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rachebeck's review against another edition
4.0
My mom spilled carrot oil on the cover of my copy of Frankie, but that isn't as heartbreaking as the actual content of the book. Frankie was a beautifully flawed character, but she was real and she learned from her mistakes. She was such a humorous, sad, and interesting character, and I enjoyed getting to read her story.
babyleo's review against another edition
5.0
There's so much to love about Frankie. Plozza's story is filled with rawness, pain, heart warming moments, and soul crushing scenes. From its opening pages until the end we're taken on an amazing journey, not a very long one, or that grand in the scheme of things, but amazing none the less.
From the start you are invested in these characters and their lives. The ongoing mystery about what Steve Sparrow said to Frankie isn't the only hook, nor is her newly discovered half brother. Her life with her aunt and her abandonment by her mother is a captivating and painful tale that connects in all the right places. Plozza makes you empathise so much with Frankie and what she deals with.
I'm not entirely sure if it's healthy, but I got Frankie. I agreed with her philosophies and I admired her, even when she was doing wrong. Her determination is admirable and while your heart pounds and you personally feel the guilt when she disobeys her aunt, I loved her still. I love her attitude and her fierceness, plus her attempt to do the right thing in a world that hasn't been that kind. Her love and respect for her aunt is beautiful and contrasted perfectly with her desire and urge to do things that aren't always right. There is a definite emotional tug-of-war that never lets up.
There is a view that Frankie doesn't accept the chances she's given; she is provided so many chances to right her wrongs that she doesn't take for one reason or another. But while it seems like she is her own worst enemy, seeing her decisions and thought process from her point of view, you forgive her. You understand her anger comes from a real place, something that can't be fixed overnight. You see her desire to find her brother and do something when no one else seems to be. Her uncontrollable temper gets her into trouble and her attitude aggravates others, but seeing it through Frankie's eyes makes it understandable. The fact that Frankie tries so hard to be good breaks your heart, and seeing her struggle and fight those helping her is torture.
Every single one of Plozza's characters are divine. She has created such a diverse range of people all mixed up in this one story. They have their own stories to tell, they are cheeky and boorish, innocent and misguided. Their life stories can be sussed out in the simplest comment or in their silence. You fall in love with so many so easily and watching them make mistakes and have victories and turmoil is one of the best parts about reading this.
Plozza tells this fantastic story with heart and style and humour that highlights truths and realities of an imperfect world and brings flawed people to life. It isn't a story of heightened teen angst or drama, it's real and it's honest, and it's a powerful story about the realities in life and the good and bad it contains. And it will crush your soul in the process. It's brilliant.
A longer version of this review was published on my blog https://lostinagoodbk.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/frankie-by-shivaun-plozza/
From the start you are invested in these characters and their lives. The ongoing mystery about what Steve Sparrow said to Frankie isn't the only hook, nor is her newly discovered half brother. Her life with her aunt and her abandonment by her mother is a captivating and painful tale that connects in all the right places. Plozza makes you empathise so much with Frankie and what she deals with.
I'm not entirely sure if it's healthy, but I got Frankie. I agreed with her philosophies and I admired her, even when she was doing wrong. Her determination is admirable and while your heart pounds and you personally feel the guilt when she disobeys her aunt, I loved her still. I love her attitude and her fierceness, plus her attempt to do the right thing in a world that hasn't been that kind. Her love and respect for her aunt is beautiful and contrasted perfectly with her desire and urge to do things that aren't always right. There is a definite emotional tug-of-war that never lets up.
There is a view that Frankie doesn't accept the chances she's given; she is provided so many chances to right her wrongs that she doesn't take for one reason or another. But while it seems like she is her own worst enemy, seeing her decisions and thought process from her point of view, you forgive her. You understand her anger comes from a real place, something that can't be fixed overnight. You see her desire to find her brother and do something when no one else seems to be. Her uncontrollable temper gets her into trouble and her attitude aggravates others, but seeing it through Frankie's eyes makes it understandable. The fact that Frankie tries so hard to be good breaks your heart, and seeing her struggle and fight those helping her is torture.
