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The Queen of Everything
People ask me all the time what having Vince MacKenzie for a father was like. What they mean is, was he always crazy?
High school junior Jordan MacKenzie's life was pretty fractured family, new boyfriend, dead-end job. She'd been living with her father (the predictable optometrist) since her mother (the hippie holdover) had become too embarrassing to be around. Jordan felt that she finally had as normal a life as she could. Then came Gayle D'Angelo.
Jordan knew her father was dating Gayle and that Gayle was married. Jordan knew it was wrong and that her father was becoming someone she didn't recognize anymore, but what could she do about it? And how could she -- how could anyone -- have possibly guessed that this illicit love affair would implode in such a violent and disturbing way?
High school junior Jordan MacKenzie's life was pretty fractured family, new boyfriend, dead-end job. She'd been living with her father (the predictable optometrist) since her mother (the hippie holdover) had become too embarrassing to be around. Jordan felt that she finally had as normal a life as she could. Then came Gayle D'Angelo.
Jordan knew her father was dating Gayle and that Gayle was married. Jordan knew it was wrong and that her father was becoming someone she didn't recognize anymore, but what could she do about it? And how could she -- how could anyone -- have possibly guessed that this illicit love affair would implode in such a violent and disturbing way?
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
23 people are currently reading
2020 people want to read
About the author
Deb Caletti
37 books2,279 followersDeb Caletti is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over twenty books for adults and young adults, including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, a finalist for the National Book Award, and A Heart in a Body in the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She lives with her family in Seattle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
July 21, 2010
I really did love this book. So, to clarify, I would rate it 4.5 stars if I could.
It's about Jordan, an average teenager with divorced parents. She lives with her father, a predictable optometrist because her mother is too eccentric for her tastes. Her summer after her junior year was off to a normal start- a best friend, dumb job, and a new love interest- but then came Gayle D'Angelo. Gayle D'Angelo is her father's new girlfriend.....who happens to be married. But Jordan's father no longer listens to reason as he becomes more and more obsessed with Gayle. Jordan's normal summer ends up having an explosive ending.
I loved the writing. Seriously, it was great. Deb Caletti's writing is so detailed and intricate, she brings tiny details to mind that only contribute to overall story and character development.
The plot was slowish, but you know from page one that something horribly violent will happen. First off, because the narrator tell you, and also because its terribly hinted at and you would have to be stupid not to get it. Still, there was something tense about this book. While it wasn't thrilling, it was gripping. I think the best part of the book was easily the writing.
The main characters, especially Jordan, were well-drawn. It was like they were real people. The minor characters also had the same flair, but had less screen time. The thing about such interesting characters, is that you actually want to see them. But in the story, they just popped in and out, quick as a flash. Like Big Mama. I wanted to see more of her. And Jackson. I would have loved to see that budding romance.
Jordan was a real teenager. She wasn't some saint girl. She wasn't a rebel without a cause. She took notice of the world, and messed up a lot, and was likable. One of her mistakes was Kale. I hated Kale. He is the King of Douches. I wanted to crawl into the book and pop him one. I just didn't understand why Jordan still kept going out with him even though she clearly couldn't tolerate him. It just made me frustrated. I guess that makes the mark of a real character, though.
Overall, I really liked this book. Every time I read a Deb Caletti book, they just keep getting better and better.
It's about Jordan, an average teenager with divorced parents. She lives with her father, a predictable optometrist because her mother is too eccentric for her tastes. Her summer after her junior year was off to a normal start- a best friend, dumb job, and a new love interest- but then came Gayle D'Angelo. Gayle D'Angelo is her father's new girlfriend.....who happens to be married. But Jordan's father no longer listens to reason as he becomes more and more obsessed with Gayle. Jordan's normal summer ends up having an explosive ending.
I loved the writing. Seriously, it was great. Deb Caletti's writing is so detailed and intricate, she brings tiny details to mind that only contribute to overall story and character development.
The plot was slowish, but you know from page one that something horribly violent will happen. First off, because the narrator tell you, and also because its terribly hinted at and you would have to be stupid not to get it. Still, there was something tense about this book. While it wasn't thrilling, it was gripping. I think the best part of the book was easily the writing.
The main characters, especially Jordan, were well-drawn. It was like they were real people. The minor characters also had the same flair, but had less screen time. The thing about such interesting characters, is that you actually want to see them. But in the story, they just popped in and out, quick as a flash. Like Big Mama. I wanted to see more of her. And Jackson. I would have loved to see that budding romance.
