NOTE: I received the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Amy Spalding is a really talented writer. It was obvious from her first published work I read - The Reece Malcolm List. Her characters were lively, and her writing realistic. It's the same with Ink is Thicker Than Water.

Here we're introduced to Kellie Brooks, a girl of creative mind, who always feels like she's the odd one in her family, even though it's her sister, Sara who's the adopted one. Kellie's Dad is never satisfied by anything she accomplishes, and her Mom and step-dad are just too cheerfully supportive to be taken seriously. The only one who's always appreciated, is Sara.

But then things change. Because Sara suddenly has two pairs of parents and no one can tell which ones she wants to belong with.

In Ink, the ordeal with Sara is the eye opener to Kellie's life. Until then, even though she didn't feel normal, at least she had a family and a close friend to count on. Her life was okay, even though she hadn't quite figured out in what direction it was pointed. She was happy, and that's what mattered. Afterwards it seemed that her world had keeled over, threatening to just go upside down forever.

For a while she thought that having a relationship with this sweet and charming, but also super intense, college boy Oliver would probably fix things for her. They hung out, made out and even brought it to a different level altogether.

Kellie had a lot to deal with for a teenager. The loss of the close relationship she had with her sister, the loss of her best friend who went hanging out with the school mean girls, her Mom was beginning to fall apart at the seams... Then a truth she learned about Oliver's past came at her out of the blue, and she decided to take matters in her own hands.

She just had to deal with life and she had a plan exactly how to do it. It involved growing up and putting on her big girl panties. It involved thinking like an adult, but not a stuck up one. It involved figuring out what's truly important, what's to be a constant in her life.

Ink was a coming of age book, where change was required by the circumstances. On the surface, it seemed to be a light read, but really it had a much deeper concept. Underneath all the layers of disappointments and undesired developments, there was the maturation of a girl who was beginning to learn a few things about the world. Mainly, that not everything is what it seems. People change, relationships change, but if you're willing, you can usually make it work. And you can usually make it stick.

Just like the ink of a tattoo.

In conclusion I want to wrap it up saying that Ink was amazing in every sense of the word. And it definitely had a teen voice. Not a dumb one, where you wonder what on earth the person is thinking. But a realistically believable one. And I liked it. ( )

After loving The Reece Malcolm List earlier this year, Amy Spalding earned a place on my auto-buy list. Family relationships have never been as intriguing as they are in Spalding’s hands. Plus, her characters are artistic, witty and quirky. INK’s book title refers to Kellie’s family business, a tattoo shop, and looks at what it means to be a family. Is ink thicker than water?

I like Amy Spalding’s YA books because they are such well rounded coming of age stories, with complex relationships, style, and heart. The family relationships are unconventional but at the same time totally normal as well. Her mom and stepdad run a tattoo shop and are half-vegan, creative, and hippieish, but have traditional values as well.

The sisters Kellie and Sara are just a year apart and are very close. The fact that Sara wants to connect with her birth mother feels like a slap to Kellie, who is protective of her mom. Everyone is supportive of Sara and understands that this is what she needs to do, but it still rocks the family foundation.

Kellie is also dealing with the gradual loss of her BFF Kaitlyn, who ditches her for a more popular clique. It’s realistic to see alliances change in high school as interests change, and their experience feels authentic. It’s also refreshingly different for Kellie to have a new group with the newspaper crew, led by the efficient, intellectual Adelaide. I wouldn’t mind Adelaide getting her own book.

Some of the humor comes in the form of Kellie’s op-ed pieces, where she riffs on meatless options in the school cafeteria (not) and the manure smells of the school courtyard. That she has a knack for writing gives her a confidence boost, something that extends to other parts of Kellie’s life.

I got so attached to the stories and characters that I was sad to let them go at the end. The ending is hopeful but a little open ended. I like when endings aren’t neat and tidy but at the same time I wanted just a bit more resolution.

INK is smart, fresh and real, and a quick, entertaining read. I like that it doesn’t go for over the top dramatics to get the point across but feels true. The dialogue is spot-on and witty, and Spalding doesn’t talk down to her readers. The sex-positive message is a bonus too as is the strong female characterization. If you loved The Reece Malcolm List you’ll definitely want to pick up a copy of INK. ( )