Every single one of Plozza's characters are divine. She has created such a diverse range of people all mixed up in this one story. They have their own stories to tell, they are cheeky and boorish, innocent and misguided. Their life stories can be sussed out in the simplest comment or in their silence. You fall in love with so many so easily and watching them make mistakes and have victories and turmoil is one of the best parts about reading this.
Plozza tells this fantastic story with heart and style and humour that highlights truths and realities of an imperfect world and brings flawed people to life. It isn't a story of heightened teen angst or drama, it's real and it's honest, and it's a powerful story about the realities in life and the good and bad it contains. And it will crush your soul in the process. It's brilliant.
A longer version of this review was published on my blog https://lostinagoodbk.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/frankie-by-shivaun-plozza/
amylee218's review
5.0
I won this book in a giveaway.
I love Frankie. She is sarcastic and snarky and intelligent. She is also super funny. Example:
"What are you inferring?"
"I'm not inferring anything. I'm implying it."
"What's that mean?"
"Steal a dictionary and work if out for yourself."
Nate scowls. "If you were a guy you'd be flat on your back right now. I'd have hit you so hard. . . "
"And if you were a guy I'd be impressed."
She is also a hurt, lost child struggling to find her worth and her place in life. My heart went out to her. I wanted to hug her and smack her and help her and tell her everything would be okay.
Her journey of finding out she had a brother and the subsequent search for him is heartbreaking, as she deals with her fear of abandonment and her anger. Frankie is flawed but that only made me love her more.
I love Frankie. She is sarcastic and snarky and intelligent. She is also super funny. Example:
"What are you inferring?"
"I'm not inferring anything. I'm implying it."
"What's that mean?"
"Steal a dictionary and work if out for yourself."
Nate scowls. "If you were a guy you'd be flat on your back right now. I'd have hit you so hard. . . "
"And if you were a guy I'd be impressed."
She is also a hurt, lost child struggling to find her worth and her place in life. My heart went out to her. I wanted to hug her and smack her and help her and tell her everything would be okay.
Her journey of finding out she had a brother and the subsequent search for him is heartbreaking, as she deals with her fear of abandonment and her anger. Frankie is flawed but that only made me love her more.
ella1212's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was ABSOLUTELY incredible! Although I put it down multiple times (due to other books and school workš) I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what trouble Frankie was going to get into next. This book was quirky, funny, relatable and altogether a great book.
For those who have read Frankie, like La la land, there are some mixed reviews about the ending. For me I didn't find the ending bad but more upsetting. I was honestly SOBBING when I read the last chapter!
Great book! 10/10 would recommend!
For those who have read Frankie, like La la land, there are some mixed reviews about the ending. For me I didn't find the ending bad but more upsetting. I was honestly SOBBING when I read the last chapter!
Great book! 10/10 would recommend!
librarianmel's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very depressing, but in a good way. Lots of bad (but understandable) choices leading to a large "Oh no!" moment towards the end. Frankie learns a bit about her family and her self, and that's the end. Obviously, I don't want to spoil any of the choices or the moment.
The only thing that I wish were different is the very short tie-up at the end. It's, like, 2 pages. I wanted more, but I guess being left wanting is a sign of a good story, no?
The only thing that I wish were different is the very short tie-up at the end. It's, like, 2 pages. I wanted more, but I guess being left wanting is a sign of a good story, no?
megnanpar's review against another edition
4.0
Frankie was a sharp, smart contemporary. Besides being Australian, it had a number of similarities to Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, one of my favorite books. Frankiehad the same memorable lead and unconventional storyline - but didn't pack the same emotional, existential punch, unfortunately.
The eponymous protagonist, Frankie Vega, has had a time of it growing up. Her mother abandoned her in a petting zoo and she's been raised by her maternal aunt in a rough neighborhood since. Things don't look much better outside the home: her boyfriend cheated on her and her classmates bully her. She's angry and rightly so. It was satisfying to see her express this anger, even in violent ways. So often characters deal with infuriating circumstances with a bland resignation when, really, they should be pissed off. Frankie was clearly pissed of and lovable still. Even when she messes up, acts impulsively, you root for her. Because it's clear, from her narrative voice, that she's just trying to deal.