Jordan was a real teenager. She wasn't some saint girl. She wasn't a rebel without a cause. She took notice of the world, and messed up a lot, and was likable. One of her mistakes was Kale. I hated Kale. He is the King of Douches. I wanted to crawl into the book and pop him one. I just didn't understand why Jordan still kept going out with him even though she clearly couldn't tolerate him. It just made me frustrated. I guess that makes the mark of a real character, though.
Overall, I really liked this book. Every time I read a Deb Caletti book, they just keep getting better and better.
April 12, 2008
This is a book I just could not put down. Well, ok, I put it down a couple of times but it was for things like eating and sleeping and going to the bathroom, all things us humans (especially the pregnant ones) need to do (a lot).
Anywho, what a page turner! I knew what was going to happen, protagonist Jordan knows what is going to happen, the whole world could see what was going to happen--and you just want to get to the implosion as fast as you can. Best part? Jordan is a very real character and does stupid things and makes stupid decisions. She isn't portrayed as the perfect teen whose life is turned upside down by tragedy. She is a regular, 16-year-old dumbass. I like her.
My first Deb Caletti and more than enough motivation to finally read Honey, Baby, Sweetheart.
Anywho, what a page turner! I knew what was going to happen, protagonist Jordan knows what is going to happen, the whole world could see what was going to happen--and you just want to get to the implosion as fast as you can. Best part? Jordan is a very real character and does stupid things and makes stupid decisions. She isn't portrayed as the perfect teen whose life is turned upside down by tragedy. She is a regular, 16-year-old dumbass. I like her.
My first Deb Caletti and more than enough motivation to finally read Honey, Baby, Sweetheart.
February 5, 2011
This is the second Deb Caletti book I've read. I wasn't impressed. Those that compare her to Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott are mistaken.
One thing I've noticed about Caletti is that she has a tendency to ramble. Rambling isn't a bad thing. In fact, rambling can be a very good thing when used properly. But Caletti has a tendency to ramble about non-essential things that have nothing whatsoever to do with the plot. She'll introduce a minor character with a lot of exposition, then she'll forget about them for fifty pages. Or she'll introduce an interesting character or situation and bring it up again after 30 pages of wafting through a boring scene. I found myself skimming the last 60 pages because nothing was happening.
When I read, for lack of a better word, teen chick-lit, I expect to get into the meat of the situation immediately. Even new writers, like Kody Keplinger, know that a reader doesn't want to wait 100 pages for the love interest to arrive and for the plot to get rolling. Deb Caletti is like a bad hostess. Imagine that you're waiting for a pile of steaming crab legs. You've driven 100 miles for these crab legs and you're starving. When you sit down at the table it takes Caletti twenty minutes to notice that you're there. It takes her ten more minutes to bring out menus, thirty more for water, and an hour for your appetizer. By the time she finally brings out the main dish you've already gone to the McDonalds across the street.
The premise of this book had potential. I was hooked for the first few pages. But then I was just plowing through. It was like I was watching one of those Agatha Christie whodunits.
There were also too many characters to follow. Caletti likes to rely on stereotypes. We have the hippie mom, the straight-laced dad, the adulterous southern belle, the obnoxious best-friend, the bad boy, and the weird boy. They had no depth. As soon as they started showing a little depth, Caletti started to ramble about something else. Whenever the book started getting interesting she decided to steer it into a ditch.
If you're reading this for romance, don't even bother. Jackson isn't interesting in the least. And Kale is so ridiculous. It's like Caletti didn't know what she wanted him to be. First he's funny, then he's a bad boy, then he's a horn dog. I rolled my eyes a couple of times at his ridiculous antics.
If there was more to say about this book, I'd say it. But there isn't. There isn't anything deep or astounding about it in the least. I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to read a second tier Sarah Dessen novel.
One thing I've noticed about Caletti is that she has a tendency to ramble. Rambling isn't a bad thing. In fact, rambling can be a very good thing when used properly. But Caletti has a tendency to ramble about non-essential things that have nothing whatsoever to do with the plot. She'll introduce a minor character with a lot of exposition, then she'll forget about them for fifty pages. Or she'll introduce an interesting character or situation and bring it up again after 30 pages of wafting through a boring scene. I found myself skimming the last 60 pages because nothing was happening.
