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mfumarolo's review against another edition
3.0
What do you do when your already flighty, commitment-phobic mother takes off for Mexico with no way to contact her and no idea when or if she’s coming back? If you’re 17 year old Ritzy, you just try to do your best to roll with it. But when the school year ends and a concerned teacher contacts DCFS, Ritzy finds herself back in a foster home, somewhere she had no idea she’d been as a baby, in a well to do town that might as well be a different planet. Questioning what her mother did all those years ago and where she fits in now, Ritzy is taking a hard look at where she’s been, the opportunities she could have had here, and what it means to be a family.
I’ve long been a fan of Morrill’s books, and this is a solid addition to any YA collection where contemporary stories are popular. Ritzy is obviously in a better than the best case scenario (see what I did there?) and she is cognizant of that. Honestly, my biggest criticism is the title - it doesn’t make sense to me. Give to readers who want books that touch on a serious issue, but maybe aren’t quite ready/want to dive into the super heavy, emotional deep end that is out there.
I’ve long been a fan of Morrill’s books, and this is a solid addition to any YA collection where contemporary stories are popular. Ritzy is obviously in a better than the best case scenario (see what I did there?) and she is cognizant of that. Honestly, my biggest criticism is the title - it doesn’t make sense to me. Give to readers who want books that touch on a serious issue, but maybe aren’t quite ready/want to dive into the super heavy, emotional deep end that is out there.
tucker68511's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
labonneville's review against another edition
3.0
Cute story about a 17 year old girl having to go live with foster parents after her mother leaves her.
reina_reads's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
allyreids's review against another edition
5.0
NPR had it right when they called this the perfect summer read. I read while on vacation at the beach and it was a great quick read.
katkinney's review against another edition
4.0
Take a nifty summer trip to coastal Florida! Ritzi or Maritza, is living with her “free spirit” mom, going into the summer before her senior year. Her mom “discovers herself” anew every few months, dragging poor Ritzi along for the ride. They’ve been all over the country, been vegans, lived on communes, abolished nightshades, eaten everything raw, and now her mom wants to go to a school in Mexico where she will learn spiritual cleansing and each level will earn her a pebble, then ten pebbles earn her a stone, and soon she can teach others to be cleansed. Ritzi is like, whatever mom, but it’s senior year, I actually need to graduate, and we’re barely making rent!
Basically, mom ditches Ritzi alone in Florida, and she gets put into foster care, and it turns out to be the same foster care she was in as a young child (surprise!) This one had an interesting cast of side characters, an ongoing mystery to unravel, and I liked the main character.
Basically, mom ditches Ritzi alone in Florida, and she gets put into foster care, and it turns out to be the same foster care she was in as a young child (surprise!) This one had an interesting cast of side characters, an ongoing mystery to unravel, and I liked the main character.
haileyrosewolt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
krob41288's review against another edition
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked this book, it approaches a topic that were starting to see more on in YA lit a little more often, a teen entering foster care. Maritza is finishing up her junior year of high school when her flighty mother abandons her to seek a new adventure in Mexico with seemingly little care as to how Maritza is going to survive. After her counselor realizes something isn't right she contacts DCF for a welfare check, resulting in Maritza ending up in foster care. Apparently, it's not her first time in the system and she ends up with the same foster mom she had when she was in the system as an infant. As the summer progresses Maritza starts to feel torn between her two worlds, one of struggling and close friends and the other of money and influential people. Along the way she meets Spenser, the boy next door who is also dealing with familial issues.
I really loved this novel, Morrill's writing instantly drew me in and I had to know what was going to happen to Maritza. I loved this look at the people on both sides of the foster care system, granted this is a best case scenario in that Maritza ends up in a well-to-do living situation with people who seems to actually care and love for her and she acknowledges that she is lucky this way. I love when authors take on real-life topics that have been over looked in the past and I think Morrill has done a good job of this in her work.
I really liked this book, it approaches a topic that were starting to see more on in YA lit a little more often, a teen entering foster care. Maritza is finishing up her junior year of high school when her flighty mother abandons her to seek a new adventure in Mexico with seemingly little care as to how Maritza is going to survive. After her counselor realizes something isn't right she contacts DCF for a welfare check, resulting in Maritza ending up in foster care. Apparently, it's not her first time in the system and she ends up with the same foster mom she had when she was in the system as an infant. As the summer progresses Maritza starts to feel torn between her two worlds, one of struggling and close friends and the other of money and influential people. Along the way she meets Spenser, the boy next door who is also dealing with familial issues.
I really loved this novel, Morrill's writing instantly drew me in and I had to know what was going to happen to Maritza. I loved this look at the people on both sides of the foster care system, granted this is a best case scenario in that Maritza ends up in a well-to-do living situation with people who seems to actually care and love for her and she acknowledges that she is lucky this way. I love when authors take on real-life topics that have been over looked in the past and I think Morrill has done a good job of this in her work.
megs_s's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5