jfr_wi's review against another edition
3.0
I got this free from BookBub and really had no idea what to expect, other than reviews were either really good or bad. Nice enough story, and funny characters. But probably more for teens.
nikkihrose's review against another edition
2.0
The first of the Katie Parker Productions series, this book was not exactly what I expected. I picked it up because of the synopsis: child enters foster care, is sent to live with a kind family, and discovers that some people are genuinely just kind and loving. At the same time, there seemed to be a mystery component where her new family, the Scotts, had a secret they were trying to hide.
Before I dive too deep into this review, I need to say that every book that is published exists for a reason. There is someone in the world who will enjoy and appreciate it. This book was not for me, but I can see reasons why people would enjoy it.
Appreciations
This book is about hope. It's about family - whether they're chosen or given. It's about finding people you can trust and count on, even when you thought the world had given up on you.
The second half of the book gets better. Better from what, you might ask … for that, check out the content under "Criticisms" below. But either way, the second half is better. It's a bit more realistic, and provides a bit more of a story arc that shows improvement and developing characterization.
There is a religious component to this book, as the family taking in Katie are both a Pastor and his wife. But more than this, they bring her to church and she participates in youth services, and she tries to come to terms with her own questionings about God. Personally, this was actually something I didn't care for, as I am not a religious person and it came on a bit heavy for my liking, but I'm placing this in the "appreciation" section simply because it also wasn't too forced or preachy. While I was a bit uncomfortable with it, so was Katie at first. I could relate to her, and isn't that the entire point of reading?
Criticisms
Sadly, I have more criticisms than praises for this book.
First of all, the protagonist, Katie, is supposedly a sophomore in high school, yet for the first half of the book she acts and whines as though she is in middle school. While I understand some high schoolers do this, it was largely unrealistic of the age she was supposed to be representing. Especially since, in my experience, most foster kids end up being forced to grow up so fast, that they typically act older not younger than they are.
Secondly, much of the book takes place in a high school, but I'm not entirely sold on the fact that the author, Jenny B. Jones, knows how high schools operate. Teachers wouldn't be able to get away with abusive behavior - no matter who they are related to. Students wouldn't be able to switch classes in their schedule late into the semester just because they want to try something new. Luckily the student interactions are fairly realistic, but even they tend to border on questionable. For example, a new student is very unlikely to pick a new table of kids to sit with every day at lunch just to avoid the one kid they do know. And while it is a classic cliché for new kids to eat their lunches in the bathroom, it's highly unlikely and impractical that this ever happens. Students typically need a pass to get out of lunch - and most would prefer to eat in a teacher's room, the hallway, or an empty classroom, before they'd ever even consider eating on a toilet.
Thirdly, there's the humor. I need to highlight the fact that writing humor is not easy. Especially since humor for one person might not be considered funny to another. So while I might be criticizing the humor in this book, I do recognize that it is likely to be funny for someone else. But for me, it was a sarcastic humor undertone that was forced. I couldn't enjoy it. Katie's inner monologues were filled with disdain for the world and her quips were often immature rather than purposeful.
Lastly, the names. Mrs. Smartly? Really? "In Between" as a name for a town? Maybe I'm being too critical, but it doesn't seem like Jones put much effort into the name development for this book. But maybe that's just me.
I'll stop there for now.
The Plot
Katie's mom is in jail and she is thrown into the foster care system. She's at a home for girls with a caretaker, until a family decides that they want to give her a chance. But Katie knows she'll be back in the home with the other girls soon enough - that's how it always goes, anyway, isn't it?
But when she gets to In Between, she's mesmerized by the fresh-baked cookies her foster mom whipped up, and the beautifully pink and luxurious room she now no longer wants to live without. But of course, since she's expecting to go back to the home any day now, she can't act as though she likes any of it.
When it's time to start school, she forces herself to act as obnoxious as possible, donning a persona that is not her, in hopes of speeding up the process to avoid this feeling of being stuck in between being happy and knowing where she belongs.
Falling in with the wrong crowd, Katie makes some catastrophic mistakes that end up hurting the only people who have truly been there for her since coming to In Between. Now it's up to her to right the wrongs and set things on the right path.
