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Pest
Between her dad’s pest-control company, her mom’s pond-cleaning service, and her side gig at Caddysnack (Santa Barbara’s premier small plates and minigolf destination), Hallie Mayhew puts the “work” in working class. But Hal has qualms about gassing gophers, she’s tired of ditching friends to skim dead fish from fountains, and she’s freaking weary of divorced-parent politics. So she has a win the prestigious Verhaag Scholarship, go to an east-coast school, never come back.
But the Verhaag Scholarship has a proud history of nepotism and a last-minute contender just crawled out of the woodwork. Hal’s parking-lot nemesis usurps Yearbook Committee, depriving Hal of her only extracurricular credit, her Montecito clients are in a defensive frenzy over a rash of estate burglaries, and, if her jobs keep making her tardy, she may not even graduate. To salvage her scholarship, she needs the help of Spencer Salazar, the dim, infuriating, and (kinda hot) rich kid next door. To save her college prospects, she must restore the natural order of the Yearbook Committee. To preserve her graduation eligibility, she needs a happy first-period history teacher. And, ideally, she’ll avoid death by doberman. Now, in her nonexistent spare time, Hal is adding private eye, matchmaker, and rat commando to her list of side gigs and wondering—maybe too late—if she misjudged the boy next door.
But the Verhaag Scholarship has a proud history of nepotism and a last-minute contender just crawled out of the woodwork. Hal’s parking-lot nemesis usurps Yearbook Committee, depriving Hal of her only extracurricular credit, her Montecito clients are in a defensive frenzy over a rash of estate burglaries, and, if her jobs keep making her tardy, she may not even graduate. To salvage her scholarship, she needs the help of Spencer Salazar, the dim, infuriating, and (kinda hot) rich kid next door. To save her college prospects, she must restore the natural order of the Yearbook Committee. To preserve her graduation eligibility, she needs a happy first-period history teacher. And, ideally, she’ll avoid death by doberman. Now, in her nonexistent spare time, Hal is adding private eye, matchmaker, and rat commando to her list of side gigs and wondering—maybe too late—if she misjudged the boy next door.
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Published April 27, 2022
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About the author
Elizabeth Foscue
4 books14 followersElizabeth Foscue grew up in a house on a Florida bay and on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. A hurricane got the house, but the boat has fared better. She earned a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Florida then a J.D. and LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center, and in the midst of all that got married in a church on a hill in the British Virgin Islands. A hurricane got the church, but the marriage has fared better. Elizabeth lives in Santa Barbara, California with her husband and two awesome kiddos.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 2, 2022
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a free copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion.
I enjoyed this book a lot! The characters and the plot were interesting. The stakes were very high for Hal. Even though she was dealing with so much, a divorced household, working while still trying to go to school, trying to win a scholarship from a corrupt school system, and bullying, everything felt like it mattered. Not one of those things seemed like it didn't need to exist. Sometimes when there are a lot of plot points, some of them could be trashed, but I don't think any of these could have been. Even the whole plot point that revolved around getting into the yearbook club and what she had to do to have a chance to join was interesting.
The one thing that disappointed me at first was the relationship between Hal and Spencer, the boy next door. I had thought that there would have been more romance between them at first because the description was a bit misleading, but as I went through the story, I realized that wasn't the main point of the story. Once I realized that this wasn't meant to be a boy next door romance novel, I was ok with it. So that was just a personal hope I had for the story because I love a good romance, but it wasn't necessary to the story, which my hopeless romantic heart had to accept haha. It did have a little romance but wasn’t enough for it to be romance focused IMO.
There were some moments that took me by surprise, and I love when that happens.
Overall this was a fast-paced and fun read. I'm so glad I had the chance to read this one. I recommend checking this one out.
I enjoyed this book a lot! The characters and the plot were interesting. The stakes were very high for Hal. Even though she was dealing with so much, a divorced household, working while still trying to go to school, trying to win a scholarship from a corrupt school system, and bullying, everything felt like it mattered. Not one of those things seemed like it didn't need to exist. Sometimes when there are a lot of plot points, some of them could be trashed, but I don't think any of these could have been. Even the whole plot point that revolved around getting into the yearbook club and what she had to do to have a chance to join was interesting.
The one thing that disappointed me at first was the relationship between Hal and Spencer, the boy next door. I had thought that there would have been more romance between them at first because the description was a bit misleading, but as I went through the story, I realized that wasn't the main point of the story. Once I realized that this wasn't meant to be a boy next door romance novel, I was ok with it. So that was just a personal hope I had for the story because I love a good romance, but it wasn't necessary to the story, which my hopeless romantic heart had to accept haha. It did have a little romance but wasn’t enough for it to be romance focused IMO.
There were some moments that took me by surprise, and I love when that happens.
Overall this was a fast-paced and fun read. I'm so glad I had the chance to read this one. I recommend checking this one out.
March 30, 2022
"You're like Verinoca Mars, but with roaches."
This was such a fun read! Hal is a great main character - she's working hard to be able to get the Verhaag Scholarship and go to an East Coast school so she can get out of California and away from working in pest control. Because really, who wants to be known as "bug girl" in high school? But Hal has great confidence and drive and I love her personality. When things start to go downhill with the scholarship, she enlists the help of her exasperating (but cute) neighbor, Spencer Salazar, and also tries to join the yearbook club as an extracurricular, which sends her on a hunt for last year's missing yearbook supplements. Everything came together perfectly in the end and this was just a really quick, unique, and enjoyable YA read.
Thanks to Turner Publishing for the copy of this book!