When I read, for lack of a better word, teen chick-lit, I expect to get into the meat of the situation immediately. Even new writers, like Kody Keplinger, know that a reader doesn't want to wait 100 pages for the love interest to arrive and for the plot to get rolling. Deb Caletti is like a bad hostess. Imagine that you're waiting for a pile of steaming crab legs. You've driven 100 miles for these crab legs and you're starving. When you sit down at the table it takes Caletti twenty minutes to notice that you're there. It takes her ten more minutes to bring out menus, thirty more for water, and an hour for your appetizer. By the time she finally brings out the main dish you've already gone to the McDonalds across the street.
The premise of this book had potential. I was hooked for the first few pages. But then I was just plowing through. It was like I was watching one of those Agatha Christie whodunits.
There were also too many characters to follow. Caletti likes to rely on stereotypes. We have the hippie mom, the straight-laced dad, the adulterous southern belle, the obnoxious best-friend, the bad boy, and the weird boy. They had no depth. As soon as they started showing a little depth, Caletti started to ramble about something else. Whenever the book started getting interesting she decided to steer it into a ditch.
If you're reading this for romance, don't even bother. Jackson isn't interesting in the least. And Kale is so ridiculous. It's like Caletti didn't know what she wanted him to be. First he's funny, then he's a bad boy, then he's a horn dog. I rolled my eyes a couple of times at his ridiculous antics.
If there was more to say about this book, I'd say it. But there isn't. There isn't anything deep or astounding about it in the least. I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to read a second tier Sarah Dessen novel.
May 6, 2012
I first read this in the 7th grade, and I remember loving it. I frequently read it while walking to school and ended up walking into parked cars all the damn time.
Reread it as an almost-21 year old. My god was it infuriating. One, the fat jokes and incessant talking about 'sweaty, thick fingered, rolly-polly' girls where Jordan works is not only rude, it's incredibly insulting. Two, hot damn Caletti rambles on and on. I frankly don't care about that one time Jordan did blahblahblah when she was 10. There was so much filler material I ended up skimming 60% of the book looking for the next scene that propelled the Gayle/Dad storyline. And i was disappointed.
My memory has fooled me into thinking i'd be rereading an old favorite, instead it made me glad I only rented this from the library- not bought.
Reread it as an almost-21 year old. My god was it infuriating. One, the fat jokes and incessant talking about 'sweaty, thick fingered, rolly-polly' girls where Jordan works is not only rude, it's incredibly insulting. Two, hot damn Caletti rambles on and on. I frankly don't care about that one time Jordan did blahblahblah when she was 10. There was so much filler material I ended up skimming 60% of the book looking for the next scene that propelled the Gayle/Dad storyline. And i was disappointed.
My memory has fooled me into thinking i'd be rereading an old favorite, instead it made me glad I only rented this from the library- not bought.
February 18, 2012
This was the 4th Deb Caletti book I have read. I found 'The Fortunes of Indigo Skye' at the library and was quickly hooked on Caletti as a writer.
The Queen of Everything is not Caletti's best. It is one of her earliest books, and the others I have read are much better. Caletti definitely has a gift for explanation and description. However, it is a little overkill in The Queen of Everything.
Caletti's style seems to be that she begins very slowly and then rushes through the end. In other stories, it has been a nice closure, but with this particular story it left me feeling a little empty. For as much building up there was, I did feel the end was rushed to the point of leaving behind a pretty big void.
Caletti's characters are always deep. I love this. Each character has specific likes, dislikes, and characteristics. They seem to stay true to those characteristics consistently. This is something I appreciate greatly.
As for Jordan, the main character of this particular story - I find her very selfish, immature, and hard to like. She is mean, judgmental, and weak.
This book is not on my list of favorites by Caletti, or of YA books at all. So I do suggest trying more of Caletti's books, in order to better appreciate Caletti's skills. I think you will be very pleased!
My top picks so far would be The Fortunes of Indigo Sky and The Nature of Jade.
I have read both of those, as well is The Queen of Everything, and Honey Baby Sweetheart (which I also was not very pleased with. It was better than Queen, but definitely not as fulfilling as my top picks).
HAPPY READING!
The Queen of Everything is not Caletti's best. It is one of her earliest books, and the others I have read are much better. Caletti definitely has a gift for explanation and description. However, it is a little overkill in The Queen of Everything.
