A review by sherwoodreads
The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone

Sadie is a high school junior who hung out with the seniors, as her own class was full of losers. The summer after she said goodbye to them all, including her bestie, she goes to work at a local fruit and veg stand--at least, she starts the summer doing that. Then comes the Incident. Which changes everything.

Sadie is our narrator, fiercely observant, full of big questions, full of heart. She ends up at a community lunch where she meets some other local teens. The group of them get together, and then decide to form a secret organization that does random acts of kindness.

The story involves them all--goals, setbacks, motivations, promises. Problems, such as one girl's horrible descent into heroin addiction. Misunderstandings. Along the way, parents slowly become human beings, with pasts and problems of their own.

It's a fast-paced, vivid book full of typical teen humor, passion, grim things and good things. A dash of wish fulfillment, but in the best way. I found the book nearly impossible to put down.

I think teens and up would enjoy it, though parents who are on the watch for such things should know that there are some f-bombs here and there, and under-eighteens having casual sex. But I hope that those elements won't turn away possible readers: such a book, encountering various differing points of view and problems head on, and dealing with the consequences, has the potential to get parents and kids talking together about their own life choices. Communication, as illustrated here so well (sometimes heartbreakingly well), is so vital.

Copy provided courtesy of NetGalley