Review: Oh, Coco, you snarky brat. Loved your face.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 6, 2014
I read it in one day.There's something about Coco Franks that I loved and completely hated. I am her sister Charlie so I didn't really align myself in understanding Coco's mindset of needing makeup. But there was something so fascinating about Coco's view on life that, despite her brattiness, endeared her to me immediately. It brought me back to my teenage years in a very real way. She really does go through a lot and you can't help but feel for her, the stubborn brat!Part of me just loved Coco for her want to fit in, her drive to be as loved and accepted as Charlie. Being popular as her "thing" seemed sufficient motivation as to why Coco wanted to be so popular for me, and was willing to forgo all else for it, although I could never adopt that mindset myself.What's great about her brattiness is the development that came a long with this story. Coco is annoying, self-consumed, and totally snarky. But she develops in a muddy, more accepting, contrite girl that moves forward past her self-consumption. I was most impressed by the amount of character development I saw in this book.I loved Charlie, too. And the hilarious exploits that Coco found herself in that made me bust up. I know some other reviews have tagged this as a slow start, but Coco has so much attitude and voice at the beginning that I was hooked from the get-go and didn't think it was slow at all. Personality is Coco's hook, and she has it in abundance.I've read Paterson's other novel, and while I enjoyed Invisible, and it made me want to read this one, I LOVED this book. It's totally appropriate for any girl who has ever been through the teen years, who may be currently going through them, or who anticipates going through them soon.I'm keeping my eye on Paterson for future works.