[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Amulet books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Susan, Daisy and Esther are in their first year of college. As neighbors, it was natural that they would become friends.
Susan is studying medicine. She also has background as a non-licensed private investigator. She has a strong personality and no patience for bullies.
Daisy was raised by her grandmother and home-schooled. She’s sweet and naive and eager to try new things and find her place at college. Although signing up for 32 extracurriculars might be going too far.
Esther comes from money. She’s officially an English major but she never goes to class. She’s used to BSing her way through things but college students are more savvy than she realized. She’s desperate to be friends with a Goth-looking girl she’s seen glimpses of on campus.
While the girls care about one another, they get sidetracked by their personal drama. And while they are focused on themselves, one of the girls walks into a situation she might not be able to get out of.
Review
This is a quirky story. It took awhile for me to get the feel of the girls and for the story to build to the main crisis. But the girls and their friendship is really the point of the story. So once I had sense of each of the girls, I was on board for the rest.
I don’t know that I had a favorite among the core characters. I loved Susan’s strong personality. I wish the private investigator pieces were a little bigger because that was a fun twist to her character. I cracked up at Daisy’s 32 clubs and her inability to choose what to keep and what to leave. Esther wants so desperately for Vectra to like her that she puts up with Vectra’s appalling behavior. I was so sad for Esther. I was cheering for her to dump Vectra and stick with her true friends.
The climax at the end was terrific. It made the rest of the book come together, and the characters got to be the best versions of themselves. The source material for this is a graphic novel series. I’m curious to see how similar the graphic novels are to this and how the different format changes or enhances the story. (Some mature content and adult behavior.)