This was such a fun read! Hal is a great main character - she's working hard to be able to get the Verhaag Scholarship and go to an East Coast school so she can get out of California and away from working in pest control. Because really, who wants to be known as "bug girl" in high school? But Hal has great confidence and drive and I love her personality. When things start to go downhill with the scholarship, she enlists the help of her exasperating (but cute) neighbor, Spencer Salazar, and also tries to join the yearbook club as an extracurricular, which sends her on a hunt for last year's missing yearbook supplements. Everything came together perfectly in the end and this was just a really quick, unique, and enjoyable YA read.
Thanks to Turner Publishing for the copy of this book!
December 14, 2021
Engrossing read with wonderful heroine.
I had the pleasure of reading an eGalley of this book, and I simply adored it and its protagonist Hal—a high school senior who divides her time between her father's pest control business, her tireless pursuits of a local scholarship that's marred by nepotism, and her recently remarried mother (who's navigating her own monumental life change).
Foscue deftly lays out a fast-paced plot with impossible stakes, all while having Hal process a divorced household, bullying, and a fractured school system—and she does it with wry humor and memorable characters to spare.
Cannot recommend enough. You'll read it in one sitting.
I had the pleasure of reading an eGalley of this book, and I simply adored it and its protagonist Hal—a high school senior who divides her time between her father's pest control business, her tireless pursuits of a local scholarship that's marred by nepotism, and her recently remarried mother (who's navigating her own monumental life change).
Foscue deftly lays out a fast-paced plot with impossible stakes, all while having Hal process a divorced household, bullying, and a fractured school system—and she does it with wry humor and memorable characters to spare.
Cannot recommend enough. You'll read it in one sitting.
March 17, 2022
[4.25/5]
Esta reseña está disponible en español en mi blog.
Thanks to Keylight Books and Edelweiss+ for kindly giving me the chance to read this as an advanced copy.
"You don't have to be Dr. Phil to forecast disaster for the union of a woman who nurtures little creatures and a man who exterminates them."
Hallie Mayhew divides her life between good student, working for her dad's pest control company, her mom's pond cleaning service and a small job at a tourist spot in Santa Barbara. If anyone knows the meaning of work, she certainly does. That's why when someone comes along to ruin her plans, she'll need to rethink why she did it all.
Determined to leave her family and job behind in favor of going to college, Hal applies for the Verhaag scholarship to help her afford it. She has spent the last few years perfecting her essay and ready to receive the scholarship when a last-minute contender drastically changes her plans. Now Hal must divide herself among her extensive list of jobs, find a way to get on the yearbook committee for last-minute credit while her Montecito clients keep making her late for class, which would prevent her chances of graduating.
As a last-minute resort, she decides to enlist the help of Spencer Salazar, her neighbor's dorky rich (but good-looking) kid. Caught in a web of her life, Hal will look for a way to get out of Santa Barbara at all costs, while thinking that maybe she misjudged her neighbor all along.
I went into this book expecting nothing and got one of the best stories ever. This book has the teen movie vibes of the 2000s-2010s. I couldn't help but think of the movies The Duff, Picture This and Another Cinderella Story, but with distinct and great differences.
Starting with Hallie, our main character, who is far from being the awkward, shy, and yet to be loved main character. On the contrary, she is strong, intelligent, not friendly but not shy and a hard worker. Her desire to succeed reminds me of Sharpay Evans without the evil side that people say she has (which I don't agree with, but that's not the point). This should be enough to understand that you should not get in her way and that she will not stop fighting for what she desires and deservedly is already hers.
But sometimes to fight you need allies, that's where Spencer Salazar comes in. He might be rich, he might be popular, and he might be Hal's neighbor, but he's so much more than that. I mean, who would be willing to write a 25+ page essay in a week that could ruin the intra-family relationship just because your neighbor is in trouble? Exactly, Spencer. He's smart, though he doesn't show it off in school, but that doesn't mean he has no desires in life beyond never wearing a T-shirt again in his life. Also, it's clear, he cares about Hal and as stereotypical as he might fit, being a bad person he's not. I wish I had a guy like Spencer in my life.
As well as Montana and Madison, the friends who support and understand Hal, who left the life of a teenager for the life of a young working girl to accomplish her goals. They are always there for her, tell her the truth but help her where it may be wrong.
I must admit I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story. The first few chapters didn't grab me, and it took me a while to get through them. In addition, this book is very short, but the chapters are relatively long, which made it difficult for me at the time, but once I connected with Hal and her situation I couldn't stop reading. Those long chapters were history and I just kept devouring them.
As I said, it's a short book, which meant that everything either came out spectacular or everything went catastrophically wrong, mainly because of the timing. By this I mean those stories that fall short in explanations, lots of open unknowns and excessive time jumps, but this was not the case. Elizabeth knew how to give us what we needed to not only understand the story, but to love it completely. I certainly came to forget that I wasn't listening to a friend telling me about her day but to Elizabeth narrating the story of a teenage girl.
This leads me to talk about her writing. I am amazed at how fluid the author's pen was. There is talent here. It is reader friendly writing that helps you get into the story, understand your surroundings, and never get bored.
For this reason, the feelings are palpable both ways: from the book to the reader and from the reader to the book. If Hal is frustrated, most likely so is the reader, if she is angry, so are we, if she is hungry, believe me, so are we.
The story encompasses a little bit of everything, problems at home, college and future doubts, romantic issues and, not mean girls, but mean boys. Talk about California, home of the stars as the perfect recipe for passive chaos. And let's remember: 2000s teen movie, but with pest control and leaving aside the typical stereotypes.
And speaking of pests, wow, I'm flabbergasted. Before I read the book, I asked myself if it was the best thing to read, understanding that I'm not a fan of bugs, rats or pests in general. And if that is one of the reasons you would hesitate to pick up the book, here I am to tell you to stop thinking about it and just read it. There is a lot of knowledge in the area, but there are no terms that are not understandable or explained immediately after being mentioned. Still, Hal is aware that her work is not the best in the eyes of the public, which means that Elizabeth is equally aware of it. In doing so, she doesn't burden us with scenes of Hal's work that might cause us to shiver or feel like we're being attacked by animals ready to live with us.
