#BookReview ACCIDENTALLY ME by @kim_karras #BlogTour
I don't usually do reviews here, but I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of this review tour—and even more excited when I downloaded the ARC and was simpatico with the main character on page one.
“Maybe, just maybe, if I can convince Dad that I’m in enough danger at home, he won’t mind shipping me to California for school. But there’s only one problem. If I hope to pull this stalker scheme off, I’m going to need more than just a scary story.”
Sabrina has been trying to be the perfect child her whole life to convince her parents that she’s more than just an “accident.” Now she is desperate to go to her dream college, but her parents want her to stay close to home. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Sabrina must team up with an unlikely ally to get what she wants. But she can’t let her parents discover her plan. If she wants to maintain her perfect image, Sabrina must break rules that even her rebel sister keeps . . .
In one word, I'd call ACCIDENTALLY ME by Kim Karras delightful. In a lot of words...
ACCIDENTALLY ME by Kim Karras
Sabrina has been trying to be the perfect child her whole life to convince her parents that she’s more than just an “accident.” Now she is desperate to go to her dream college, but her parents want her to stay close to home. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Sabrina must team up with an unlikely ally to get what she wants. But she can’t let her parents discover her plan. If she wants to maintain her perfect image, Sabrina must break rules that even her rebel sister keeps . . .
MY REVIEW
In one word, I'd call ACCIDENTALLY ME by Kim Karras delightful. In a lot of words...
Sabrina's the kind of quirky character I'm immediately drawn to. She's over-confident in some ways and so-not-confident in others. She's smart enough to have received a scholarship to the college of her dreams but dumb enough to think she can pull off a pretend stalker situation. She often comes across as younger than her 18 years, sometimes unbelievably so, but overall, I found her naivete refreshing.
The story is told in first person, and I think that was a perfect choice because it lets us see inside Sabrina's skewed perception of herself and everything around her. It also allows her subtle brand of cheeky wit to shine. For Mom, no crisis can compete with the urgency of hot rolls in the oven. She's sometimes harsh in her entertaining observations of her family, but what 18 year old isn't? Eventually, she cuts her sister some slack, and the growth in that relationship is one of my favorite aspects of this story.
Another favorite aspect—Calvin. I adore him. He's so complex and intriguing. Just when you want to love him, you realize you shouldn't. And just when you're fixin' to hate him, you can't. At least I couldn't.
The flow of the writing is smooth and fast yet still allows for original and vivid description, almost always mixed with humor:
We are huddled together on Paul's front porch like would-be trick-or-treaters, costumed as the perfect family. The word "coif" comes to mind—and I'm not just talking about us women. Heather has teased so much gel into Mack's fine blonde hair it's as if he's wearing a hair helmet. Or a mace. I inch away from Mack so as not to puncture myself on one of his sharp, stiff spikes of hair, wondering if there isn't something willfully aggressive about the way Heather's transformed him into a weapon. Love is a battlefield, indeed.
Another favorite aspect—Calvin. I adore him. He's so complex and intriguing. Just when you want to love him, you realize you shouldn't. And just when you're fixin' to hate him, you can't. At least I couldn't.
The flow of the writing is smooth and fast yet still allows for original and vivid description, almost always mixed with humor:
We are huddled together on Paul's front porch like would-be trick-or-treaters, costumed as the perfect family. The word "coif" comes to mind—and I'm not just talking about us women. Heather has teased so much gel into Mack's fine blonde hair it's as if he's wearing a hair helmet. Or a mace. I inch away from Mack so as not to puncture myself on one of his sharp, stiff spikes of hair, wondering if there isn't something willfully aggressive about the way Heather's transformed him into a weapon. Love is a battlefield, indeed.
I highly recommend this story to those who enjoy clever writing and quirky characters.
Comments
ALL the best to Kim!