Pippa Park Raises Her Game

by Erin Yun

[Sam@WLABB]

Everyone seemed to have great expectations for Pippa, but she was struggling to live up to them.

Pippa was disappointed, that her sister Mina made her give up her beloved basketball, when her math grade drops. Then fate intervened, and Pippa was offered a basketball scholarship from the local prep school. Not only did they expect her to help them break their losing streak, but she had to maintain a 3.0 GPA, and start over in a new school. Being a "have-not" among the "haves", Pippa hid parts of herself. But, as often happens with secrets and lies, the web of deceit grew and grew, until it collapsed on Pippa, and she was on the verge of losing everything that was important to her - her real friends, her identity, and her sport.

Being the odd man out is tough at any age, and being able to handle yourself in such a situation can be tricky. Therefore, I really felt for Pippa, even if I didn't agree with how she handled it. Despite her poor choices, Pippa was a good person. I knew that for sure, because she was so remorseful about her actions, she learned from her mistakes, and she took action to try and fix the mess she made.

Yun treated us to some really wonderful things in this story, and I loved the role that family and friendship played. Her older sister, Mina, meant well, and I was glad to see those two start to meet in the middle on some things, but the star was her brother-in-law, Jung-Hwa. He was so wonderful! The relationship he shared with Pippa was pretty special, and I couldn't help but adore this tenderhearted guy. I was also a big fan of Buddy, Pippa's long time bestie, and Helen, one of the "Royals" she befriended at Lakeside.

Overall, Pippa won me over as she tried to figure out how to navigate this new world and manage other people's expectations.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS