake forged throughout her ordeals. Nikki's strange manic nature has turned dangerously daffy, but her boy craziness is still strong.
No one is acting the same, so it's hard for Paige to feel the thrill of being young, beautiful, and popular in their Iowa town, even more so when her easy Creative Writing teacher is replaced by Mr. Tremont, a substitute fresh from the university's graduate writing program, one who knows how to write, how to teach, and how to get writers looking inside themselves to get at the real stuff. Real isn't exactly what Paige has specialized in, so it's fairly uncomfortable, even more so when some of her classmates from Creative Writing, ones she shouldn't really have deigned to notice, start to show her friendship in three dimensions. Shanti is exotic and real; Jeremy is funny and smart and intensely interested in her.
Paige has to struggle through this new version of her life, deciding what she can keep from what she has known for so long and what she is willing to become, facing resistance from boyfriend, BFFs, and even her homecoming queen mother.
I see some pretty good YA appeal here. Need to test it out on some willing victims.
February 10, 2013
I read the book for the FYA book club and would probably have stopped reading after the first few chapters if I had picked it up on my own. The characters were horrible people. Especially the parents. That being said, I do live in Iowa and I am aware that here (and probably every state in the US) has people like this living there. So, if you can get past not really liking who the characters are as people then Paiges story of self discovery is compelling.
Plot:
Paige is going to be a princess. This is what she and her friends Lacey and Niki has been planning for since junior high. Paige makes sure she looks perfect each day, goes to the right parties, hangs with the popular click, and says the right things. She is living her dream until involvement in a drunk driving car crash. Paige is sent away to be a nanny for the summer in Paris. Upon her return her life doesn't seem so perfect any more. In fact with the help of her creative writing and some new friends she might just realize her life is far from perfect.
I'd have to say the saddest part of this book for me was the parents. They were all crappy parents! It isn't hard to believe that Paige, Lacey, Niki, and Jake would be shallow with parents like they had. In fact I am surprised the worst problems were eating disorders and drinking. While I wouldn't want to be friends with any of the girls I did feel sorry for Jake. His parents were both controlling and horrible. Yet he was a good friend to Lacey and there were glimpses of the warm caring heart that makes me believe if he ever breaks away from his parents, he would turn out to be a great guy.
Overall this book was not my style. However the book did suck me in enough that I was cheering for Paige to realize she needed to make some changes in her life.
Plot:
Paige is going to be a princess. This is what she and her friends Lacey and Niki has been planning for since junior high. Paige makes sure she looks perfect each day, goes to the right parties, hangs with the popular click, and says the right things. She is living her dream until involvement in a drunk driving car crash. Paige is sent away to be a nanny for the summer in Paris. Upon her return her life doesn't seem so perfect any more. In fact with the help of her creative writing and some new friends she might just realize her life is far from perfect.
I'd have to say the saddest part of this book for me was the parents. They were all crappy parents! It isn't hard to believe that Paige, Lacey, Niki, and Jake would be shallow with parents like they had. In fact I am surprised the worst problems were eating disorders and drinking. While I wouldn't want to be friends with any of the girls I did feel sorry for Jake. His parents were both controlling and horrible. Yet he was a good friend to Lacey and there were glimpses of the warm caring heart that makes me believe if he ever breaks away from his parents, he would turn out to be a great guy.
Overall this book was not my style. However the book did suck me in enough that I was cheering for Paige to realize she needed to make some changes in her life.