Caletti's style seems to be that she begins very slowly and then rushes through the end. In other stories, it has been a nice closure, but with this particular story it left me feeling a little empty. For as much building up there was, I did feel the end was rushed to the point of leaving behind a pretty big void.
Caletti's characters are always deep. I love this. Each character has specific likes, dislikes, and characteristics. They seem to stay true to those characteristics consistently. This is something I appreciate greatly.
As for Jordan, the main character of this particular story - I find her very selfish, immature, and hard to like. She is mean, judgmental, and weak.
This book is not on my list of favorites by Caletti, or of YA books at all. So I do suggest trying more of Caletti's books, in order to better appreciate Caletti's skills. I think you will be very pleased!
My top picks so far would be The Fortunes of Indigo Sky and The Nature of Jade.
I have read both of those, as well is The Queen of Everything, and Honey Baby Sweetheart (which I also was not very pleased with. It was better than Queen, but definitely not as fulfilling as my top picks).
HAPPY READING!
June 4, 2010
This book had a great starting...it was very discriptive...but sometimes alittle too discriptive that she gets off point...I had to skim through some parts because they were so not important...also, the whole book was about build up of the ending which like the last chapter which kinda sucked...like she made it all lead up to a boring ending...the ending could have been much much better...all in all...the book was ok, not great...I give it a 2.5 or so...
March 21, 2021
2.5 stars. I read A Heart in a Body in a World and loved it so I picked up this Deb Caletti back list and had high expectations but unfortunately this one let me down. This is about a young girl named Jordan who lives with her dad because her mom is a little too hippy dippy and eccentric for her taste. Her dad has a girlfriend that she likes but then he breaks up with her and starts dating a married woman. In the beginning its hinted that something sinister is going to happen and then it takes over half of the book to get any more progress on the storyline. The whole first half of the book is just our main character being whinier than I could stand and the author going on all sorts of random tangents. Jordan has a really toxic relationship despite a great guy being there for her and combined with her whininess and privilege I got sick of it really quick. She works in a weight loss facility and the way she speaks about the people who are clients disgusted me at times. Overall I would not recommend this book.
March 31, 2020
Honestly don't understand the point of this story. There isn't a likeable or character to relate to.
June 12, 2017
I'm so glad I finally finished it. This is the second Deb Caletti book I read and already I have the feeling that her books are a hit or miss kind. And this, this was a huge miss.
The way Deb Caletti writes is unique. It's all over the place. Details seem out of place and sometimes serve no purpose at all. I was reading a sneak peak of Honey Baby Sweetheart and it reminded me of how she jumps from one thing to another. It's exactly what happened in The Queen of Everything. The story does not flow at all. It all seems disjointed and I find that kind of storytelling hard to follow. Names and information are thrown at you randomly and you kind of have to struggle to make sense of the overload.
Plus, there were some things that bothered me. There were constant mentions of "fat girls" and try as I might, I couldn't figure out why they were continuously brought up. How did belittling or criticizing them serve the storyline? Especially since these girls were portrayed horribly and critically. Personally, it made me feel uncomfortable. The only thing I can come up with is a line from the book. "I do not measure fat girls anymore. People measure me." Is it supposed to be karma or something? I just don't get it. I don't know if these mentions were of an intention to be offensive but it just didn't feel right to me. Especially since the characters themselves were skinny. And there were constant references to cruel remarks made by the main character targeting girls that were overweight. I only wrote about this because it's something that kept being brought up in the novel and I didn't feel entirely comfortable in the way that the girls were being portrayed. Like being fat is all that they are. I felt rather disgusted by the main character's thoughts and remarks.
The message that was trying to be relayed through this novel didn't even reach me. I had no idea what this book was trying to say. The last Deb Caletti book I read (The Secret Life of Prince Charming), I enjoyed its message. It felt important and it didn't get lost in the storyline. But this, this I felt was a giant mess of something I still can't figure out.
The way Deb Caletti writes is unique. It's all over the place. Details seem out of place and sometimes serve no purpose at all. I was reading a sneak peak of Honey Baby Sweetheart and it reminded me of how she jumps from one thing to another. It's exactly what happened in The Queen of Everything. The story does not flow at all. It all seems disjointed and I find that kind of storytelling hard to follow. Names and information are thrown at you randomly and you kind of have to struggle to make sense of the overload.