There is one topic that perhaps in another scenario I would have wanted to go into more depth but at the same time I am happy with what we received and that is Hal's relationship with her family as well as within her own family. Not only are her parents divorced, but they both have respective new partners and have moved on with their lives. It's a theme that often recurs but in action it didn't go beyond the mention of a dinner party. There are certain situations that made me say "so, what else?" when this happened, but it didn't affect my reading in any way, I just think it would have been a lot of fun to see a scene with mom, dad, and daughter in one place.
As a conclusion I should mention, without spoilers, a bit about the ending. First, there is a poem that I was reading with more speed and less interest because it was long, and I am not attentive enough to read poetry with so much structure of the most random subject of life. Same with a newspaper article. That one I read with no problems, I just don't know if it was my desire to read that epilogue or what, but I didn't really understand what impact it gave to the story. It felt a little fuzzy and I got certain ideas, but nothing concrete.
From there on I have to say that the book closed with a great ending, and it makes me sad to think that it ended so quickly. And here is when I make my formal request that this story eventually becomes a movie for teens. Believe me, the potential is there, the vibes are there, and the audience will soon get there once everyone reads this amazing story.
Esta reseña está disponible en español en mi blog.
Thanks to Keylight Books and Edelweiss+ for kindly giving me the chance to read this as an advanced copy.
"You don't have to be Dr. Phil to forecast disaster for the union of a woman who nurtures little creatures and a man who exterminates them."
Hallie Mayhew divides her life between good student, working for her dad's pest control company, her mom's pond cleaning service and a small job at a tourist spot in Santa Barbara. If anyone knows the meaning of work, she certainly does. That's why when someone comes along to ruin her plans, she'll need to rethink why she did it all.
Determined to leave her family and job behind in favor of going to college, Hal applies for the Verhaag scholarship to help her afford it. She has spent the last few years perfecting her essay and ready to receive the scholarship when a last-minute contender drastically changes her plans. Now Hal must divide herself among her extensive list of jobs, find a way to get on the yearbook committee for last-minute credit while her Montecito clients keep making her late for class, which would prevent her chances of graduating.
As a last-minute resort, she decides to enlist the help of Spencer Salazar, her neighbor's dorky rich (but good-looking) kid. Caught in a web of her life, Hal will look for a way to get out of Santa Barbara at all costs, while thinking that maybe she misjudged her neighbor all along.
I went into this book expecting nothing and got one of the best stories ever. This book has the teen movie vibes of the 2000s-2010s. I couldn't help but think of the movies The Duff, Picture This and Another Cinderella Story, but with distinct and great differences.
Starting with Hallie, our main character, who is far from being the awkward, shy, and yet to be loved main character. On the contrary, she is strong, intelligent, not friendly but not shy and a hard worker. Her desire to succeed reminds me of Sharpay Evans without the evil side that people say she has (which I don't agree with, but that's not the point). This should be enough to understand that you should not get in her way and that she will not stop fighting for what she desires and deservedly is already hers.
But sometimes to fight you need allies, that's where Spencer Salazar comes in. He might be rich, he might be popular, and he might be Hal's neighbor, but he's so much more than that. I mean, who would be willing to write a 25+ page essay in a week that could ruin the intra-family relationship just because your neighbor is in trouble? Exactly, Spencer. He's smart, though he doesn't show it off in school, but that doesn't mean he has no desires in life beyond never wearing a T-shirt again in his life. Also, it's clear, he cares about Hal and as stereotypical as he might fit, being a bad person he's not. I wish I had a guy like Spencer in my life.
As well as Montana and Madison, the friends who support and understand Hal, who left the life of a teenager for the life of a young working girl to accomplish her goals. They are always there for her, tell her the truth but help her where it may be wrong.
I must admit I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story. The first few chapters didn't grab me, and it took me a while to get through them. In addition, this book is very short, but the chapters are relatively long, which made it difficult for me at the time, but once I connected with Hal and her situation I couldn't stop reading. Those long chapters were history and I just kept devouring them.
As I said, it's a short book, which meant that everything either came out spectacular or everything went catastrophically wrong, mainly because of the timing. By this I mean those stories that fall short in explanations, lots of open unknowns and excessive time jumps, but this was not the case. Elizabeth knew how to give us what we needed to not only understand the story, but to love it completely. I certainly came to forget that I wasn't listening to a friend telling me about her day but to Elizabeth narrating the story of a teenage girl.
This leads me to talk about her writing. I am amazed at how fluid the author's pen was. There is talent here. It is reader friendly writing that helps you get into the story, understand your surroundings, and never get bored.
For this reason, the feelings are palpable both ways: from the book to the reader and from the reader to the book. If Hal is frustrated, most likely so is the reader, if she is angry, so are we, if she is hungry, believe me, so are we.
The story encompasses a little bit of everything, problems at home, college and future doubts, romantic issues and, not mean girls, but mean boys. Talk about California, home of the stars as the perfect recipe for passive chaos. And let's remember: 2000s teen movie, but with pest control and leaving aside the typical stereotypes.
And speaking of pests, wow, I'm flabbergasted. Before I read the book, I asked myself if it was the best thing to read, understanding that I'm not a fan of bugs, rats or pests in general. And if that is one of the reasons you would hesitate to pick up the book, here I am to tell you to stop thinking about it and just read it. There is a lot of knowledge in the area, but there are no terms that are not understandable or explained immediately after being mentioned. Still, Hal is aware that her work is not the best in the eyes of the public, which means that Elizabeth is equally aware of it. In doing so, she doesn't burden us with scenes of Hal's work that might cause us to shiver or feel like we're being attacked by animals ready to live with us.