January 29, 2015
One thing about having a lot of books on your kindle is that you never know what you are in the mood to read and it may take you a while to get around to a book that's been sitting there waiting for the pages to open. The other day I decided to go through my kindle list and pick up one that I had sitting there and grabbed "The Princesses of Iowa". Most of the time, I pick up a book I have a fair idea what it's about, but sometimes I don't and in this case I didn't. In this book it starts off with a party and three friends Paige, Lacey and Nikki. The story begins with Paige accidentally hooking up with Preston whilst she has a boyfriend Jake. Lacey sees it and threatens to tell Jake , during this time they decide to leave and argue over the keys as they are both all a bit wasted and drunk. One of them decides to drive and tragedy ensures when they are involved in a car wreck. The Princesses of Iowa tends to be more Paige's story than the others and we learn that after the accident, Paige was shipped off to family friends in Paris to be an Au Pair to their baby . Now the break is over and they are back for their year but things are different now. Lacey was injured in the accident and walks with a cane and has Jake spending a bit too much time with her and Nikki is just plain Nikki - she reminded me of Amanda Seyfried's character in Mean Girls. As the year goes along, it will be an eye-opener for Paige as she discovers who she really is and what she wants out in life and that sometimes all you need is a little push in a different direction to learn what your true colours really are and who are your real friends and not.
The Princesses of Iowa was an edgy teen read that focused on the dramas of high school life from friends, frenemies, boyfriends, teachers and even touched based on Drunk Driving and Homophobia.
The Princesses of Iowa was an edgy teen read that focused on the dramas of high school life from friends, frenemies, boyfriends, teachers and even touched based on Drunk Driving and Homophobia.
August 9, 2012
*some spoilers!
It would have been so easy to not bother with this story because of the protagonist who seems to have it all - hot, popular, smart.
However, a few pages in, I understood why Paige Sheridan was what she was: with the mother she had, I could see why this girl had been moulded into what she was, an unlikeable, bratty girl who could be rather bitchy.
I did get a bit lost during some conversations/banter, and I thought that the story carried on for far too long. I suppose writing a book for six years can do that.
What I wished the author had covered in more depth were the relationships between Paige and her parents.
Paige had mentioned that she and her dad used to do things together, like fishing, and it seemed that she was wistful about spending time with him.
At some point, I was really tired of reading all that constant angst with her friends and I wanted to see how things would pan out with her parents.
The author skimmed over that; her mother got fired but there was no confrontation between her and Paige, and her Dad told her to kick butt when people were giving her a hard time.
To me, the whole reason Paige seemed to be what she was had more to do with her mother than with her friends. I felt a little cheated from a blow-up or heart-to-heart, where Paige would have actually stood up for herself with her Mum.
The ending felt rushed, though, particularly the focus on homophobia. The drunk driving issue took precedence, yet there were two characters - Jeremy and Mr. Tremont - whose stories would have been enhanced a wee bit.
And really, Paige, Lacey and Nikki became friends again? What was that about? It really annoyed me because they didn't seem to have patched things up before they were sharing a stage.
It would have been so easy to not bother with this story because of the protagonist who seems to have it all - hot, popular, smart.
However, a few pages in, I understood why Paige Sheridan was what she was: with the mother she had, I could see why this girl had been moulded into what she was, an unlikeable, bratty girl who could be rather bitchy.
I did get a bit lost during some conversations/banter, and I thought that the story carried on for far too long. I suppose writing a book for six years can do that.
What I wished the author had covered in more depth were the relationships between Paige and her parents.
Paige had mentioned that she and her dad used to do things together, like fishing, and it seemed that she was wistful about spending time with him.
At some point, I was really tired of reading all that constant angst with her friends and I wanted to see how things would pan out with her parents.
The author skimmed over that; her mother got fired but there was no confrontation between her and Paige, and her Dad told her to kick butt when people were giving her a hard time.
To me, the whole reason Paige seemed to be what she was had more to do with her mother than with her friends. I felt a little cheated from a blow-up or heart-to-heart, where Paige would have actually stood up for herself with her Mum.
The ending felt rushed, though, particularly the focus on homophobia. The drunk driving issue took precedence, yet there were two characters - Jeremy and Mr. Tremont - whose stories would have been enhanced a wee bit.
And really, Paige, Lacey and Nikki became friends again? What was that about? It really annoyed me because they didn't seem to have patched things up before they were sharing a stage.
