A review by michelle_pink_polka_dot
Be True to Me by Adele Griffin
5.0
Summery with an edge. A book that made me miss those childhood summers of freedom and friends. It's also completely addicting and I'll be so tired now that I've stayed up all night reading.
I was so excited for this book because-- 70's, and summer, and ADELE GRIFFIN. I know Ms. Griffin doesn't make most people's lists of fave authors, but she's super high on mine. You wanna know why?? It's because her books fucking GO FOR IT. They aren't perfect, and things don't always go the way I want them to go. The characters are HARSH. But I love the fact that it's so completely different with a unique writing style.
It's the summer of 1976-- the bicentennial. Man, it made me wish I was alive to celebrate America's 200th year. I'll bet is was a great party. Anyway, the setting and the era was complete perfection. I loved the 70's fashions and slang. I loved the way summer came through this book so hard I could almost smell the sunshine and sunscreen.
Characters: As I started reading it, I really took Jean's side. It's about 2 girls with nothing in common except that they both spend summers in a town on Fire Island. I feel like Fritz (the other girl), is the one that most people will gravitate towards-- she's definitely more likable.... but you know me. I have to be a rebel and like the one I'm probably not supposed to. The thing is, Jean was flawed and had all the resources and advantages, but at the same time she had an inner pain that I could relate to. She goes through a big character arc, deals with heartbreak, but she's the type who will always land on her feet eventually. She's the type that I root for.
Now we get to the end. Holy smokes. The ending gives this book an edge that honestly, I think it needed. Up until then it was just about a love-triangle-- and those can get annoying. About 3/4ths of the way through things started getting INTENSE and I could not stop reading. I was up super late because I just HAD to know. Don't you love when that happens??
OVERALL: OMG YES!!! It's the perfect summer book--- plus it's the 70's!!! How many 70's YA books are there being published? It's addicting, cool, edgy, and about so much more than a love-triangle.
My Blog:
I was so excited for this book because-- 70's, and summer, and ADELE GRIFFIN. I know Ms. Griffin doesn't make most people's lists of fave authors, but she's super high on mine. You wanna know why?? It's because her books fucking GO FOR IT. They aren't perfect, and things don't always go the way I want them to go. The characters are HARSH. But I love the fact that it's so completely different with a unique writing style.
It's the summer of 1976-- the bicentennial. Man, it made me wish I was alive to celebrate America's 200th year. I'll bet is was a great party. Anyway, the setting and the era was complete perfection. I loved the 70's fashions and slang. I loved the way summer came through this book so hard I could almost smell the sunshine and sunscreen.
Characters: As I started reading it, I really took Jean's side. It's about 2 girls with nothing in common except that they both spend summers in a town on Fire Island. I feel like Fritz (the other girl), is the one that most people will gravitate towards-- she's definitely more likable.... but you know me. I have to be a rebel and like the one I'm probably not supposed to. The thing is, Jean was flawed and had all the resources and advantages, but at the same time she had an inner pain that I could relate to. She goes through a big character arc, deals with heartbreak, but she's the type who will always land on her feet eventually. She's the type that I root for.
Now we get to the end. Holy smokes. The ending gives this book an edge that honestly, I think it needed. Up until then it was just about a love-triangle-- and those can get annoying. About 3/4ths of the way through things started getting INTENSE and I could not stop reading. I was up super late because I just HAD to know. Don't you love when that happens??
OVERALL: OMG YES!!! It's the perfect summer book--- plus it's the 70's!!! How many 70's YA books are there being published? It's addicting, cool, edgy, and about so much more than a love-triangle.
My Blog: