Pretty Amy

by Lisa Burstein

[Angie]

Wow, Pretty Amy is a hard slap of reality. The cover looks fun and all, but look closely. She's in a prom dress in a jail cell. That's probably not fun at all, and Amy really may be facing some serious jail time if she's convicted of a crime she didn't even commit. Prom night was an unfortunate case of "wrong place at the wrong time" for Amy and her two friends. They were also stoned out of their minds, so it's no wonder they're being charged with possession, intent to sell, and sale of marijuana. However, Amy's mother is making Amy to everything she can to appear innocent in front of the judge.

After the initial arrest, the rest of Pretty Amy follows Amy as she does everything that her mother and lawyer tell her to do in order to prepare for her court date. It starts with a navy suit and therapy, then a job and community service. Soon Amy even finds herself in a jail cell wearing soaked pajamas. This girl just cannot catch a break! Amy grudgingly does as she's told, but all the while she's trying to figure out what's right for her. Her lawyer wants her to essentially rat out her only two friends, but Amy doesn't think she can do that even if it'll help her avoid jail time. She's loyal to girls who may not feel the same way about her.

I think that Amy's mother does a lot more harm than good. Not in regards to Amy's case, she really doesn't want her daughter to go to jail, but to Amy's self esteem. Somehow her mother makes Amy's legal trouble about her and acts out accordingly. She seems much more worried about how the neighbors will see her than her daughter's well being. And honestly, if that crazy woman was my mother, I'd probably rebel, too. I mean this woman sets Amy's mattress on fire because she's convinced she's detoxing from heroin, even though she has food poisoning! She doesn't even listen to anything Amy has to say, and as a result Amy feels utterly cut off from people.

This is a tough book. It's definitely not sunshine and rainbows, but it's not as heavy as other YA contemporaries either. It's just very real. The author does a great job showing how our choices have real consequences, whether we think about them or not. While I know the majority can't related to being faced with jail time, I do think many girls (and probably some guys) will relate to Amy's struggle in finding herself and facing the consequences of her choices.