I finally got around to getting this one, and it's good.
I can't help but think that to some degree, Dessen books are written to a formula at times. "Girl finds a perfectly nice guy to date" seems to factor into most of them (except these two books and Dreamland, a book I keep putting off because I don't want to read about an abusive relationship after seeing some of my friends in them), as do family issues, as does "girl finds job with quirky employer." They're kind of tropes by now. And yet, I still keep reading, eh?
So, this one features 17-year-old Ruby Cooper, whose shiftless mother constantly moves them around anonymously, barely holds down a job at times, and finally, her mother has just taken off for good. Once Ruby's landlords notice the conditions that Ruby has been trying to survive in until her 18th birthday comes, they call child services, who manage to track down Ruby's long-lost older sister Cora. Ruby thinks Cora abandoned her since she pretty much never heard from Cora again once she went off to college (Cora is 10 years older). Now she's a lawyer, she's married, and her husband Jamie's made a mint off of a Facebook-esque website. Suffice it to say that Ruby feels weirded out to be thrust into richness, not to mention being forced to attend Jamie's private school alma mater. And she's also weirded out at having to spend time with the next door neighbor Nate, who runs the Perkins Day car pool in their neighborhood. Nate strikes her as being one of those "popular" guys, and that's so not her thing.
But Ruby starts adjusting, realizing her old "friends" were really just drugged asses, and her real friends are the ones who give a crap when she passes out in the woods on a bad day. She finds out that Cora wasn't as uncaring as Ruby thought she was. And then there's Jamie, who's the human equivalent of a bouncy puppy and you can't help but like him. Ruby and Cora actually kind of bond over how weirded out they are by him at times, because he's superenthusiastic about holidays and has a large, loving family. Ruby and Nate eventually become closer, and then Ruby finds out that Nate's hiding something big from everyone. I will just say that Ruby relates to his dilemma to some degree, and isn't quite sure what the right thing is to do.
There were a few things that annoyed me a bit. I like book series having cameo appearances as much as anyone, but good lord, there were so many in this one. Rogerson actually shows up in the flesh, Barbara Starr was supposedly one of Cora's clients (I didn't think she was a divorce lawyer? She's a PD in this book.), Owen supposedly helps Jamie make mixes and Annabel is still on the radio, Kristy and Bert go shopping at Ruby's jewelry booth and Macy's mother uses Nate's dad's business, and I'm probably forgetting a few others because I haven't read every book she's written yet. Honestly, it was starting to seem like overkill, and in most cases it just seemed forced in.
And while I do like the "lock and key" metaphors going on throughout the story, and the symbolism of keys to Ruby, and how keys get worked into the plot via Ruby's jewelry designer boss, it was both touching and kind of overkill at the same time. Then again, I kind of want to go make myself some key jewelry now, so...
Anyway, four stars.
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