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lindsayl's review
3.0
Claire and her best friend Ronan live next to each other in a trailer park. School just ended and they plan on spending their eleventh summer with their other friend Brianna buying ice cream, exploring the mall, hanging out at the brook, and swimming in Brianna’s pool at her new house. There is some tension regarding Ronan’s family since his father moved back in after being gone for many years. His dad is battling depression and barely moves from the couch which has been causing extra stress on Ronan. He acts differently, becoming more reclusive and shying away from Claire in order to hang out with the popular guys from their grade who make fun of those less than them.
Brianna’s cousin Eden is in town for the summer and Claire feels even more alone with the way Brianna worships Eden just because she is a year older, is tall, skinny, and pretty, comes from a rich family, and hangs out in Nashville with country singers. So with Ronan pulling himself away from Claire and the introduction of popular Eden, Claire finds herself as the outcast and friendless.
Claire was relatable with her fears, thoughts, frustrations, and wishes. She was very down to earth and loved her friends, becoming upset when they pulled away to focus on the popular kids. She struggled with losing her friends and had both her parents there for her to provide adult insight into her situation and offer advice. Like with Claire, I know what it is like to feel isolated from friends which is why I connected to her so much. She grew as a character to accept the unchangeable and let go of former restrictions tying her down.
The only issues I had with this story was how these eleven-year olds owned cell phones and social media accounts when there was no reason for them to. Eden was unbelievable since her twelve/thirteen-year-old self was strutting around in high heels, lipstick, short skirts, and pounds of makeup caked on her face. She was an unlikable character from her haughty attitude to trying to control Brianna’s life and completely ignoring Claire. But besides Eden being the center of attention and into herself, the story was remarkable.
I received an ARC of Why Can’t I Be You from Edelweiss.
Brianna’s cousin Eden is in town for the summer and Claire feels even more alone with the way Brianna worships Eden just because she is a year older, is tall, skinny, and pretty, comes from a rich family, and hangs out in Nashville with country singers. So with Ronan pulling himself away from Claire and the introduction of popular Eden, Claire finds herself as the outcast and friendless.
Claire was relatable with her fears, thoughts, frustrations, and wishes. She was very down to earth and loved her friends, becoming upset when they pulled away to focus on the popular kids. She struggled with losing her friends and had both her parents there for her to provide adult insight into her situation and offer advice. Like with Claire, I know what it is like to feel isolated from friends which is why I connected to her so much. She grew as a character to accept the unchangeable and let go of former restrictions tying her down.
The only issues I had with this story was how these eleven-year olds owned cell phones and social media accounts when there was no reason for them to. Eden was unbelievable since her twelve/thirteen-year-old self was strutting around in high heels, lipstick, short skirts, and pounds of makeup caked on her face. She was an unlikable character from her haughty attitude to trying to control Brianna’s life and completely ignoring Claire. But besides Eden being the center of attention and into herself, the story was remarkable.
I received an ARC of Why Can’t I Be You from Edelweiss.
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