Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (2)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Trigiani's Second YA A Little too Ho-Hum For Me
6:46 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
(Note: Although this review will not contain spoilers for Viola in the Spotlight, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, Viola in Reel Life. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Then, Andrew announces that he'll be spending most of the summer at a sleepaway camp in Maine and Caitlin mentions her new, full-time job at a dental office. Suddenly, Viola's perfect summer is looking a little ... lonely. When a cute British teenager moves into the Chesterton's downstairs apartment, she perks up—oooh, the possibilities—but Maurice has someone else in his sights, someone whose parents don't want her even going near a boy. Before she knows it, Viola's summer has become a whole lot more exciting than she ever dreamed it could be, just not necessarily in a good way. She's running interference for Caitlin and Maurice, interning for a cranky lighting director, and trying to figure out what exactly is making Andrew act so weird around her. Viola's cracking under all the pressure. She can't help asking herself some uncomfortable questions: Was coming home the right thing to do? Does she fit in in Brooklyn anymore? Did she leave her heart—not to mention her true friends—back in Indiana? Viola's going to have to decide where she really belongs. If, of course, she survives what is turning out to be a very interesting summer ...
As much as I adore Adriana Trigiani's adult novels, I haven't loved the author's YA series. I'm not sure why, since its filled with the same kind of warmth as her other books. It's just that our heroine—Viola—doesn't quite do it for me. She's funny, for sure, but she's also kind of self-centered and whiny. Plus, Viola in the Spotlight doesn't offer much in the way of a plot. So, while the book's entertaining enough, it's not going to stick out in a crowd of contemporary YA novels. I really want to love this series, but it's more ho-hum than I would have expected from an author like Trigiani. In the end, I found Viola in the Spotlight, like its predecessor (Viola in Reel Life) to be just okay. Bummer.
(Readalikes: Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani)
Grade: B-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for nothing offensive, just content most suited for readers aged 12 and up
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Viola in the Spotlight from the generous folks at HarperTeen. Thank you!
1 comment:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Listening
The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
-
30 in 2023Fun Guide2 hours ago
-
-
-
Buck, Pearl S. "The Patriot"3 hours ago
-
Dogwood4 hours ago
-
-
-
-
A Death In Jerusalem8 hours ago
-
Graphic Novel Two-fer12 hours ago
-
-
-
My January 2023 Round-up18 hours ago
-
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan20 hours ago
-
-
Linkity for Valentine’s Month22 hours ago
-
-
-
-
Sunday Post1 day ago
-
-
Sunday News #461 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
A couple of library books2 days ago
-
-
Sunday Post #4902 days ago
-
Books I Read in January 20233 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Review of Matilda1 week ago
-
-
Top Ten Books of 20223 weeks ago
-
Books Read in 20234 weeks ago
-
-
Nonfiction November 2022: New to My TBR2 months ago
-
Thinking Out Loud: Our Wives Under the Sea2 months ago
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?3 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen6 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
Sorry. There's nothing wrote like being disappointed by an author. :-(
ReplyDelete