Reviewed by llamareads on
Pen was a wonderful character. I loved the descriptions of how she felt while skating, of how the rest of the world just fell away for her. It made her determination to pursue hockey against her father's wishes make more sense. And even though she repeatedly lies to her family, it's also obvious how much she loves and respects her parents, and to some extent understand why her father is the way he is. Pen may not want to follow in her father's footsteps and run the restaurant, but she loves it all the same.
I also loved her sweetly paced romance with Jake. Walking Pen home from the restaurant? So cute! But, honestly, though, while I loved Pen, I thought most of the secondary characters were underdeveloped, even Jake. I found the explanation of (and resolution to) his bad boy status a bit too pat. Lori, Pen's best friend, was another character that felt like she was just there to chauffeur Pen around and allow her to talk about her feelings of Jake. Strong female friendships are serious book catnip to me, especially in YA books, so this felt like a missed opportunity.
Best of all, this young adult book is mostly teen-angst-free (hooray!). I understand that it's pretty normal for teens to feel that way, but I much prefer characters like Pen who just put on their big girl panties and make their dreams happen rather than continuously dwelling on the unfairness of it all. Yes, there is conflict, but most of it is resolved without slammed doors and screaming. I especially liked the resolution of Pen's dad's feelings about hockey.
Overall, this is such a sweet young adult novel. It's light and fluffy, but still thoroughly enjoyable.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 12 November, 2017: Finished reading
- 12 November, 2017: Reviewed