Paper or Plastic

by Vivi Barnes

Caught for shoplifting lipstick at the local SmartMart, sixteen-year-old Lex is horrified when her mother insists she work at the store over the summer to atone for her crime. Now, instead of working with her best friends at the trendy Clique, she's reduced to dealing with crazy coupon ladies, oddball co-workers, and Noah, her supervisor whom she only knows as the school geek. To make matters worse, what's left of her social life evaporates as her mother drags her to her diva sister's Coastal Princess Pageant. But as she gets to know the people of SmartMart, and as she spends more time getting to know the shy Noah, Lex learns there's a lot more to her co-workers than meets the eye.

• ISBN10: 1622665260
• ISBN13: 9781622665266
• Publish Date: 3 February 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Entangled Publishing
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[bookishzelda]

SmartMart reminds me a lot of one of my retail jobs. I remember having those co-worker crushes and flirt with someone while stocking dog food. It actually makes me smile rather than be annoyed when I notice it at a store nowadays. I’ll whisper to my husband, those two totally like each other. It puts a smile on my face and so does Paper or Plastic.

The thing that makes this book more unique is that the majority of it takes place in supermarket. Every once in a while they change scenery but not that often. It actually felt like it cut down on unnecessary drama. Although Bryce is a key part to the story he’s not really in it. I really liked this approach. We also get this wide range of secondary characters. The other workers at SmartMart really add this whole huge dynamic. Especially seeing Lexi interact with them. It makes her have more depth because she’s not limited to just her friends or Noah.

Noah and Lexi are absolutely adorable. It’s switched up a little because often Lexi is the one that takes the lead. Rather than hoping Noah will do something she takes charge of the situation. I just loved every time one of them would get nervous around the other. It’s just so cute.

I also really liked Alexis family and how they have a strong presence in her life. Her little sister annoys her, her mom doesn’t always understand her and then there is her grandmother who is her best friend.

The book is an adorable sweet romance but there are also other things going on. Like Alzheimers, which if you have ever known someone with that awful disease, it is not easy for anyone. Not the person that has it or their family. Also there is the issue of abuse as well.

I think if you have ever worked in retail definitely read this book. If you haven’t...well still read the book. I loved it.

[Leah]

If you don't know this about me, I work in a supermarket. It's not the best job in the world, but it's a job. And as such, because of what I see on a day-to-day basis, it actually surprises me that more authors don't write books about people who work in supermarkets, because there are stories there. But that's too lowly, I think. Not creative. Despite the fact thousands and thousands must work in supermarkets. So I always love it when an author writes a book about the world of the supermarket. Although, it does depress me to know that the two I've read so far - the first being Top Ten Clues You're Clueless and the second this one here, both are written in the Young Adult genre. Which makes it seem as if only teens work in supermarkets. Which they don't. I'm actually the youngest in our store... (And I'm 24)

I was so excited to get stuck in to Paper or Plastic, at least until we meet Lex. I liked Lex, eventually, but at first she comes off as a right snob. I understand she was forced to take the job at SmartMart, but there was no need for her to look down her nose at everyone and treat it as if it was something awful to have to do. But as Lex started to enjoy her job more, and made friends with co-workers, the more I started to enjoy the story. The novel seemed all sweetness and light at first - just your typical love story, but there were serious matters addressed in the novel - Lex's grandma has alzheimers; Lex's mother is obsessed with taking her younger sister to beauty pageants (and winning them!); it even deals with bullying from friends and parents. But the novel never got down on itself, which I appreciated.

I absolutely loved the characters in Paper or Plastic. Noah, for me, was my favourite character. I was swooning all over the place whenever he was in a scene and his name! Noah is suddenly my favourite name. Swoooooooon!! But he was also so sweet to Lex, and to everyone basically, and would happily cover for someone if he thought they needed it. Considering we learn he grassed up Lex's bestie Bryce for graffitti-ing, he hardly seemed the loner type or the grasser type and it sort of annoyed me a bit that that was a main point of contention for Lexi; not wanting to tell Bryce about Noah, because what's done is done; what happened was two years ago and if Bryce wasn't over it then I felt he needed to just get a life and let it go (let it goooooooooooooooo). Probably my only issue with the novel revolved around Lex's secret keeping, because it just didn't seem right to me.

Another favourite of mine was Ruthie. Now, I don't know if she's a bit on the autism spectrum, or just hyper all the time, though I don't really care, because her enthusiasm and her love for greeting people was infectious and it meant a lot to me that Lex bonded with her, because she was super sweet. There was quite an event towards the end of the novel that had me flipping the pages even quicker (and made me change my decison of ever living in Florida), and for a minute there I was worried. Overall, Paper or Plastic is one of the sweetest Young Adult contemporaries I've ever read. I loved Lex and Noah, together and apart, but mostly together. They had some insane chemistry and I adored all the others at the supermarket, except Roxanne ugh. It was such an adorable, quick read. The perfect way to spend my morning.