But Katie's new family seems to be hiding something. And her curiosity gets the best of her until it all comes spilling out. Can Katie help bring happiness to this small town? To her new parents? To a broken family?
---
This book wasn't my favorite, but it definitely had some redeeming qualities. That being said, I don't think I'll be continuing the series.
Before I dive too deep into this review, I need to say that every book that is published exists for a reason. There is someone in the world who will enjoy and appreciate it. This book was not for me, but I can see reasons why people would enjoy it.
Appreciations
This book is about hope. It's about family - whether they're chosen or given. It's about finding people you can trust and count on, even when you thought the world had given up on you.
The second half of the book gets better. Better from what, you might ask … for that, check out the content under "Criticisms" below. But either way, the second half is better. It's a bit more realistic, and provides a bit more of a story arc that shows improvement and developing characterization.
There is a religious component to this book, as the family taking in Katie are both a Pastor and his wife. But more than this, they bring her to church and she participates in youth services, and she tries to come to terms with her own questionings about God. Personally, this was actually something I didn't care for, as I am not a religious person and it came on a bit heavy for my liking, but I'm placing this in the "appreciation" section simply because it also wasn't too forced or preachy. While I was a bit uncomfortable with it, so was Katie at first. I could relate to her, and isn't that the entire point of reading?
Criticisms
Sadly, I have more criticisms than praises for this book.
First of all, the protagonist, Katie, is supposedly a sophomore in high school, yet for the first half of the book she acts and whines as though she is in middle school. While I understand some high schoolers do this, it was largely unrealistic of the age she was supposed to be representing. Especially since, in my experience, most foster kids end up being forced to grow up so fast, that they typically act older not younger than they are.
Secondly, much of the book takes place in a high school, but I'm not entirely sold on the fact that the author, Jenny B. Jones, knows how high schools operate. Teachers wouldn't be able to get away with abusive behavior - no matter who they are related to. Students wouldn't be able to switch classes in their schedule late into the semester just because they want to try something new. Luckily the student interactions are fairly realistic, but even they tend to border on questionable. For example, a new student is very unlikely to pick a new table of kids to sit with every day at lunch just to avoid the one kid they do know. And while it is a classic cliché for new kids to eat their lunches in the bathroom, it's highly unlikely and impractical that this ever happens. Students typically need a pass to get out of lunch - and most would prefer to eat in a teacher's room, the hallway, or an empty classroom, before they'd ever even consider eating on a toilet.
Thirdly, there's the humor. I need to highlight the fact that writing humor is not easy. Especially since humor for one person might not be considered funny to another. So while I might be criticizing the humor in this book, I do recognize that it is likely to be funny for someone else. But for me, it was a sarcastic humor undertone that was forced. I couldn't enjoy it. Katie's inner monologues were filled with disdain for the world and her quips were often immature rather than purposeful.
Lastly, the names. Mrs. Smartly? Really? "In Between" as a name for a town? Maybe I'm being too critical, but it doesn't seem like Jones put much effort into the name development for this book. But maybe that's just me.
I'll stop there for now.
The Plot
Katie's mom is in jail and she is thrown into the foster care system. She's at a home for girls with a caretaker, until a family decides that they want to give her a chance. But Katie knows she'll be back in the home with the other girls soon enough - that's how it always goes, anyway, isn't it?
But when she gets to In Between, she's mesmerized by the fresh-baked cookies her foster mom whipped up, and the beautifully pink and luxurious room she now no longer wants to live without. But of course, since she's expecting to go back to the home any day now, she can't act as though she likes any of it.
When it's time to start school, she forces herself to act as obnoxious as possible, donning a persona that is not her, in hopes of speeding up the process to avoid this feeling of being stuck in between being happy and knowing where she belongs.
Falling in with the wrong crowd, Katie makes some catastrophic mistakes that end up hurting the only people who have truly been there for her since coming to In Between. Now it's up to her to right the wrongs and set things on the right path.
