Fiction Fare

Solid 3.5 stars! I've been sitting on writing this review for a little while, though I'm not entirely sure why. I think it's because I'm struggling with what to say about this book. Did I like it... sure. Did I love it... no. In fact, when we talked about this book in the bookclub that I read it for, I stated that I hated just about every single character in this book. Yet, still... The story was engaging and made you want to read more. Paige Sheridan lives the perfect life... she's popular and rich and she's been groomed to become a 'princess' her whole life. After a night of bad choices and partying that ends in an accident, she's shipped off to Paris for the summer, leaving her friends and family to assume she's had a glamorous time. In fact, it wasn't. Upon her return things are awkward. Her best friend no longer talks to her unless she has to, and her boyfriend seems to be spending more time with her ex BF than her. Throwing herself headfirst into her creative writing class, and at his urging he pushes her to try and find herself... not who she was brought up to be.So... the accident is the catalyst for change for these characters. Only Lacey, Paige's best friend, was seriously injured but the accident seems to have caused a rift among the best friends. One thing I will say is that this book tackles A LOT of topics. Homophobia, drinking and driving, cheating, prejudice, date rape, inattentive parents. To be honest, I'm not sure if I liked that all this was thrown in here or not. While reading, it did feel like it was all a bit much, but nothing was added gratuitously and the story flows really well, even with all that crammed in there. Like I said earlier, I hated almost all the characters here. The lone bright spots for me were Shanti and Ethan and even Mr. Tremont. While all those topics up there are pretty heavy for a single book, the book doesn't get overly heavy in tone. Yes, there are some serious and angsty parts, but overall it was a quick and somewhat light read for me. This is a story about finding yourself, and making your own path and ultimately realizing that who you are when you're in your teens, most likely isn't who you're going to end up being. If you're looking for a contemporary with a bit of romance and drama than I think The Princess of Iowa might be just what you're looking for.This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare: