All You Get Is Me by Yvonne Prinz
Published December 21st 2010 by HarperCollins Publishers
From the Publisher:
A summer of love, loss, and justice.
Things were complicated enough for Roar, even before her father decided to yank her out of the city and go organic. Suddenly, she’s a farm girl, albeit a reluctant one, selling figs at the farmers’ market and developing her photographs in a ramshackle shed. Caught between a troublemaking sidekick named Storm, a brooding, easy-on-the-eyes L.A. boy, and a father on a human rights crusade that challenges the fabric of the farm community, Roar is going to have to tackle it all—even with dirt under her fingernails and her hair pulled back with a rubber band meant for asparagus.
Review:
Roar, short for Aurora, is adjusting to her new life living on a farm quite well considering she didn't want to move in the first place. It has only been two years since Roar's father moved her from San Francisco to the Middle-of-Nowhere, California. Her father, once a big-time lawyer, decided that a drastic change was needed after Roar's mother disappeared one too many times during a drunken binge. Roar's mother abuses alcohol and would come and go as she pleased. One night, she decided not to come home. That, or she was dead in a ditch somewhere.
Life on a farm is tough for Roar. She wakes at the crack of dawn and has a list of chores that are back breaking. Her father's organic farm is successful, and life is simple until Roar and her father are witnesses to a terrible car accident that kills a Mexican immigrant woman that was married to a local farm worker. A wealthy Caucasian woman was in too much of a hurry and made an illegal pass on a two-lane road. The immigrant was killed, but the baby in the back seat, as well as the Caucasian woman who caused the accident, walked away relatively unharmed. Roar's father decides he can't let the deadly act slide, he talks the worker into filing a wrongful death lawsuit. The town folk are not pleased. They don't exactly believe in equal rights between US citizens and illegal farm workers. Roar is taking the stares and whispers all in stride until she meets Forest, the son of the woman who caused the accident. Just in from L.A. for the summer, Roar is immediately drawn to the boy. Her shock-and-awe BFF Storm keeps pushing her to see the boy, but how would her father feel about her dating the son of a killer? Will he understand that Forest isn't guilty by association? Roar takes a leap, follows her heart, and finds her self having the summer of her life.
Life on a farm is tough for Roar. She wakes at the crack of dawn and has a list of chores that are back breaking. Her father's organic farm is successful, and life is simple until Roar and her father are witnesses to a terrible car accident that kills a Mexican immigrant woman that was married to a local farm worker. A wealthy Caucasian woman was in too much of a hurry and made an illegal pass on a two-lane road. The immigrant was killed, but the baby in the back seat, as well as the Caucasian woman who caused the accident, walked away relatively unharmed. Roar's father decides he can't let the deadly act slide, he talks the worker into filing a wrongful death lawsuit. The town folk are not pleased. They don't exactly believe in equal rights between US citizens and illegal farm workers. Roar is taking the stares and whispers all in stride until she meets Forest, the son of the woman who caused the accident. Just in from L.A. for the summer, Roar is immediately drawn to the boy. Her shock-and-awe BFF Storm keeps pushing her to see the boy, but how would her father feel about her dating the son of a killer? Will he understand that Forest isn't guilty by association? Roar takes a leap, follows her heart, and finds her self having the summer of her life.
I admit it, the cover art is what me to read this book. Photography is a huge hobby of mine, and that old film camera on the front of the book sucked me right in. This book was an absolute breeze to read. The language is snarky, fun, and full of sarcastic hits that made me smirk. Prinz nailed the teenage voice in this book. Roar and her best friend Storm throw witty quips and comments at each other that I was constantly reminded of my two teenage daughters. Storm is so defiant and outlandish that you can't help laugh out loud at some of her antics. Although Roar appears to be completely opposite of Storm, the two have a strong friendship built on honesty and...a little sarcasm. I looked forward to having Storm enter a scene. I was always excited to see what crazy thing came out of her mouth. I think there should be a companion book just for her. *hint*
Although I really enjoyed this book, I had a few "issues". The continuous use of the word "Mexican" was used to identify everything Hispanic or Latino. I would have like to have seen a little more diversity. There were a few culturally insensitive passages that I found totally unnecessary "dance like a white girl" and "..look like an Amish woman." Different words could have conveyed the same message - "...look like I just stepped out of The Little House on the Prairie" for example. There were a few stereotypes used against Latinos. Remember, even if it is a positive stereotype (smart Asian child, hard working Mexican), they are still stereotypes. I would have liked to have seen these edited out.
Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised by the love story, witty dialogue, the surprising resolution with Roar's mother, and the diversity of characters. I would definitely give this read a try.
3.75 stars
Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised by the love story, witty dialogue, the surprising resolution with Roar's mother, and the diversity of characters. I would definitely give this read a try.
3.75 stars