Besides Frankie's voice, I liked the story and the genre-bending plot. There was a low-grade mystery tying everything together, but it took a backseat to Frankie's self-discovery and reckoning with her family background.
Frankie's trying to find her recently discovered half-brother Xavier, who has not been seen and seems to have a lot of enemies. She partners with Xavier's burglar buddy, Nate. They engage in some edgy flirting and steal cars to get from place to place. She sidelines her friends-or her one true friend at a hellish high school- and works hard not to disappoint her aunt and guardian, Vinnie. This is difficult when solving a missing child case, facing expulsion for assaulting a classmate, and processing abandonment.
While many of the characters were unconventional and savvy, they fell flat for me a little. I can't remember a thing about Nate, besides his blue eyes and Jacket. Frankie's friend, Cara, and ex-boyfriend, Mark, though featured in plenty of dramatic scenes, felt somewhat hollow. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. This story is so much about Frankie and what's going through her head that it makes sense, to some extent, that everyone around her is in service of her own self-understanding. But Vinnie was a great exception to this. Vinnie is really trying to reach Frankie, and Frankie gets this. She wants to please her aunt but can't help but not. She doesn't take Vinnie for granted, but then she does. It was a really lovely relationship, rendered in its messiness.
The book had a great pace and I couldn't stop reading until I finished the book at 2 am. This is not just because of Xavier's disappearance- I was invested in Frankie finding some stability and comfort. Unfortunately, the ending, the stabilization, felt rushed. In a handful of chapters, the mystery is resolved, Frankie works through complex mother emotions and falls out and back in with everyone in her life. I wish we'd have had more time to tie up each of these threads. Or fewer threads.
Overall, Frankie felt real in a somewhat abstract world and her realness, rendered in strong prose, was wonderful to read.
The eponymous protagonist, Frankie Vega, has had a time of it growing up. Her mother abandoned her in a petting zoo and she's been raised by her maternal aunt in a rough neighborhood since. Things don't look much better outside the home: her boyfriend cheated on her and her classmates bully her. She's angry and rightly so. It was satisfying to see her express this anger, even in violent ways. So often characters deal with infuriating circumstances with a bland resignation when, really, they should be pissed off. Frankie was clearly pissed of and lovable still. Even when she messes up, acts impulsively, you root for her. Because it's clear, from her narrative voice, that she's just trying to deal.
Besides Frankie's voice, I liked the story and the genre-bending plot. There was a low-grade mystery tying everything together, but it took a backseat to Frankie's self-discovery and reckoning with her family background.
Frankie's trying to find her recently discovered half-brother Xavier, who has not been seen and seems to have a lot of enemies. She partners with Xavier's burglar buddy, Nate. They engage in some edgy flirting and steal cars to get from place to place. She sidelines her friends-or her one true friend at a hellish high school- and works hard not to disappoint her aunt and guardian, Vinnie. This is difficult when solving a missing child case, facing expulsion for assaulting a classmate, and processing abandonment.
While many of the characters were unconventional and savvy, they fell flat for me a little. I can't remember a thing about Nate, besides his blue eyes and Jacket. Frankie's friend, Cara, and ex-boyfriend, Mark, though featured in plenty of dramatic scenes, felt somewhat hollow. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. This story is so much about Frankie and what's going through her head that it makes sense, to some extent, that everyone around her is in service of her own self-understanding. But Vinnie was a great exception to this. Vinnie is really trying to reach Frankie, and Frankie gets this. She wants to please her aunt but can't help but not. She doesn't take Vinnie for granted, but then she does. It was a really lovely relationship, rendered in its messiness.
