A review by pikasqueaks
The Rivals by Daisy Whitney
4.0
Alex is one of those characters it's impossible to dislike. She has a good heart, a good head, and she's trying to do the right thing. It's obvious from that start that she doesn't know how to handle her new role as the head of The Mockingbirds, and people take advantage of that left and right.
What I liked the most about her, however, was the fact that everything that happened in The Mockingbirds wasn't erased. It still mattered. Alex was still recovering, rebuilding, and working towards breaking through her rape. Add that to the fact that the details of the event were known throughout the school because of the case, and it's understandable why her hesitations as a leader got in her own way.
Daisy Whitney does a remarkable job of building things up. If there's one thing that stands out about her writing, it's that the smallest conflicts in the book (which aren't so small, you find in the end) create so much tension and frustration that you almost can't believe it was something that insignificant. It's not just with the bad kind of tension either, though. The sexual tension in this book is nicely done. Alex and Martin are working on balancing who they were, who they are, and who they want to be, and you can feel it in their scenes together. There is one scene, with Alex playing at the piano and Martin behind her, and the beautiful tension that builds between them, that I still haven't gotten out of my mind.
The idea of a prescription drug ring might not capture your interest at first, if that's not something you're into. Like most of my favorite young adult books, that's not even the beginning. You find out that there are some shady goings-on at the school (as usual), and at one point, I can guarantee that your stomach will drop, just as Alex's does. It might happen again and again, depending on how quickly you pick up the subtext and clues.
Daisy Whitney writes with a strength and power that has been overlooked. The voice is strong, her descriptions are spot-on, and her characters are real. They are angry, they are frustrated, they are confused and disoriented, they are teenagers. But make no mistake, they are not stupid. They are smart and powerful. These are not your bubblegum chewing, grunting airheads from the movies.
What I liked the most about her, however, was the fact that everything that happened in The Mockingbirds wasn't erased. It still mattered. Alex was still recovering, rebuilding, and working towards breaking through her rape. Add that to the fact that the details of the event were known throughout the school because of the case, and it's understandable why her hesitations as a leader got in her own way.
Daisy Whitney does a remarkable job of building things up. If there's one thing that stands out about her writing, it's that the smallest conflicts in the book (which aren't so small, you find in the end) create so much tension and frustration that you almost can't believe it was something that insignificant. It's not just with the bad kind of tension either, though. The sexual tension in this book is nicely done. Alex and Martin are working on balancing who they were, who they are, and who they want to be, and you can feel it in their scenes together. There is one scene, with Alex playing at the piano and Martin behind her, and the beautiful tension that builds between them, that I still haven't gotten out of my mind.
The idea of a prescription drug ring might not capture your interest at first, if that's not something you're into. Like most of my favorite young adult books, that's not even the beginning. You find out that there are some shady goings-on at the school (as usual), and at one point, I can guarantee that your stomach will drop, just as Alex's does. It might happen again and again, depending on how quickly you pick up the subtext and clues.
Daisy Whitney writes with a strength and power that has been overlooked. The voice is strong, her descriptions are spot-on, and her characters are real. They are angry, they are frustrated, they are confused and disoriented, they are teenagers. But make no mistake, they are not stupid. They are smart and powerful. These are not your bubblegum chewing, grunting airheads from the movies.