by Susan Hatler
Kindle Edition, 163 pages
Published
April 15th 2016
by Hatco Publishing
Teen geek, Poppy
Pinkleton, is adding some spice to her senior year of high school: A
year of psychological experiments that will 1) Earn her three units of
college credit; 2) Give her an outlet to say what she wants, when she
wants; and 3) Will NOT include her parents telling her to be the “bigger
person.”
How, you ask? Poppy’s gotten the green light from Mrs. Peterson, the newspaper head, to write an online advice column for the school. She’s found the perfect name for her alter ego: Aubrey. It means someone who rules with “magical wisdom.” She’ll be in control of her online experiment, online identity, and divvy her wisdom to the masses while tracking the results for her mini-thesis.
How, you ask? Poppy’s gotten the green light from Mrs. Peterson, the newspaper head, to write an online advice column for the school. She’s found the perfect name for her alter ego: Aubrey. It means someone who rules with “magical wisdom.” She’ll be in control of her online experiment, online identity, and divvy her wisdom to the masses while tracking the results for her mini-thesis.
Now, protected by a secret identity, she’s got the popular crowd clambering to know what she thinks about fashion, homework, and eek . . . even sex! And the best part is, her parents and best friends don’t know anything about it. Finally, she can let loose a wild side and speak her mind—right or wrong, without having to meet anyone’s expectations.
Soon, however, dishing out advice leads to more than Poppy can handle on her own and she must make a choice. Hide behind her alter ego or take the chance that everyone, including the new boy at school, will like her for everything she is.
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My Review: 5 Stars
I can now look back on my high school years with rose-colored glasses and fondness. The good times and bad times are now sweet memories that I can laugh and smile about. Ah...those were the days and if I could go back and relive them, of course, knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn't, but I might. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy revisiting some of those memories, because I do, and that's just what this book did for me--it brought me back to that time in my life, but with the knowledge I now possess.
In some ways, Poppy is more mature than most for her age. She is completely dedicated to school and loyal to her best friend, and a pact they made with each other in junior high. For a college credit project, she comes up with the plan to launch an anonymous advice column that turns her school, and everyone in it, upside down. Why is it so hard to say what you mean, speak your mind, or be honest with yourself or those around you? For some reason, it's so much easier to do so when you can hide behind a secret identity, whether it be those seeking advice or for the one giving it. Even as an adult, it's much easier to avoid conflict.
There are so many life-altering events that spark because of this column and many of these teens start to learn who they truly are, how their choices and words affect others, and they get a little taste about what it means to grow up. I absolutely loved the relationships, friendships, rivalries, and situations found within these pages. I adored the lessons and the smart wit of many of the characters. I admired the courage and maturity it takes for these people to make changes. My only complaint is the PE teacher--I kind of get where he's coming from and how he's striving to make his students achieve their best, but he comes across as a big jerk.
I've decided that Ms. Hatler can write anything--she's fantastic, no matter the genre and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in this series.
Content: some innuendo, talk of hooking up, mild romance (kissing). Clean!
*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
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Buy Link
About the Author
So glad you enjoyed Poppy's story!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad, too!
DeleteI was on the fence with this book, but if you say its good I believe you. I have found more than one book I loved from your blog!
ReplyDeleteIf you like YA books, you should like this one! At least, I hope so. :)
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