There is one topic that perhaps in another scenario I would have wanted to go into more depth but at the same time I am happy with what we received and that is Hal's relationship with her family as well as within her own family. Not only are her parents divorced, but they both have respective new partners and have moved on with their lives. It's a theme that often recurs but in action it didn't go beyond the mention of a dinner party. There are certain situations that made me say "so, what else?" when this happened, but it didn't affect my reading in any way, I just think it would have been a lot of fun to see a scene with mom, dad, and daughter in one place.
As a conclusion I should mention, without spoilers, a bit about the ending. First, there is a poem that I was reading with more speed and less interest because it was long, and I am not attentive enough to read poetry with so much structure of the most random subject of life. Same with a newspaper article. That one I read with no problems, I just don't know if it was my desire to read that epilogue or what, but I didn't really understand what impact it gave to the story. It felt a little fuzzy and I got certain ideas, but nothing concrete.
From there on I have to say that the book closed with a great ending, and it makes me sad to think that it ended so quickly. And here is when I make my formal request that this story eventually becomes a movie for teens. Believe me, the potential is there, the vibes are there, and the audience will soon get there once everyone reads this amazing story.
July 17, 2022
Best book I've ever written!
March 30, 2022
First things first, my daughter’s name is Halley, pronounced the same way as Hallie. So that was fun 😃.
As far as Veronica Mars vibes, I totally got it! I loved Hallie’s attitude. She’s smart, loyal and gets great grades, but she’s also a little rebellious and snarky. I’m definitely not at the right age to be friends with a high schooler, but I wanted to be her friend. She’s pretty awesome and did remind me of Veronica.
Pest control is a quirky profession for a high schooler to have, and with Hallie’s wit and cynicism, it’s just super entertaining. It was really fun to read stories about pest control gone awry, and just that whole perspective in general. It made for a really fun read.
There’s also a little bit of the mystery that you get in Veronica Mars, between high school students and involving their unique types of disagreements and issues. This also made the book really amusing, although I did see a few of the mystery elements coming/was able to predict them. That didn’t take away from the story too much though, as I enjoyed the journey.
Read my full review: https://literaryquicksand.com/2022/03...
As far as Veronica Mars vibes, I totally got it! I loved Hallie’s attitude. She’s smart, loyal and gets great grades, but she’s also a little rebellious and snarky. I’m definitely not at the right age to be friends with a high schooler, but I wanted to be her friend. She’s pretty awesome and did remind me of Veronica.
Pest control is a quirky profession for a high schooler to have, and with Hallie’s wit and cynicism, it’s just super entertaining. It was really fun to read stories about pest control gone awry, and just that whole perspective in general. It made for a really fun read.
There’s also a little bit of the mystery that you get in Veronica Mars, between high school students and involving their unique types of disagreements and issues. This also made the book really amusing, although I did see a few of the mystery elements coming/was able to predict them. That didn’t take away from the story too much though, as I enjoyed the journey.
Read my full review: https://literaryquicksand.com/2022/03...
October 27, 2021
I received this book as an arc from one tree above. This is the cutest book I have read in awhile. I enjoyed the mystery of where the yearbook fillers were and I also enjoyed the real ness of the relationships between Hal, her parents, her friends, and of course Spenser.
I enjoyed that Hal wasn’t a girlie girl like in most romance novels but she was able to get down and dirty As an exterminator. You don’t hear about many girls in that position at all.
The ending made me smile and was a tad predictable but it was so worth it and left me wanting maple syrup!!
I enjoyed that Hal wasn’t a girlie girl like in most romance novels but she was able to get down and dirty As an exterminator. You don’t hear about many girls in that position at all.
The ending made me smile and was a tad predictable but it was so worth it and left me wanting maple syrup!!
Read
April 21, 2022Graded By: Rosemary
Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Yay!
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: “You’re Like Veronica Mars But With Roaches!”
Bonus Factor: Pest Control
Anti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting
Relationship Status: Quick Fling
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Yay!
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: “You’re Like Veronica Mars But With Roaches!”
Bonus Factor: Pest Control
Anti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting
Relationship Status: Quick Fling
Read the full book report here.
June 8, 2022
Hallie Mayhew's single minded focus her senior year of high school has been to earn money and win the prestigious Verhaag scholarship that will allow her to go to a college of her choosing. Hal would love to get away from her bickering divorced parents and her tandem jobs for each of their businesses-her father's pest control company and her mother's pond cleaning service. However,the Verhaag scholarship has a streak of giving the money to a Verhaag descendant, and this year a new student and direct descendant has just joined her class. Hal scrambles to pad her resume with extracurricular activities that she doesn't have time for, but a loophole in the Verhaag judging rules might give her a second chance at the scholarship if she can only get her nextdoor neighbor, Spencer Salazar to submit an entry as well.
Pest is an entertaining contemporary young adult book with a fresh plot and interesting characters. Hal's character is dealing with a lot. Her divorced parents are pulling her in two different directions, her jobs are taking up all of her free time and don't exactly make her popular and the scholarship competition is taking up all of her headspace. Luckily, Hal's friends help her with her endeavors. Hal's story allowed me to see the crazy amount of pressure that many teens are under. Through the story Hal realized just what life is all about, other ways of achieving her dreams and dropping her laser focus for a little bit to try and enjoy life. Hal deals with all of this with as much grace as possible. I enjoyed seeing Hal and Spencer's relationship develop, it was very natural and wasn't the main plot in the story. Overall, Pest is an intriguing, cute and fun young adult story with touches of mystery and romance.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Pest is an entertaining contemporary young adult book with a fresh plot and interesting characters. Hal's character is dealing with a lot. Her divorced parents are pulling her in two different directions, her jobs are taking up all of her free time and don't exactly make her popular and the scholarship competition is taking up all of her headspace. Luckily, Hal's friends help her with her endeavors. Hal's story allowed me to see the crazy amount of pressure that many teens are under. Through the story Hal realized just what life is all about, other ways of achieving her dreams and dropping her laser focus for a little bit to try and enjoy life. Hal deals with all of this with as much grace as possible. I enjoyed seeing Hal and Spencer's relationship develop, it was very natural and wasn't the main plot in the story. Overall, Pest is an intriguing, cute and fun young adult story with touches of mystery and romance.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
May 17, 2022
I picked up this book because it's set in Santa Barbara, California, where I lived for over 10 years. Gave up at 25%. There are promising bits, but the author is not from Santa Barbara and doesn't seem to have noticed that people of color live there. She makes Santa Barbara High sound like a prep school. What?? Byyyyyeeee.
