Category Archives: Rebecca Phillips

Review: Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips

any other girlTitle: Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance
Length: 272 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

After a disastrous, reputation-destroying party at the end of junior year, Kat Henley has a new plan. When it comes to boys—especially other people’s boys:

Don’t touch.
Don’t smile.
Don’t charm.

In the past, drawing attention to herself helped distract people from what really makes Kat different—having two gay parents. But it’s also cost her friendships. Kat can’t afford to lose any more of those, especially not her cousin, Harper. They’re spending one last summer together at the lake, where they run into an intriguing newcomer named Emmett Reese. After years of trying to prove she’s just like everybody else, Kat has found someone who wants her because she’s not. A boy who could be everything she wants too—if Harper hadn’t liked him first…

Review:

Fast-paced with appealing characters, Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips is a gripping young adult novel that touches on quite a few relevant social issues.

Kat Henley’s friendliness is often perceived as flirting and as the story opens, a conversation at a party with her best friend Shay’s boyfriend ends their two year friendship when Shay accuses Kat of flirting with him. The last weeks of school are uncomfortable since all of Kat’s friends are also Shay’s friends and they turn their backs on Kat in support of Shay. With her apologies falling on deaf ears, Kat is more grateful than usual to be spending the summer at her family’s summer cottage. Eagerly anticipating their last summer together before her cousin Harper leaves for college in the fall, the two girls are delighted to discover a new family is staying at the lake. They quickly invite Emmett Reese to hang out with them and as soon as Kat realizes Harper has a crush on Emmett, she vows to keep her distance from him but will her match making efforts pay off?

Growing up with two dads, Kat learned the best way to deflect negative attention from them was to draw attention to herself. She is naturally exuberant but this attention becomes a way to validate her self-worth and this is where she runs into trouble. She carefully cultivated a girly girl persona to prove to outsiders that she does not need a feminine influence but in doing so, Kat also gives up anything that could be perceived as tomboyish.

Harper is the complete opposite of Kat. Quiet and unassuming, she lacks confidence and her self-esteem took a beating after her parents’ divorce. She has never had a boyfriend or made a big deal about liking a boy, so Kat realizes very quickly just how much Emmett means to her. Harper and Emmett have a love of sports in common but their interactions are often awkward and uncomfortable. Tension mount between the cousins once Kat begins to realize that she has feelings for Emmett and that he feels the same way.

Emmett is a nice, polite young man who quietly observes what is going on around him. He is dealing with family issues the best way he knows how and he is just biding his time until he can leave for college. Trying to avoid his parents as much as possible, Emmett uses running as an escape and he has created a safe place to spend time when things between his parents get too bad.

Despite both Harper and Kat liking the same young man, this is not a typical love triangle storyline. Kat’s main focus is fixing her cousin up with Emmett and she respects Harper’s feelings for him. For his part, Emmett never makes any type of commitment to Harper but once he realizes Kat does not plan to act on her feelings for him, he does make an attempt to see if there is any spark between him and Harper. Only when that fails does Kat even consider a relationship with him, but she remains torn between her loyalty to her cousin and her deepening emotions for Emmett. Kat continues trying to avoid hurting Harper but when the truth finally emerges, the ensuing rift between them seems impossible to repair.

By summer’s end, Kat is more self-aware and she has a much better understanding of the impact her behavior has on others. She also realizes that she can maintain her femininity while at the same time participating in the sports she loves. Kat also manages to face Shay and apologize for her actions with her boyfriend without expecting anything from Shay in return. Kat grows and matures throughout the novel and while she makes a few necessary changes, she still retains the traits that set her apart from others and make her unique.

Any Other Girl is a sweet young adult romance that manages to avoid unnecessary angst or drama. The characters are multi-faceted with easy to relate to flaws and imperfections. The storyline is well-developed and Rebecca Phillips adds depth to the plot with sensitive portrayals of realistic situations such as homophobia and Emmett’s troubled home life. All in all, it is a heartfelt novel that I greatly enjoyed and recommend to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Any Other Girl, Contemporary, Kensington, Rated B+, Rebecca Phillips, Review, Romance, Young Adult

Review: Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips

faking perfectTitle: Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance
Length: 272 pagess
Book Rating: A

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

When Lexi Shaw seduced Oakfield High’s resident bad boy Tyler Flynn at the beginning of senior year, he seemed perfectly okay with her rules:

1. Avoid her at school.
2. Keep his mouth shut about what they do together.
3. Never tease her about her friend (and unrequited crush) Ben.

Because with his integrity and values and golden boy looks, Ben can never find out about what she’s been doing behind closed doors with Tyler. Or that her mom’s too busy drinking and chasing losers to pay the bills. Or that Lexi’s dad hasn’t been a part of her life for the last thirteen years. But with Tyler suddenly breaking the rules, Ben asking her out, and her dad back in the picture, how long will she be able to go on faking perfect?

Review:

Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips is an absolutely outstanding young adult romance. A marvelous cast of characters, a unique storyline and realistic situations make the novel easy to relate to and impossible to put down.

Lexi Shaw has carefully created a persona that helped her cultivate a circle of friends who are popular and well-liked. In an effort to appear as perfect as her friends, Lexi covers up the things she does not like about herself (i.e. her freckles) and her past (her drug addicted absentee father). But she refuses to give up the one friend who knows everything there is to know about her, Nolan Bruce. Nolan’s family provides her the stability and normal family life she does not get in her own home and despite her friends’ disdain for him, she will not let them come between her and her best friend. Although she has had a long term crush on perfect Ben Dorsey, she also has a penchant for bad boys and she scratches this particular itch with Tyler Flynn. Lexi and Tyler have been involved in a secret no strings fling for months but it is purely a physical relationship with a strict set of rules that Tyler must follow if he wants to keep seeing her.

Lexi has not had an easy life with her single mother and sometimes their roles are reversed since her mom is more interested in her latest loser boyfriend than paying bills or keeping food on the table. Lexi escapes as often as she can by hanging out at the Nolan house or going out with her friends. She does not always make the best or wisest decisions, but fortunately, she learns from her mistakes. Her experiences with Ben become a turning point as Lexi comes to the realization that no one is perfect. Once her secrets are exposed, Lexi finally begins to embrace herself, flaws and all.

Faking Perfect is a compelling novel with an appealing, angst free storyline. The cast of characters is vibrantly developed with relatable flaws and imperfections. Rebecca Phillips realistically depicts teen behavior and she handles some very difficult issues in a forthright and matter of fact manner. It is a heartfelt and thought-provoking young adult novel that I highly recommend to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Contemporary, Faking Perfect, Kensington, Rated A, Rebecca Phillips, Review, Romance, Young Adult