Review: Who is Kia?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2013
Kia Valentines is a tall, nerdy, quick-witted teenager who doesn't mind the fact that she's never had a boyfriend, or that she's a total dork. She's never really noticed guys anyway (and prefers to go mostly unnoticed around other people), and as far as being a total dork? She's proud of it. Kia's unapologetic attitude for who she is may possibly be the most refreshing thing about her. Then, of course, we get the girl-meets-boy, and Kia turns to goo. Complete, utter goo. And who can blame her, considering what Adam looks like. Only one problem – he's her best friend's brother. What's also refreshing is he falls just as hard for Kia, and isn't afraid of it. He's not the typical book boyfriend (okay, so technically he never is the boyfriend in this book).Airicka Phoenix has a great knack for writing characters, and even though I've only read one other book of hers (besides this series), I feel confident in saying it's her understanding of the characters that is what draws me to wanting to read more. The characters feel like real people; Kia is a part of me, I see so much of myself in her (I'm sure that's a good thing). But the other characters are relatable, and even the bully isn't one-dimensional, evil and mean and bitchy for the sake of it because the story called for a bitch character.The book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, and I waited until the second book was out until I read more than a dozen or so pages. But once I started reading it for good, I was hooked, I couldn't put it down. I finished in less than three hours, and man, did I laugh a lot! Some was at things meant to be funny, others at things I recognized in myself ten years ago. Not everything is hand-delivered to you, so if you don't like having any mystery about details, this isn't your book. You're meant to think. But Kia and her antics (just her klutziness alone) will have you laughing, and she is the reason for reading this book.