Plus, there were some things that bothered me. There were constant mentions of "fat girls" and try as I might, I couldn't figure out why they were continuously brought up. How did belittling or criticizing them serve the storyline? Especially since these girls were portrayed horribly and critically. Personally, it made me feel uncomfortable. The only thing I can come up with is a line from the book. "I do not measure fat girls anymore. People measure me." Is it supposed to be karma or something? I just don't get it. I don't know if these mentions were of an intention to be offensive but it just didn't feel right to me. Especially since the characters themselves were skinny. And there were constant references to cruel remarks made by the main character targeting girls that were overweight. I only wrote about this because it's something that kept being brought up in the novel and I didn't feel entirely comfortable in the way that the girls were being portrayed. Like being fat is all that they are. I felt rather disgusted by the main character's thoughts and remarks.
The message that was trying to be relayed through this novel didn't even reach me. I had no idea what this book was trying to say. The last Deb Caletti book I read (The Secret Life of Prince Charming), I enjoyed its message. It felt important and it didn't get lost in the storyline. But this, this I felt was a giant mess of something I still can't figure out.
May 19, 2023
Reading The Queen of Everything genuinely took me more time than reading Murakami’s 1000-page-long 1Q84. The first two hundred pages were filled with tedious detail that I didn’t appreciate until I had finished the book. Just from the blurb, I thought it would be a lot more murder-y and a lot less whatever it was. After Jordan’s (the protagonist) dad kills Wes D’Angelo, the painstaking description makes more sense- it becomes part of Jordan’s experience of the situation. But the entire book you knew that something bad was going to happen, and waiting 200 pages of anecdotes and every thought imaginable to man becomes a drudging bore. In books where someone gets murdered, I don't think I've ever read so much non-murder-related stuff before the murder, and so much non-murder-related stuff after the murder.
The relationships in the book (although I wasn't rooting for any of them), and Jordan's sarcastic interpretations of them, were my favorite part of the book. I thought the parallel between Jordan's relationship with Kale Kramer and her father's relationship with Gayle D'Angelo was interesting because they're both dangerous relationships. Kale Kramer is a psychopathic jerk, and Gayle D'Angelo is married and manipulative (at least that’s the sense you get after finishing the book). However, their reasons behind the relationships are a lot less similar-- Jordan's dad seems to be in love, and Jordan herself seems to have just ended up in a relationship.
My main frustration with the book is the amount of rambling and the lack of connection in the actual writing. At first, Jordan’s outlook seems refreshing and honest, and then really boring. Caletti jumps around over and under describing things.
All in all, my consensus on the book has been: it was alright, but I wouldn’t read it again.
The relationships in the book (although I wasn't rooting for any of them), and Jordan's sarcastic interpretations of them, were my favorite part of the book. I thought the parallel between Jordan's relationship with Kale Kramer and her father's relationship with Gayle D'Angelo was interesting because they're both dangerous relationships. Kale Kramer is a psychopathic jerk, and Gayle D'Angelo is married and manipulative (at least that’s the sense you get after finishing the book). However, their reasons behind the relationships are a lot less similar-- Jordan's dad seems to be in love, and Jordan herself seems to have just ended up in a relationship.
My main frustration with the book is the amount of rambling and the lack of connection in the actual writing. At first, Jordan’s outlook seems refreshing and honest, and then really boring. Caletti jumps around over and under describing things.
All in all, my consensus on the book has been: it was alright, but I wouldn’t read it again.
December 10, 2025
2025 Update: Raising my rating to 5 stars.
People ask me all the time what having Vince MacKenzie for a father was like. What they mean is: Was he always crazy?
4.5 stars for this one! I enjoyed this one, but I understand why some people wouldn't like this. It's a slice of life book that literally ends with a bang. Jordan MacKenzie lives with her dad, who she always considered to be the epitome of normal. That is until the summer after Jordan's junior year of high school, when her dad begins an affair with a married woman named Gayle. Jordan, obviously, doesn't know what to do about this situation....but as the summer wears on, things get very serious. When her father does something terrible, Jordan is the one who has live with the consequences.
People ask me all the time what having Vince MacKenzie for a father was like. What they mean is: Was he always crazy?
4.5 stars for this one! I enjoyed this one, but I understand why some people wouldn't like this. It's a slice of life book that literally ends with a bang. Jordan MacKenzie lives with her dad, who she always considered to be the epitome of normal. That is until the summer after Jordan's junior year of high school, when her dad begins an affair with a married woman named Gayle. Jordan, obviously, doesn't know what to do about this situation....but as the summer wears on, things get very serious. When her father does something terrible, Jordan is the one who has live with the consequences.
