Sonya Sones

A surprisingly fast and unexpectedly enjoyable read, if a bit unrealistic. The only real quibble I have is, why are 15 year olds so worried about losing their virginity? They aren't ready for that yet.

Ruby is an interesting narrator who's dealing with the death of her mother and the first time introduction to her movie-star father who really wants to do right by her. New school and far away from her best friend and her boyfriend prove to stresses Ruby handles quite well for her age. She even writes snarky emails to her mother!

The ending is a tad unrealistic and I don't think Ruby has quite dealt with her grief properly. An aware read can spot everything in the plot coming from a mile away, even the news about Ruby's father (who turns out to be a really cool guy). Still, it's a pretty good book, picked up on a whim.… (mais)

Ruby Milliken's whole world has been turned upside down. First her mother dies of an illness. Then her aunt ships her off to a celebrity father in Hollywood. Ruby is forced to leave behind a boyfriend, a best friend, Boston's varying weather, everything she has ever known in exchange for a strange school, palm trees, sunny skies, and a man she barely knows who calls himself Ruby's dad. Whip Logan divorced Ruby's mom before Ruby was born and not once did he try to meet his daughter. Now Ruby has to live in his world? Not fair. Ruby's story is told in blank verse with emails to her boyfriend, best friend, and deceased mother thrown in. A cute story that is highly believable. My favorite parts were when Ruby was flying to Los Angeles and noting the differences between coach and first class as they started the descent and when she was at the beach and swimming with the dolphins. She allowed herself to have a good time.… (mais)

In poetic form, Ruby narrates her uprooting from Boston after her mother’s death, and transplantation to Los Angeles to live with her father, who divorced her mother even before Ruby’s birth. Interspersed between poems are e-mails from Ruby to her best friend Lizzie, her boyfriend Ray, and her mother. Ruby experiences culture shock and deals with bouts of homesickness, from her anger at her father, confusion and panic during her first earthquake drill, heartsick longing for her boyfriend, shock at a classmate’s death in a car crash.

Teens will sympathize with Ruby, and anyone who has gone through the process of moving will understand her slow acclimation to a new town, school, and friends. Although Ruby steadfastly refuses to allow her father to become close to her, she does have good relationships with her Aunt in Boston, and with her father’s personal trainer, who she nicknames Aunt Max. As she makes friends at school, she decides to become involved in theater and tries out for the school play, while at the same time, feels guilty for making new friends and flirting with a young man named Wyatt.

The book moves quickly, and the free verse poems are rarely longer than a page or two. Ruby is a likable and honest narrator in her writing.… (mais)