April 10, 2022
I received an ARC copy of this at a time when I was feeling a little under the weather, and it was just the perfect thing. I read it in one day, and it was fun, light and absorbing.
The premise, with Hallie working at a pest control company, was unique and entertaining, and I appreciated that the romance was not the main focus, and not any sort of insta-love - it made it feel more natural.
I did find the ending a little rushed, perhaps, and some aspects were quite predictable. But overall it was a really fun read.
The premise, with Hallie working at a pest control company, was unique and entertaining, and I appreciated that the romance was not the main focus, and not any sort of insta-love - it made it feel more natural.
I did find the ending a little rushed, perhaps, and some aspects were quite predictable. But overall it was a really fun read.
July 21, 2022
This one made me laugh out loud so many times. Hal is super relatable and funny, and the dialogue and action are hilarious. The set up is one I've definitely never run across before and all of the narration is entertaining. I was surprised to find myself truly interested in all the details of pest control. I know, I can't believe it either. I enjoyed all the running gags, and the contrast of Hal's extremely unglamorous jobs with her posh California beach town. I also found the romance really lovely and refreshing. I'm claiming Spencer as my new book boyfriend. Highly recommend!
May 21, 2023
Funny and engaging storytelling, and a very cute romance.
July 17, 2023
Pest is a fun, short and offbeat YA novel.
I picked up Pest at the library when I went to get a new library card. I like to look around for books from indie publishers that don’t get the press that books from the Big Five do. This one caught my eye. Love the cover. When I read on the cover copy that the protagonist lives in Santa Barbara, CA and is desperate to make her exit, I wanted to find out why. I went to college in Santa Barbara and my roommates and I were all aching to live there permanently. But none of us had the money for such a pricey area, so off we went after graduation. (“This was Santa Barbara, after all, a town where every parking lot looked like a Range Rover rally.”) What would make a teen want to flee from one of the country’s most beloved destinations?
Hallie (Hal) doesn’t have the stereotypical Santa Barbara life. Her divorced parents are opposites. Her woo-woo mom owns a pond cleaning service and her libertarian dad owns a pest control business. Hal works part time at the pest control, exterminating a variety of bugs as well as vermin. For this, she is known as ‘bug girl’ at school. She also does periodic shifts at a golf course. Her working class life continually brings her in contact with the wealthy of Santa Barbara and the uber-wealthy of Montecito. For teens who are unfamiliar with Montecito, that’s where Oprah and the Sussexs (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle) live. Hal’s evaluation: “Rich Montecito weirdos made all other rich weirdos look like amateurs.”
Hal’s parents are at odds in a childish way. While they compete for time with her, neither actually does much of anything she likes. They mostly want her to listen to their drama and do work. Hal’s plan upon graduation is to attend a prestigious college in the east, putting a continent between her and her parents. Her tight work schedule is necessary if she is to achieve this. Even so, it’s not enough. She’s also depending on the Verhaag Scholarship.
Unfortunately, the Verhaag Scholarship always goes to a Verhaag family member if one happens to be graduating from Santa Barbara High School that year. In Hal’s senior year, a Verhaag family member transfers into SBHS, and Hal needs to quickly find some extracurricular activities to boost her college applications in case the scholarship falls through—though through a funny loophole, it seems she still has a chance.
Some pretty crazy antics ensue as Hal ends up trying to solve a mystery in order to belong to the yearbook staff and ends up landing herself in crime scene. She also gets unexpected help in her college quest from her rich, hot neighbor whom she had always thought of as a self-centered jerk.
“Basically I’m surrounded by Spencer Salazar. My house occupies one of the tiny parcels of land along the street that the fifties-ear developers of our seaside neighborhood carved out of the deep, oceanfront lots. Spencer’s dad purchased the houses on both sides of mine and demolished them, building a garage to the left and a swimming pool and cabana to the right. (My dad declined to sell, so the Salazars’ pétanque court remains an unrealized dream.) Behind all of this, their house stretches along 150 feet of cliff-top ocean frontage, offering the Salazar an unobstructed view of the Pacific and the Channel Islands beyond. I, on the other hand, have an unobstructed view of the six-foot wall that separates my yard from Spencer’s.”
There’s a bit of romance here, but whether the reader will enjoy the final act of the novel depends on how quirky they like their endings. It’s pretty wacky and some fun for those who are looking for the not-so-typical novel.
I picked up Pest at the library when I went to get a new library card. I like to look around for books from indie publishers that don’t get the press that books from the Big Five do. This one caught my eye. Love the cover. When I read on the cover copy that the protagonist lives in Santa Barbara, CA and is desperate to make her exit, I wanted to find out why. I went to college in Santa Barbara and my roommates and I were all aching to live there permanently. But none of us had the money for such a pricey area, so off we went after graduation. (“This was Santa Barbara, after all, a town where every parking lot looked like a Range Rover rally.”) What would make a teen want to flee from one of the country’s most beloved destinations?