December 4, 2007
Deb Caletti writes lovely prose, and captures so much really spot-on emotion in this book. I really enjoy YA books dealing with parents, for some reason, so this book was incredibly readable.
I am a bit worried that now I've read two of Caletti's books that featured the same sort of "bad boy" with similar reactions by the protagonists, but I was at least relieved in this book that a bad decision re: sex wasn't grounds for punishment.
I am a bit worried that now I've read two of Caletti's books that featured the same sort of "bad boy" with similar reactions by the protagonists, but I was at least relieved in this book that a bad decision re: sex wasn't grounds for punishment.
June 3, 2011
This is the second Deb Caletti book I have read and while it was better than the first, I still don't like her writing as much as Sarah Dessen's. I'm really trying to like Deb Caletti because I saw her in person and she was lovely, but I think I just compare her too much to Dessen. Overall, this book had an interesting plot and and the main character was pretty likeable. This is probably a good book to recommend to a young teen girl.
July 7, 2020
To be perfectly honest, I remember picking this book up from the YA section at the library, and even opening its pages to read it, but I cannot recall how it goes. I know I liked it, but I cannot decide if it was so insignificant that it didn't leave an impression on my brain or if I just read so many books in middle school that it's impossible to remember them all. Probably the latter, but it still makes me wonder...
May 12, 2008
This was good..It got kind of graphic in some parts, but it wasn't bad. It was a tad bit slow getting into the story, but once it gets there it's quite interesting. Read it. (:
November 18, 2017
I would highly recommend actual young adult, particularly teenagers do not read this book. Jordan is the absolute archetype of what young women shouldn't be: Unnecessarily cruel without knowing it, selfish while touting her selflessness, and stupid and reckless. This isn't necessarily a bad thing in YA literature, unless the character fails to recognise their weakness and make steps towards growth or resolution.
Even by the last pages, Jordan had absolutely failed to identify any of her weaknesses, and had allowed the circumstances of her life to be the excuse for everything she did and would do.
Deb Caletti has a strong tendency to ramble. Points and characters will be established and thoroughly explained, setting them up for a return later, Chekhov's gun style, and just... never return. Pages and pages of exposition wasted.
This is only the second Caletti novel I've read, but I found Jordan's voice very similar to Indigo of The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. Indigo and Jordan could have been the same girl. Again, we're talking Caletti's early work here, but it makes me disinclined to read any more books, if she's unable to create characters with unique voices.
In general, there were just a lot of issues that needed to be addressed in this book, and several huge failings. I would really advise young girls not to read this book. Jordan is described as an innocent bystander in the actions of her father, but she is a much darker character than she both implies and portrays herself. She's a poor role model for young girls without realising it, which makes her a dangerous protagonist.
Even by the last pages, Jordan had absolutely failed to identify any of her weaknesses, and had allowed the circumstances of her life to be the excuse for everything she did and would do.
Deb Caletti has a strong tendency to ramble. Points and characters will be established and thoroughly explained, setting them up for a return later, Chekhov's gun style, and just... never return. Pages and pages of exposition wasted.
This is only the second Caletti novel I've read, but I found Jordan's voice very similar to Indigo of The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. Indigo and Jordan could have been the same girl. Again, we're talking Caletti's early work here, but it makes me disinclined to read any more books, if she's unable to create characters with unique voices.
In general, there were just a lot of issues that needed to be addressed in this book, and several huge failings. I would really advise young girls not to read this book. Jordan is described as an innocent bystander in the actions of her father, but she is a much darker character than she both implies and portrays herself. She's a poor role model for young girls without realising it, which makes her a dangerous protagonist.
November 28, 2022
I'd say 4.9 stars, a good read overall. Sort of a different point of view than other teen stories. The main character's friendships seem a bit more real (not all hugsy-happy-bff stuff that I'm not sure if true to life-or at least was not true to my life) and she is not always presented as a perfect victim or hero. The story starts off quite good but unravels a bit or at least did not keep my attention that well towards the end. Would read a sequel though because I am kind of curious. And! it was neat to read about the San Juan islands off of Washington state-I had no idea about them before this.
January 8, 2025
So I read this book when I was in secondary school. I then lost the book shortly after. For years and years I thought of it. I could remember the majority of the plot but never the characters names or the title, but I searched high and low for it time and time again. This Christmas my husband found it and gifted it to me.