July 18, 2013
Incredibly this author must live in a time warp of high school! I don't think I have ever picked out a book with such a sweet looking cover only to be drawn into such a web of filth, sexual perversions, alcohol, smoking...all of which we DO NOT want our teenagers to do! What is wrong with this author?
The language is unfit for anyone to read, it is a narrative with quips and shortened conversations between the key character and herself. It is not suitable for any reading audience because of the filth of the language. I finally quit reading it because it is filled with the "f" word over and over and over and over. It is sad because the story itself would be good but the language is horrid!
I think this author needs to go back to language school and learn English. I personally am writing a letter to our library to have this book banned from any teenager. Why does any girl want to read about sexual perversions? Why would she want to read a book filled with "f" and "sh.." over and over. Where does this author live? Under a rock?
And then there is the point of homosexuality which is incredibly not needed at all. In fact there is so much about this book that is not needed that it is not worth the paper it is printed on.
I had to choose a date I finished it but essentially I would never finish it. Why would anyone want to fill their brain with such dribble and filthy language when there are so many books out there that are far beyond this. To think that this author is an English teacher is a slap to the educational system of America or it is a wake up call as to what is being taught in our schools!
And that is all I have to say about this horrid book.
The language is unfit for anyone to read, it is a narrative with quips and shortened conversations between the key character and herself. It is not suitable for any reading audience because of the filth of the language. I finally quit reading it because it is filled with the "f" word over and over and over and over. It is sad because the story itself would be good but the language is horrid!
I think this author needs to go back to language school and learn English. I personally am writing a letter to our library to have this book banned from any teenager. Why does any girl want to read about sexual perversions? Why would she want to read a book filled with "f" and "sh.." over and over. Where does this author live? Under a rock?
And then there is the point of homosexuality which is incredibly not needed at all. In fact there is so much about this book that is not needed that it is not worth the paper it is printed on.
I had to choose a date I finished it but essentially I would never finish it. Why would anyone want to fill their brain with such dribble and filthy language when there are so many books out there that are far beyond this. To think that this author is an English teacher is a slap to the educational system of America or it is a wake up call as to what is being taught in our schools!
And that is all I have to say about this horrid book.
October 22, 2012
High school senior Paige Sheridan spent the summer after the accident in France, working as an au pair while things back home blew over. It could have been worse. Lacey had to endure multiple surgeries, hospitalizations, and physical therapy, while watching her family fall apart. And Nikki felt so guilty and ashamed that she formed an organization (DIEDD) against drunk driving and staged a massive production prior to their Homecoming dance to make others aware of its dangers. All three of the girls want to move on, but it’s impossible to go back to the way things were. It may not even be possible for them to remain friends.
Written from Paige’s point of view, readers will find themselves – perhaps reluctantly, as I was – won over to her “side” of things. Pretty, spoiled, and perfect (though maybe not as mean as Lacey), Paige is one of those one-dimensional popular girls until the accident, and I didn’t completely trust her transformation into introspective writer (even though her writing is good!). This is a weird situation where I was really turned off by the characters and plot (popular girl has and discovers hidden depths, friends are all assholes, airhead mother, and unfair dismissal of a teacher), but loved the writing. I hate what this story is about and that it goes to such predictable places. Please write something else so I can love it instead.
Written from Paige’s point of view, readers will find themselves – perhaps reluctantly, as I was – won over to her “side” of things. Pretty, spoiled, and perfect (though maybe not as mean as Lacey), Paige is one of those one-dimensional popular girls until the accident, and I didn’t completely trust her transformation into introspective writer (even though her writing is good!). This is a weird situation where I was really turned off by the characters and plot (popular girl has and discovers hidden depths, friends are all assholes, airhead mother, and unfair dismissal of a teacher), but loved the writing. I hate what this story is about and that it goes to such predictable places. Please write something else so I can love it instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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