The Wrong Side of Right

by Jenn Marie Thorne

For fans of Sarah Dessen and Huntley Fitzpatrick comes this smart debut young adult novel, equal parts My Life Next Door and The Princess Diaries—plus a dash of The West Wing.

Kate Quinn’s mom died last year, leaving Kate parentless and reeling. So when the unexpected shows up in her living room, Kate must confront another reality she never thought possible—or thought of at all. Kate does have a father. He’s a powerful politician. And he’s running for U.S. President. Suddenly, Kate’s moving in with a family she never knew she had, joining a campaign in support of a man she hardly knows, and falling for a rebellious boy who may not have the purest motives. This is Kate’s new life. But who is Kate? When what she truly believes flies in the face of the campaign’s talking points, she must decide. Does she turn to the family she barely knows, the boy she knows but doesn’t necessarily trust, or face a third, even scarier option?

Set against a backdrop of politics, family, and first love, this is a story of personal responsibility, complicated romance, and trying to discover who you are even as everyone tells you who you should be.

"A real page-turner, full of romance and intrigue" —Chicago Tribune
"Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Meg Cabot, and Huntley Fitzpatrick" —Glitter.com
"Both intelligent and heartfelt" —Booklist, starred review
"Fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han will appreciate this well-crafted story about love and family" —SLJ
"Smart, fresh, [with] a delicious, secret romance" —Publishers Weekly
"Fast-paced...will keep the reader coming back for more"—SLC
"High-stakes...a compulsively readable debut" —The Horn Book Guide
"A 'can't put down' book" —San Jose Mercury News 

• ISBN10: 014750984X
• ISBN13: 9780147509840
• Publish Date: 2 August 2016 (first published 17 March 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 29 June 2021
• Publish Country: IN
• Publisher: Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd
• Imprint: Penguin Books India
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780147509840

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Kate had been mourning her mother's death for about a year, when her whole life was changed in the wake of a political scandal. She found herself, once again, in a new home with new surroundings, but this time, she was among strangers. While dealing with this new information regarding her mother, Kate had to also learn how to play the role of a presidential candidate's daughter, as she also tried to get to know her new "family" and stay true to herself.

Though I am not a fan of politics in books, I knew what I was getting myself into when I cracked this one open. As much as this was about a girl, who finds herself immersed in a presidential campaign, Thorne did not let Kate's story get lost in the political firestorm. The focus of this tale was Kate.

Since her mother never mentioned anything regarding her paternity, Kate was led to believe her father was dead, and to then learn that not only was he a presidential candidate (and a Republican), he had also been married at the time of her conception. Kate struggled a great deal with this information. Her mother seemed to always hold such high standards and ideals, and Kate couldn't imagine her having an affair with a married man. This kind of shook her foundation a bit, and coupled with her feeling out of place and unwanted in her new home, it was a very emotional experience for her.

I loved the exploration of the family dynamic, and all the behind the scenes political stuff was wild, as expected, but you know what I liked most - the romance. Notice, I did not classify this book as a romance, and that is because it was such a small part of Kate's story. However, I was all over this pairing. The stolen and secret moments Kate shared with the love interest were fun and swoony and I absolutely wanted more of them together.

The other thing I really loved, was that Thorne appears to have a Dessenverse sort of world thing going on. I read this book right after Night Music, and easily picked out those things connecting the two books. Oscar happened to attend the same school as Kate, and his viral YouTube video was a reworking of the music of Kudzu Giants, the band Kate went to see. Kate also found herself watching the same reality show, that was mentioned by Ruby's friend. You know how much I adore "Easter eggs", and I was giddy when I uncovered these.

Though the ending was wholly predictable, I did enjoy this journey with Kate and the opportunity to see our political campaign process through a teen lens.

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[girlinthepages]

This is the BEST contemporary YA novel I’ve read so far in 2015!

I don’t say this lightly. I requested this book on a whim from my library when I saw this novel was being compared to The Princess Diaries (and you all know what a weakness I have for Meg Cabot). The novel follows a teenage girl, Kate, who finds out her absentee dad is a senator, specifically a senator who is running for president. Kate is thrust into the limelight when an anonymous source leaks this to the press during the high profile campaign, and what follows is almost 400 pages of perfection: strong characterization, political intrigue, compelling family dynamics, and a dash of romance. The Wrong Side of Right is literally the whole package.

This story is intelligent.

I love this story because it delves so deeply into so many issues. It’s fast paced, and the reader feels Kate’s stress and exhilaration at being thrown headfirst into a political campaign (when she has mixed feelings on her own political views). The relationships are also emotionally complex and explored wonderfully throughout the novel, from Kate trying to reconcile her morally upstanding mother with being the senator’s “other woman” to Kate’s attempts at navigating a relationship with an extremely educated stepmother who often reads her better than she reads herself. I especially found Kate’s struggle with her liberal minded family and community back in LA to be especially poignant, as her association with her Republican senator father slowly tarnishes her credibility with those closet to her. Kate herself is a smart and strong young lady who I never had to be convinced to like, as she’s relateable enough to engage the reader while portraying just the right amounts of courage, fortitude, and (sometimes) indecision and impulsiveness to really feel like a young adult written for young adults.

The political aspects are well balanced.

The Wrong Side of Right doesn’t hit you over the head with conservative beliefs and propaganda. Kate has many democratic beliefs herself, and readers are never given the sense that she is compromising her beliefs even when she chooses to stand by her family. (Mini Spoiler: The one element that did surprise me is that Thorne chooses to avoid the sticky topic of pro-life vs pro-choice by conveniently making Kate’s father take a pro-choice stance, which is not normally associated with Republicans. Not that I’m necessarily complaining because it’s great to see progressive stances being taken by the right, but I almost feel this may have been done for the sake of avoiding focusing on such a hot-button social issue in a YA novel). Kate manages to find both the flaws and the great strengths in her father’s party as well as the democratic party, and I never felt while reading that one side was being bashed or given preference to over another. Readers affiliated with either political party can probably read this novel without being offended.

The political drama is also well balanced with the personal drama that unfolds in the story. It was so interesting to see how the campaign functioned, from the various tour stops to the usurping of other politician’s events to the way everything had a “spin” put on it. It’s clear Thorne did her research as to what it’s really like for the children and teens of powerful politicians, and how just because they’re minors by no means exempts them from the glare of their parent’s spotlight. The behind the scenes aspect of the race for the presidency is really what makes this novel stand out for me, and I think it would be a fun niche in YA if Thorne continued to write novels about young adults involved, whether directly or indirectly, in the political spotlight!

It has the trinity of every good story: romance, friendship, and family

Oftentimes a book will focus on just ONE of these things and can still be great. However, The Wrong Side of Right has all three elements and made me care about all of them. This novel is about all of the things in ordinary life being thrown into an extraordinary situation, which is my favorite type of contemporary because I can relate to it but also fantasize about certain elements as well.

Overall: The Wrong Side of Right is smart, funny, and deals with complex relationship dynamics and the intense (and sometimes ugly) sides of political campaigns. It’s a well balanced look at politics and relationships, and focuses on so many aspects of the life of a teenager. At almost 400 pages it never feels slow or like it contains filler content, despite being on the longer side for a contemporary. It’s an amazing debut and I can already tell that Jenn Marie Thorne is going to be one of my new favorite authors! I will be definitely be buying a copy to add to my shelves!

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