The Princesses of Iowa

by Backes M. Molly

What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland.

Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She's pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash, everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot is her creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves. But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can't fix, and choose between living the privileged life of a princess, or owning up to her mistakes and giving up everything she once held dear.

• ISBN10: 0763653128
• ISBN13: 9780763653125
• Publish Date: 8 May 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Candlewick Press,U.S.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 464
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780763653125

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I had the opportunity to meet and hear [a:M. Molly Backes|5136485|M. Molly Backes|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1315297726p2/5136485.jpg] speak back in July at the Iowa City Book Festival. After hearing her read two excerpts from her book, I was very excited to purchase and read her first novel.

Overall, I was disappointed. Personally for me, this was a tough read. As a person that floated on the fringes of my high school, I found it very difficult to relate to the main character, Paige. I also found it difficult get into Backes's writing style except in those rare moments when Paige was working on her creative writing assignments. I can see Backes's pontential to be a strong writer in those moments and it almost felt as if she was holding back in the main portions of the novel to make the plot accessible to teens.

I'll definitely keep an eye on Backes's future books, but if her future novels trend toward teen chick lit, I'll probably shy away. I'm just not a fan of that genre of books.