The book had a great pace and I couldn't stop reading until I finished the book at 2 am. This is not just because of Xavier's disappearance- I was invested in Frankie finding some stability and comfort. Unfortunately, the ending, the stabilization, felt rushed. In a handful of chapters, the mystery is resolved, Frankie works through complex mother emotions and falls out and back in with everyone in her life. I wish we'd have had more time to tie up each of these threads. Or fewer threads.
Overall, Frankie felt real in a somewhat abstract world and her realness, rendered in strong prose, was wonderful to read.
showthisbooksomelove's review against another edition
2.0
Frankie is too angsty for me. Both her character and her story have little plot point other than her anger. I appreciate that as a focal point for teens and therefore for teen literature, but Iām also so tired of that routine of labeling and describing teens as angsty, particularly teens with trauma in their background. Sure, anger is often masked as a primary emotion, but there is so much more there for kids than just fear and anger, so this book didnāt do much for me.
The main plot is that Frankie, a long ago orphaned child who doesnāt know where either her mother or father is, finds her long lost half brother. Sheās been suspended from school for punching another student, and sheās supposed to grovel her way back in. Meanwhile, she meets her long lost half brother, who she assumes was left by their mother a long time ago as well. Tension rises for her when she finds out their mother kept him until he was thirteen.
Frankie cannot keep it together. Usually I can empathize with young heroines who have a hard time saying the right thing, staying in school for behavioral issues, and conflicts with their parents or guardians. However, Frankie is just such a negative Nancy about everything, I have such a hard time relating to her. I can see how some people might find a connection to her anger, and she clearly has attachment disorder and probably a slew of other things from neglect, abandonment, and her youth in general. However, I didnāt find I liked any of the characters, and I liked Frankie the least, so nonetheless I found it difficult to get into.
I canāt even truly appreciate the ending because Plozza does nothing to wrap up all the loose ties! A paragraph per person is not enough for the conclusion of a novel, at least in my eyes. Am I missing something about this book that everyone else found enjoyable?
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.com.
The main plot is that Frankie, a long ago orphaned child who doesnāt know where either her mother or father is, finds her long lost half brother. Sheās been suspended from school for punching another student, and sheās supposed to grovel her way back in. Meanwhile, she meets her long lost half brother, who she assumes was left by their mother a long time ago as well. Tension rises for her when she finds out their mother kept him until he was thirteen.
Frankie cannot keep it together. Usually I can empathize with young heroines who have a hard time saying the right thing, staying in school for behavioral issues, and conflicts with their parents or guardians. However, Frankie is just such a negative Nancy about everything, I have such a hard time relating to her. I can see how some people might find a connection to her anger, and she clearly has attachment disorder and probably a slew of other things from neglect, abandonment, and her youth in general. However, I didnāt find I liked any of the characters, and I liked Frankie the least, so nonetheless I found it difficult to get into.
I canāt even truly appreciate the ending because Plozza does nothing to wrap up all the loose ties! A paragraph per person is not enough for the conclusion of a novel, at least in my eyes. Am I missing something about this book that everyone else found enjoyable?
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.com.
toryp's review against another edition
2.0
Wasn't that thrilled with this book. I was glad that it was set in Melbourne, and it gets points for that, but other than that... The MC was pretty unlikeable. Antiheroes aren't half bad, and sassy heroes are pretty epic too (see: Magnus Chase, Veronica Mars) but this girl wasn't sassy, she was just a mean person? Like, the way she treats people in this cafe she visits - as someone who works in a "restaurant" and has served many customers who behaved exactly the way she did, I can assert that behaviour like that is just not acceptable!!
Sorry... massive rant.
Just because your life ain't the greatest doesn't mean you get a free pass to act badly, okay? It's a pet peeve.
No spoilers in this review. Because I forgot most of the rest of this book. I was blinded by rage... :D
P.S. now it makes sense why melina marchetta liked this book. i mean - JOSIE.
Sorry... massive rant.
Just because your life ain't the greatest doesn't mean you get a free pass to act badly, okay? It's a pet peeve.
No spoilers in this review. Because I forgot most of the rest of this book. I was blinded by rage... :D
P.S. now it makes sense why melina marchetta liked this book. i mean - JOSIE.