Review: Robin Palmer - Cindy Ella

Robin Palmer - Cindy Ella

• Pub. Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Audible, Inc.
• Format: Audio Book
• Age Range: Young Adult

Prom fever has infected LA—especially Cindy's two annoying stepsisters, and her overly Botoxed stepmother. Cindy seems to be the only one immune to it all. But her anti-prom letter in the school newspaper does more to turn Cindy into Queen of the Freaks than close the gap between the popular kids and the rest of the students. Everyone thinks she's committed social suicide, except for her two best friends, the yoga goddess India and John Hughes—worshipping Malcolm, and shockingly, the most popular senior at Castle Heights High and Cindy's crush, Adam Silver. Suddenly Cindy starts to think that maybe her social life could have a happily ever after. But there's still the rest of the school to deal with. With a little bit of help from an unexpected source and a fabulous pair of heels, Cindy realizes that she still has a chance at a happily ever after.

I checked out this audio book from the local library. Here is my honest review:

I literally cringed when I heard that Jessica Almasy was narrating this book. HOWEVER, this was THE book for her! She was outstanding in this novel! It just goes to show that it really does matter what the subject matter is, what the tone is, and how a book is written. I so loved her as the narrator of this novel.

I also really enjoyed the content of this book. It was fairly predictable, but some things still surprised me. It was fun to listen to, and I enjoyed Cindy's take on life and the prom. She's a brave girl, standing up for what she believes in. She has quirky and fantastic friends, a peculiar job, a crazy family, and a strong personality. She's lucky that things go down the way they do, of course, but she doesn't seem to take it for granted. Cindy seems like a teenage girl with a good head on her shoulders.

Sometimes I wish authors would give us a glimpse into the future to see how the ends of these novels work out. I love a happy ending and all, and maybe it's because I got the high school relationship and it turned out horribly. So I'd like to know what happens with these HS relationships. It's all well and good that they get the dates but.. know what I mean? Anyway.. fun novel!!

What I liked:

• Jessica Almasy. I didn't think I'd ever say that I like her as a narrator, but she finally found a book that works for her! This novel was meant to be read by her. I actually enjoyed it.
• The anti-prom idea. Cindy has the right idea: Prom makes girls go crazy! They spend too much money and stress and fuss over one dance. It's insane. It's like weddings now. Goodness.
• Cindy's friends. They were hilarious and cool. India and Malcolm were great. Then she met her tutor, and he was fabulous too. Plus her little brother made for super funny entertainment.
  
• The end. Wait until it happens at the end. I predicted it, but it's still fun!

What I didn't like:

• Predictability. Even though it's fantastic, I didn't really care for the fact that I totally called it from the beginning. That's okay - I was happy that it happened anyway.
• Her family. Yes, she has an evil step-mother and ditzy step-sisters, but even her dad irked me sometimes. He redeemed himself when he enjoyed her letter to the editor. And her brother was always hilarious :o)
• The MC is young. She's fifteen and a half and doesn't let us forget it. Sometimes she tells us to remind us, sometimes she just does young things. Goodness.
  

Bottom Line: I thoroughly enjoyed this light YA book. It's funny and amusing. Enjoy!

Rating:

3.5 / 5 book sharks