Putting this one to the side for now since it's just not grabbing my attention. I love the premise so it could just be that I'm not in the mood for this right now.

I wanted to like this story. I really did.

Arden, son of the local sheriff, seems to be a wild child, relying on daddy's position to keep him out of real trouble around his small town. He recruits Carly, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, to become his sidekick for the pranks he plans to pull during their junior year of high school. The pranks are the only things that help him FEEL since his sister's death the year before. Carly is at first resistant to the idea of doing anything that will put her in the spotlight, because she and her brother are saving money to pay the smugglers to bring her parents and younger siblings across the border from Mexico.

At first glance Arden's family life seems picture-perfect, until you learn about his sister's suicide, his mother's continuing grief and depression and his father's abusive behavior. Carly is portrayed as a top student and hard worker, working overnight shifts at the convenience store to help earn money for her family, while going to school during the day. Arden and Carly's relationship deepens from friendship to (secretly) dating over time.

When one of the pranks crosses the line, the two end up facing the wrath of Arden's father who forbids Arden & Carly from seeing each other again. (Did I mention the sheriff is a racist that campaigns against undocumented immigrants being in his community??)

So, what starts off as two high school kids using crazy pranks to help each one escape from the trials of their lives turns into a crazy mix of a Romeo and Juliet romance. Then there's an unbelievable subplot where the two help plan a scheme to catch the man that stole the money Carly and her brother paid to bring her family to the U.S.

There's just too much STUFF going on here. It seems like all kinds of ideas were just thrown into the story and each thing made everything a jumbled mess. C rating.

Okay, book, but leaves a bit to be desired. It is definitely not one of my favorite books by Lauren Myracle, but if you are looking for a younger reader's book, especially for one that is reluctant, it would be a good book.

Review - Joyride
Joyride by Anna Banks

* Read via NetGalley and checked out from the library too for review

My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“But pessimism and reality are usually mistaken for each other.”

“But I’m not being a hero. I’m just being a human.”

“I wonder if everyone else notices how weird Arden Moss actually is.”

“He sniffs. “Look, I know I’ve pissed you off worse than an alligator in a bathtub.”

“I only eat animals out of the package.”

“I don’t fall for the mob mentality.”

“How can you predict what will happen when a tsunami collides with a hurricane?”

“I’m going to have to learn to deal with his dad a little better than pulling a knife on him every time he opens his mouth.”

“That’s what I figured. Pride sticks to that girl like a skinny tick.”


4 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Reading this story now feels horribly timely. Let's face it immigration legal or otherwise is the political fireball that isn't going away.

Carly and Arden meet under very intense circumstances. Their relationship at first is pure antagonism. This antagonism leads to an interesting friendship full of pranks.

My favorite character is Uncle Cletus, he has a major flaw sure but he's still an intriguing guy.

The characters and relationships or lack of a relationship are well done and show how crazy a family can make you.

There are a lot of deep issues to work through here for both of them. The story is fun with hints of trouble/danger throughout. The real surprise here is who the bad guy is.

Overall a good book with a really strong conclusion.

Will not be providing a review for this novel, sorry for the inconvenience, but thank you to the publisher for the opportunity.