Hallie (Hal) doesn’t have the stereotypical Santa Barbara life. Her divorced parents are opposites. Her woo-woo mom owns a pond cleaning service and her libertarian dad owns a pest control business. Hal works part time at the pest control, exterminating a variety of bugs as well as vermin. For this, she is known as ‘bug girl’ at school. She also does periodic shifts at a golf course. Her working class life continually brings her in contact with the wealthy of Santa Barbara and the uber-wealthy of Montecito. For teens who are unfamiliar with Montecito, that’s where Oprah and the Sussexs (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle) live. Hal’s evaluation: “Rich Montecito weirdos made all other rich weirdos look like amateurs.”
Hal’s parents are at odds in a childish way. While they compete for time with her, neither actually does much of anything she likes. They mostly want her to listen to their drama and do work. Hal’s plan upon graduation is to attend a prestigious college in the east, putting a continent between her and her parents. Her tight work schedule is necessary if she is to achieve this. Even so, it’s not enough. She’s also depending on the Verhaag Scholarship.
Unfortunately, the Verhaag Scholarship always goes to a Verhaag family member if one happens to be graduating from Santa Barbara High School that year. In Hal’s senior year, a Verhaag family member transfers into SBHS, and Hal needs to quickly find some extracurricular activities to boost her college applications in case the scholarship falls through—though through a funny loophole, it seems she still has a chance.
Some pretty crazy antics ensue as Hal ends up trying to solve a mystery in order to belong to the yearbook staff and ends up landing herself in crime scene. She also gets unexpected help in her college quest from her rich, hot neighbor whom she had always thought of as a self-centered jerk.
“Basically I’m surrounded by Spencer Salazar. My house occupies one of the tiny parcels of land along the street that the fifties-ear developers of our seaside neighborhood carved out of the deep, oceanfront lots. Spencer’s dad purchased the houses on both sides of mine and demolished them, building a garage to the left and a swimming pool and cabana to the right. (My dad declined to sell, so the Salazars’ pétanque court remains an unrealized dream.) Behind all of this, their house stretches along 150 feet of cliff-top ocean frontage, offering the Salazar an unobstructed view of the Pacific and the Channel Islands beyond. I, on the other hand, have an unobstructed view of the six-foot wall that separates my yard from Spencer’s.”
There’s a bit of romance here, but whether the reader will enjoy the final act of the novel depends on how quirky they like their endings. It’s pretty wacky and some fun for those who are looking for the not-so-typical novel.
October 8, 2021
3.5 stars
Extremely honest in its depiction of working class teenage life and the complex family dynamics that follow a divorce (even years after the fact), this book realistically portrays common teenage anxieties such as difficult relationships with one’s parents or the desire to have a college application as appealing as possible, while also delving into problems more specific to those with a working class background, like the main character’s juggling of work, school, and personal life, and her desperation to win a scholarship so as to go to the college of her choice.
I feel the story was able to easily capture the feeling of helplessness that comes with not only being a teenager —seen in the protagonist’s relationship with both her parents, whom she loves but can’t seem to really get along with or be understood by—, but also with being from a low-income family —knowing that her whole future depends on her getting a scholarship because she realistically has no other way of escaping her town and the job she hates.
I liked the way that class disparity appeared throughout the story in many ways: for instance, in the Verhaag scholarship always being given to someone in the family despite them not needing it, or the mention of a student having won a prize because their parents could afford to have an expert work on their project.
One of the plot lines, where the main character teams up with a classmate to unmask a common enemy, did feel a bit convenient. There was a relatively logic reasoning behind the protagonist’s actions, but I couldn’t help but feel like this part of the story happened in a certain way simply because it had to, not because there was an actual well-founded motive for it.
I liked the way the main character is portrayed as a bit self-absorbed, not necessarily in a rude way, but in the way that people who are just way to busy often are. However, I spent the whole novel waiting for her to apologize for her prejudice against and judgement of the love interest, and I was glad when I finally got it, but my happiness was short-lived, as immediately afterwards the girl lashed out at him for something that was way out of his control and was, technically, a consequence of her own actions, which took a bit away from my general enjoyment of the book.
That being said, I enjoyed the romance in this novel, as it is always nice to see a boy trying and making an effort to be with the main character, instead of the couple being brought and kept together by circumstances outside of their control.
I have to mention that there was a moment at the beginning of the book where the main antagonist (as close as we get to one, since this is, after all, a contemporary YA) asks the protagonist, in an obviously derogatory way, if she “is on the spectrum”. I understand that this line contributes to the guy’s characterization as a generally unlikable person, but it still felt unnecessary to me.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to those looking for a short coming-of-age story that deals with the troubles of the working class youth.
Extremely honest in its depiction of working class teenage life and the complex family dynamics that follow a divorce (even years after the fact), this book realistically portrays common teenage anxieties such as difficult relationships with one’s parents or the desire to have a college application as appealing as possible, while also delving into problems more specific to those with a working class background, like the main character’s juggling of work, school, and personal life, and her desperation to win a scholarship so as to go to the college of her choice.
I feel the story was able to easily capture the feeling of helplessness that comes with not only being a teenager —seen in the protagonist’s relationship with both her parents, whom she loves but can’t seem to really get along with or be understood by—, but also with being from a low-income family —knowing that her whole future depends on her getting a scholarship because she realistically has no other way of escaping her town and the job she hates.
I liked the way that class disparity appeared throughout the story in many ways: for instance, in the Verhaag scholarship always being given to someone in the family despite them not needing it, or the mention of a student having won a prize because their parents could afford to have an expert work on their project.
One of the plot lines, where the main character teams up with a classmate to unmask a common enemy, did feel a bit convenient. There was a relatively logic reasoning behind the protagonist’s actions, but I couldn’t help but feel like this part of the story happened in a certain way simply because it had to, not because there was an actual well-founded motive for it.