Best present ever. I don’t know if I’d feel the same if Id just discovered this book for the first time but certainly re-reading after all these years it still feels as impactful to me now as it did then.
I wish I could tell the author how much this book has meant to me throughout my life. Thank you
Best present ever. I don’t know if I’d feel the same if Id just discovered this book for the first time but certainly re-reading after all these years it still feels as impactful to me now as it did then.
I wish I could tell the author how much this book has meant to me throughout my life. Thank you
August 5, 2020
A YA novel featuring Jordan McKenzie, a seventeen-year-old teen, she is living a normal teenage life. Suddenly, her life is suddenly off the rails, she tells it from her perspective.
Her father is the stable one until he isn't. Her mother is the hippie. Her new boyfriend, well? Who can say? Can Jordan deal with all the changes she sees happening around her?
Loved the character of Big Mama as well as Jackson Beene. Kale was plenty obnoxious.
Could not reconcile the title to the book, but kept hoping it would become obvious.
Her father is the stable one until he isn't. Her mother is the hippie. Her new boyfriend, well? Who can say? Can Jordan deal with all the changes she sees happening around her?
Loved the character of Big Mama as well as Jackson Beene. Kale was plenty obnoxious.
Could not reconcile the title to the book, but kept hoping it would become obvious.
March 21, 2019
My feelings are complicated over this one. I think I will always like how Caletti writes, but often Jordan was hard to root for. As a first book, she didn't shy away from hard subjects and easy answers, but there was a not-worked-for element to the romantic relationship that suddenly developed at the end. Not that I needed more physicality, I just didn't understand why Jackson would ever give Jordan a second look. She was so self-absorbed and often thoughtless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2018
I especially enjoyed reading this book because of the unique and humorous voice the protagonist, Jordan has. She tells her story in her way, with her own way of seeing and saying things. You don't just read Jordan's story, you see it through her eyes. The actual plot is a decent one, but the voice is the unique aspect that brings this story to the next level.
May 12, 2022
This is probably my least favorite Caletti and I’m still rating it four stars 😅
I think the pacing was a bit slow, and not a single character made a good decision until after 300 pages, but gosh darn it I was so invested and I think Jordan was such a unique narrator. Caletti’s protagonists always have such unique voices.
I think the pacing was a bit slow, and not a single character made a good decision until after 300 pages, but gosh darn it I was so invested and I think Jordan was such a unique narrator. Caletti’s protagonists always have such unique voices.
June 18, 2022
Deb Caletti has been on my TBR for quite some time.
I was easily pulled into the story and loved the writing style. I didn't like Jordan and how judgmental she could be sometimes. Published in 2002, this book definitely shows its age- I got tired and angry with all the fatphobic comments, homophobic slurs, and indifference toward animal cruelty.
Hoping her next book is better.
I was easily pulled into the story and loved the writing style. I didn't like Jordan and how judgmental she could be sometimes. Published in 2002, this book definitely shows its age- I got tired and angry with all the fatphobic comments, homophobic slurs, and indifference toward animal cruelty.
Hoping her next book is better.
February 7, 2017
Mir fehlte etwas Struktur, das Ende war sehr vorhersehbar und ich konnte mich einfach nicht mit Jordan identifizieren. Teilweise sehr langatmig, so dass ich Passagen übersprungen habe udn froh war, dass ich irgendwann damit durch war.
August 9, 2018
I had the worst time reading it, the book was incomplete... they repeated like 50 pages so there was no follow up. I liked the story at first but then it brought me difficulty to keep reading it with interest. Very descriptive; I liked that. But the story bye.
April 24, 2019
The writer is a very bitter woman who feels she was mis-parented because her parents said the same things that all parents in the 50-60’s said! I had a hard time getting over the “poor me, pour me another drink “ mentality. BTW, I am 14 years sober myself.
May 26, 2020
I love Deb Calletti, and I’ve never read this book, so I was excited to add this to the list of books by her that I love. It was sincerely so dull and the characters frustrated me beyond belief. Her other books are definitely much better.
June 27, 2018
This book was the absolute worst. If I never have to read about another salmon again it will be too soon. It probably could have been redeemed if the other hadn't constantly gone off on tangents about fish and periods and fat girls.
April 25, 2020
This book was so superficial and the characters had no depth to them. I hated every page and was disappointing because I used to like this author.
December 23, 2021
What a weird ass dad sure as hell makes me feel better about mine
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