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A review by krob41288
Better Than the Best Plan by Lauren Morrill
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.