I liked the way the main character is portrayed as a bit self-absorbed, not necessarily in a rude way, but in the way that people who are just way to busy often are. However, I spent the whole novel waiting for her to apologize for her prejudice against and judgement of the love interest, and I was glad when I finally got it, but my happiness was short-lived, as immediately afterwards the girl lashed out at him for something that was way out of his control and was, technically, a consequence of her own actions, which took a bit away from my general enjoyment of the book.
That being said, I enjoyed the romance in this novel, as it is always nice to see a boy trying and making an effort to be with the main character, instead of the couple being brought and kept together by circumstances outside of their control.
I have to mention that there was a moment at the beginning of the book where the main antagonist (as close as we get to one, since this is, after all, a contemporary YA) asks the protagonist, in an obviously derogatory way, if she “is on the spectrum”. I understand that this line contributes to the guy’s characterization as a generally unlikable person, but it still felt unnecessary to me.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to those looking for a short coming-of-age story that deals with the troubles of the working class youth.
June 8, 2022
Hallie Mayhew has she been the go-between for her divorced parents most of her life. She's also spent years working for her dad's pest control company and her mom's pond-cleaning business. To be totally honest, what she wants most is to get far, far away.... like, to the other side of the country. And her ticket there is the prestigious Verhaag scholarship, which pays for college in full, but also has a lengthy history of nepotism. Lucky for her, there is no Verhaag in her year... until one crawls out of the woodwork, jeopardizing years of planning. Hallie can't let all of her hard work be for nothing. But what could she possibly do?
With every book review I write, I like to include a short summary of the book in my own words. Truthfully, writing one for Pest was a bit difficult, in part because I'm not 100% sure that the book knew what it wanted to be. This short, 200-page novel had a lot of potential, but unfortunately I didn't love it. 2 stars.
I want to preface the rest of the review by saying that I don't think the book is bad, but perhaps it wasn't really for me. In scrolling through the reviews for this debut novel, it certainly appears that I am one of few. Unfortunately, I just think that there was too much going on. There were so many plot points that it felt like the book never fully committed to any of them. There are several unrelated threads that could've taken the story by themselves, but instead they entwined together messily. We have:
1) Hal's derailing college plans, based on the Verhaag scholarship
2) Hal's budding relationship with her neighbor, Spencer Salazar, which is loosely tied into the previous point
3) Hal's quest to join an easy extracurricular, which is thwarted by a pompous rich kid
4) The painfully obtuse viewpoints of Hal's parents; and
5) An underlying thread of high-priced estate burglaries
I just think that the real depth of the story was lost amidst all of Hal's arising issues, from nepotism and neighbors to thievery and so on. While there is a lot of humor in her narrative, Hal does not have some large character arc, nor do any of the characters surrounding her.
Regrettably, I can't quite say that I enjoyed this book as much as I had hoped to. I don't think that it's a bad book, I just think it's one that struggled to find its footing, and you can only do so much with an unsteady foundation.
With every book review I write, I like to include a short summary of the book in my own words. Truthfully, writing one for Pest was a bit difficult, in part because I'm not 100% sure that the book knew what it wanted to be. This short, 200-page novel had a lot of potential, but unfortunately I didn't love it. 2 stars.
I want to preface the rest of the review by saying that I don't think the book is bad, but perhaps it wasn't really for me. In scrolling through the reviews for this debut novel, it certainly appears that I am one of few. Unfortunately, I just think that there was too much going on. There were so many plot points that it felt like the book never fully committed to any of them. There are several unrelated threads that could've taken the story by themselves, but instead they entwined together messily. We have:
1) Hal's derailing college plans, based on the Verhaag scholarship
2) Hal's budding relationship with her neighbor, Spencer Salazar, which is loosely tied into the previous point
3) Hal's quest to join an easy extracurricular, which is thwarted by a pompous rich kid
4) The painfully obtuse viewpoints of Hal's parents; and
5) An underlying thread of high-priced estate burglaries
I just think that the real depth of the story was lost amidst all of Hal's arising issues, from nepotism and neighbors to thievery and so on. While there is a lot of humor in her narrative, Hal does not have some large character arc, nor do any of the characters surrounding her.
Regrettably, I can't quite say that I enjoyed this book as much as I had hoped to. I don't think that it's a bad book, I just think it's one that struggled to find its footing, and you can only do so much with an unsteady foundation.
March 31, 2022
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: ableism
3.5
Hallie Mayhew knows how some of the people in her town live- in fact she gets to see it up close all the time. The daughter of- and employee for-the main exterminator in town, Hallie has no problem getting her hands dirty, which is lucky since that's the only way she's getting out of this town into the college of her dreams. That, and the scholarship she's pinned her future on for three years. The scholarship she's now absolutely not going to get, thanks to a new student and a healthy dose of nepotism- that is, unless she can exploit a loophole and convince her irritating neighbor to help her.
This is a pretty thin book, with a simple storyline, and so it doesn't entirely stick to the ribs. However, there's still substance here, and Hallie carries this story well. The dry, cynical humor throughout makes this book an even easier read, and makes it easy to relate to and care about Hallie even when she's making bad choices or saying maybe not the best things.
This book is relatable even when nothing about the details is- while not everyone is an exterminator or a single working class kid in a rich area or the daughter of an overly anxious, hippy mom, you can still feel that string of connection. Hallie is someone doing the best with her situation, trying to power through and find logic and plans even as the rest of the world gets in the way.
The romance in this is also surprisingly cute! While it does have its ups and downs, and, for me, a little too much drama at the end, the characters are nice together and the slow turn from allyship to something more is done well.
While this book is short and focused on one, down to earth storyline, it's still a fun read with moments that resonate.
TW: ableism
3.5
Hallie Mayhew knows how some of the people in her town live- in fact she gets to see it up close all the time. The daughter of- and employee for-the main exterminator in town, Hallie has no problem getting her hands dirty, which is lucky since that's the only way she's getting out of this town into the college of her dreams. That, and the scholarship she's pinned her future on for three years. The scholarship she's now absolutely not going to get, thanks to a new student and a healthy dose of nepotism- that is, unless she can exploit a loophole and convince her irritating neighbor to help her.
