- I was totally "on the fence" about reading this book. I've not had much luck in the last few weeks with books and I've found a weird trend that pretty covers let me down.

*jumps off fence and dusts self off*

I really liked this book. YA and I have been on a break and I was trying to stay away from it, but I'm glad I gave this book a fair chance. It was super cute. And I read it in just a few hours. I was worried that the MC would drive me nuts (as 95% of the female MC's do) but she was only annoying like once. And just a little. So, it was good. Read it. Enjoy.

The summary is very intriguing. It's a totally unbelievable idea made into a completely believable story. I had a hard time with the part of the story that has them with $67,000 for the pot plus additional money to pay the two judges. The author states that every school day of their senior year each student paid a dollar a day. She states there were about 150 students. At 5.00 a week for 40 weeks that is 200.00 x 150 students is only $30G. (AND OH MY GOD I JUST RUINED THE WHOLE STORY. I mean how did no one do the math on this yet?) This town was supposedly bankrupt and everyone was supposedly super poor. Yet, they all had cell phones and could come up with the money for this? I'm sorry. I've been super poor. I've had to go days in school without lunch. Coming up with 5.00 in a month, let a lone a week was hard enough. (ugh. I'll stop with my personal hang up on this bit. I get so damn touchy on the subject. I know, I know, not your problem. Shut up, Denise!)

Still, it was a really good story. The only other thing that really put me off was that the story is told in alternating points of view. Heather's and Dodge's. So, when the story implied that they "liked" other people I did not let myself invest in them with that other person because I assumed H&D would get together. That did not happen. I should have allowed myself to like them with the other characters instead of each other. Oh well. Live and learn.  

So, all that aside. My little grievances were just that - little. It was a good read and the only reason I would not rec it to an actual YA person is because I wouldn't want to give them ideas. This actually could happen in a po dunk town. (well not for $70 large but maybe like 5 grand.) Ok, now I'm rambling. Carry on.

This book is #2 in my book challenge. (Randomly picking books from my kindle to read without first reading the posted reviews or the summary). I really liked it. I was hesitant at first because YA and I were on a break, but it was really good. 

I cried a few times. I had back flashes to my own teen years more than a few times. I was a little disappointed with the character, Char, but after sighing and pulling up my big girl panties, I realized that was the way his character had to be. It would not have worked if it went any other way. Elise was written remarkably well because for a character that I had so little in common with, I felt like we shared a lot anyway. 

So, I just went back to GR to see how everyone else rated this book. And it has almost all 4 and 5 star ratings. That would have scared me if I looked there before reading it. I may have went in to it thinking I would hate it based solely on that. 

In the Going in Blind Challenge, I'm two for two. Liking this idea more and more.

Flounced. Not counting this toward my goal as I did not finish. I should have known with the high number of 4 and 5 stars, but I hope. I keep hoping. It's obviously, wait for it, hopeless.