Title: So Not Happening
Author: Jenny B. Jones
Rating: Spend the Day Sleepy
As I writer, one of the challenges I face is coming up with original plot ideas. The Bible is clear that there is nothing new under the sun and that certainly goes for plot lines. But sometimes, you come across a predictable premise told in an incredibly fresh and entertaining way. That was So Not Happening.
The novel follows the classic “city mouse in the country” format. Isabella Kirkwood is a spoiled daughter of a plastic surgeon forced to go to live in Truman, Oklahoma with her mother and her new husband and her two step brothers. She has to leave everything she knows and loves (including her access to fashionable clothing) to learn a new way of life, one she doesn’t like. But she soon discovers that God may have sent her there for another reason.
Bella is the most lovable brat I’ve read about in a long time. She is funny, sassy but not so much that you can’t connect to her plight. You almost feel sorry for her because she really believes that her New York life is better. And the best thing is that there is a serious plot to the book. It’s not completely about Bella’s whining (which would have been annoying because she whines a lot). It had a solid mystery going that kept me guessing till the end. The supporting characters were great (Robbie her little step-brother is hilarious) and have some surprises up their sleeves.
I think the biggest surprise is that this book is YA, but it doesn’t dumb it down. I totally enjoyed it for someone my age (and I’m well beyond YA age, trust me.) I got halfway through it and told my 14 year old daughter that she had to read it. It’s a great read. Finished it in twenty four hours!
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