But Katie's new family seems to be hiding something. And her curiosity gets the best of her until it all comes spilling out. Can Katie help bring happiness to this small town? To her new parents? To a broken family?
---
This book wasn't my favorite, but it definitely had some redeeming qualities. That being said, I don't think I'll be continuing the series.
mb_booklady's review against another edition
4.0
Parts of this book were laugh out loud funny. Other parts had me wondering if there was any way possible Katie was really that naive.
Overall, a good story. I have ordered this one to go in my middle-school library.
Overall, a good story. I have ordered this one to go in my middle-school library.
amyma's review against another edition
4.0
I found this to be a light, Christian book that would appeal most to teens, although I did enjoy it. I was drawn to it because it dealt with a foster child, since I've been in contact with so many. The story deals with running with the wrong crowd and the consequences of that, but is still quite a sweet book. There were a lot of funny, laugh-out-loud moments while reading In Between.
victoria_08's review
4.0
I loved this book in middle school and so I wanted to pick it up again and see if it was as good as I remembered. This was super nostalgic, I really enjoyed getting to read this again. This is funny (though sometimes it can be a little overkill) and sweet. It's definitely unrealistic but I love it nonetheless
anke_books's review
De schrijfstijl was niet voor mij. De achtergrond van pleegzorg en traumatiserende ervaringen vond ik zo ver van de realiteit staan, daar kon ik niets mee.
katemarie99's review against another edition
4.0
16-year old girl in foster care? Check.
Driving to her new home with her social worker? Check.
Feels sad and abandoned even though she didn't like the social worker that much? Check.
Family is sweet-but-eccentric? Check.
Girl does something awful? Check.
And then family-who-was-supposedly-really-nice get all vengeful and disappointed and distrustful? Whoa, whoa, whoa!
THAT was not supposed to happen. Up until THAT happened, this book was a CARBON COPY of Runaway by Dandi Daley Mackall.
But then it takes this huge departure. That was the part where the family is suppose to be like, "You're more important to us than any theatre and we're just glad you're okay!" And, for the record, if I were Katie, I nernerver would've forgiven them for their reaction.
Even though it was totally predictable, Jones is hysterical.
Driving to her new home with her social worker? Check.
Feels sad and abandoned even though she didn't like the social worker that much? Check.
Family is sweet-but-eccentric? Check.
Girl does something awful? Check.
And then family-who-was-supposedly-really-nice get all vengeful and disappointed and distrustful? Whoa, whoa, whoa!
THAT was not supposed to happen. Up until THAT happened, this book was a CARBON COPY of Runaway by Dandi Daley Mackall.
But then it takes this huge departure. That was the part where the family is suppose to be like, "You're more important to us than any theatre and we're just glad you're okay!" And, for the record, if I were Katie, I nernerver would've forgiven them for their reaction.
Even though it was totally predictable, Jones is hysterical.
jolenetang's review against another edition
3.0
A light-hearted read with a somewhat interesting storyline and a few unique characters written in. I especially appreciated the grandmother- sometimes a little too quirky for believability, but still the character with the most entertaining background. I also liked Millie and James Scott as the author did somewhat well in creating tension between the two and leaving out certain details about their lives in order to reveal them later in the story.
I have to say though that my major qualm with this book was with regards to the writing style. It came off as trying too hard to be funny and quirky. I think it quite possibly could have been executed a little better had some of the constant stream-of-consciousness narration been cut out so not every paragraph contained some sort of witty inner banter.
Likely an enjoyable read for some, but I was sadly underwhelmed by its execution and it's probably not a story I'll be revisiting in the foreseeable future.
I have to say though that my major qualm with this book was with regards to the writing style. It came off as trying too hard to be funny and quirky. I think it quite possibly could have been executed a little better had some of the constant stream-of-consciousness narration been cut out so not every paragraph contained some sort of witty inner banter.
Likely an enjoyable read for some, but I was sadly underwhelmed by its execution and it's probably not a story I'll be revisiting in the foreseeable future.
mazza57's review against another edition
4.0
throughly good read - well told story with humour, pathos and teenage angst will be looking for more in the series. A good beach read