Book Summery:Having been deserted by her father before she was born, Josie fears abandonment and heartbreak. Her mother fuels this fear with her own reluctance to pursue relationships.
Luckily Josie's best friend, Liv, encourages her to make connections with her family and with the very cute and enigmatic Matt. When the parents of Josie's estranged father move back to the area, Josie forges a friendship with her grandfather that gives her some insight into her roots. A tragedy brings the truth about Josie's family to light and provides an unexpected opportunity to forge new relationships. -goodreads.com
My Review:
I have read several mixed reviews of this book. Based on the summaries I've read (including the one above), it just didn't sound like something I would be interested in. Too much teenage drama for my liking. I was in for a big surprise. Once I flipped this book open to the first page, it was impossible to set down. I devoured it in one night! I found the characters, with the exception of Liv's wardrobe, grounded and believable. I enjoyed their flaws. In fact, it made me connect better with them. I enjoyed watching the characters evolve separately as well as together. Fellow bloggers StephTheBookWorm and Pirate Penguin's Reads both wrote exceptional reviews that aided in my decision to pick For Keeps up. I agree with Pirate Penguin, that the book is very much like a literary version of the TV show Gilmore Girls (which happens to be one of my all time favorite shows, which probably explains why I enjoyed this book so much). Overall, I was pleasantly surprised, and very satisfied with For Keeps and will definitely be reading more of Friend's books in the future! Her website can be found here.
Favorite Quote:
"After a visit to 7-Eleven, we are back in the car. I let Jonathan drive, so I can focus on the task at hand. 'I can't believe you've never had a Slurpee before,' I say...
'Deprived child,' Jonathan says. 'My parents were health nuts. No sugar...No artificial colors...'
'You think Blue Woo-Hoo! Vanilla isn't found isn't found in nature?' I ask...He turns to me. His lips are turquoise. (p. 203)
Cover Art Commentary:
I really like the cover of this one. I love the out of focus photo, with the postage markings on the top. Although one of Pirate Penguin's comments mentions that the girls hands are rather large, which now seems rather obvious to me. :P
Overall Rating:
Comparing to the Gillmore Girls, I need to read it. I loved that show!! I'm excited to know about Liv's wardrobe, is is bad? LOL
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds really good, you read it in one night so it must be really good!
It nice when a book you normally wouldn't read surprises you and gives you so much enjoyment. Nice review!
ReplyDelete@Nina
ReplyDeleteThis was such a fun read for me! I still think about it. I will definitely re-read it again in the future.
@Donna
Agreed! I was not expecting to like this one at all! :P