This is a pretty thin book, with a simple storyline, and so it doesn't entirely stick to the ribs. However, there's still substance here, and Hallie carries this story well. The dry, cynical humor throughout makes this book an even easier read, and makes it easy to relate to and care about Hallie even when she's making bad choices or saying maybe not the best things.
This book is relatable even when nothing about the details is- while not everyone is an exterminator or a single working class kid in a rich area or the daughter of an overly anxious, hippy mom, you can still feel that string of connection. Hallie is someone doing the best with her situation, trying to power through and find logic and plans even as the rest of the world gets in the way.
The romance in this is also surprisingly cute! While it does have its ups and downs, and, for me, a little too much drama at the end, the characters are nice together and the slow turn from allyship to something more is done well.
While this book is short and focused on one, down to earth storyline, it's still a fun read with moments that resonate.
April 19, 2022
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This was an entertaining read all around, and if you enjoy YA that doesn't fit in one particular genre or another, this is a good choice. It's not just a revenge story, but it's really not a romance, either - it is what it is, and I appreciated that it didn't stick too closely to the tropes of one genre or another.
Hal and Spencer are both solid characters, and the wider universe of characters are generally unique and have their own motivations, too. I found Montana and Madison to be virtually interchangeable, and I think they could easily have been combined into one character to act as Hal's best friend to narrow down her circle, because as it is there are a lot of characters to keep track of.
The plot itself is nothing new, and most of the loose ends are tied up neatly without a lot of additional questions left for the reader to ponder. I don't think that's always a bad thing, but I'm indifferent about how it works for the story here; on the other hand, I can't think of an ending I would have preferred to see instead. For a story that seems to subvert genres, I was hoping for something a little more unique, but it's not bad as it is.
Pest is a good read for those who look for a good-paced YA story. There's something for most readers here, regardless of preference, and I think that speaks to the wide appeal this book will likely have.
This was an entertaining read all around, and if you enjoy YA that doesn't fit in one particular genre or another, this is a good choice. It's not just a revenge story, but it's really not a romance, either - it is what it is, and I appreciated that it didn't stick too closely to the tropes of one genre or another.
Hal and Spencer are both solid characters, and the wider universe of characters are generally unique and have their own motivations, too. I found Montana and Madison to be virtually interchangeable, and I think they could easily have been combined into one character to act as Hal's best friend to narrow down her circle, because as it is there are a lot of characters to keep track of.
The plot itself is nothing new, and most of the loose ends are tied up neatly without a lot of additional questions left for the reader to ponder. I don't think that's always a bad thing, but I'm indifferent about how it works for the story here; on the other hand, I can't think of an ending I would have preferred to see instead. For a story that seems to subvert genres, I was hoping for something a little more unique, but it's not bad as it is.
Pest is a good read for those who look for a good-paced YA story. There's something for most readers here, regardless of preference, and I think that speaks to the wide appeal this book will likely have.
July 20, 2022
It's been awhile since I read any YA but this book reminded me why I love the stuff so much. It's surprising, funny, and narrated by a likable main character. It's difficult to categorize because it's not really a mystery or a family drama or a romance although it's got all of that. I guess I'd call it an adventure novel? With rats? I dunno, parts of this are completely bananas and I LOVED it. If you're looking for a book with a strong voice, a lot of humor, and an original premise, this one's for you.
December 20, 2022
2.5 stars rounded down, just because the ending was pretty predictable and the themes weren't too interesting in the end. Partially it was useful class commentary in the beginning, but I feel like the author undermined this narrative with the more simplistic: poor people work hard and are smart but rich people also are smart and they can be kind even if they don't work so hard...? That's what I got out of it, so I won't be recommending the book to too many others.
February 24, 2023
4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book, and if I’m being honest I wasn’t expecting to. I thought all of the characters were perfectly developed, and I really felt like I experienced the setting and storyline. I loved Hal’s personality, and I also loved Spencer’s character arc. My only criticism would be that the ending felt a little rushed, but other than that this was amazing.
December 31, 2023
Love the premise, love the pest control business, love the writing—but the plot! The plot! Too static (no teen is going to put up with that dad for forever) and the love plot line was definitely shorted! Ended up feeling like a magic trick rather than a relationship.
But dang, the writing was good.
But dang, the writing was good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 28, 2024Cute! Read this author last year for a book club and enjoyed, so I wanted to read her newest work when it was released on audio. The audio performance was great, and the story was cute. Definitely young adult and a little all over the place. I’m glad I read it, but wouldn’t rush to recommend it, so it feels difficult to rate.
July 1, 2022
Started to not like it at the 75% mark but the ending was perfect. Hallie is the typical Disney Channel not like other girls girl which became obvious at the homecoming bit. Read this for a local bookstore's book club and I'm excited to meet for the recap with the author.
July 3, 2023
First sentences immediately captured me and I had an inkling on how the book would be in terms of diction and story-telling style, and I'm correct! I like it, typical teenager life story with a sprinkling of love line. Nothing too complicated, light-hearted but sweet.
March 31, 2025
This book annoyed me so much. The parents are the absolute WORST but their characters never get challenged in any way. The plot is not particularly satisfying and the ending feels pretty grim.
The actual nuts and bolts of the writing was good, which is why this gets 2 stars and not 1.
The actual nuts and bolts of the writing was good, which is why this gets 2 stars and not 1.
April 28, 2022
It was light-hearted and fun but it was a little confusing. Ah well, short read.
June 24, 2022
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this one quite a bit!
July 17, 2022
This was the stupidest ending to any I have ever read.
August 21, 2022
It wasn’t a terrible book. Just underwhelming and too predictable (the scholarship plot).
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