And the line between right and wrong can be a little blurry.Įmily signs up for an art program during the summer in Philadelphia, the nearest big city to her small town. Boys can be both mysterious and predictable. And while the rules may change, the pressures remain the same. As Emily bounces between a suburb where everyone tries to fit in and a city where everyone wants to be unique, she struggles to find her own identity. So when offered a spot at a prestigious art program in Philadelphia, Emily jumps at the chance to leave her hometown for a few hours a day.īut it takes more than a change of scenery and a new group of friends to discover yourself. Now that her best friend has a boyfriend, everything feels different in a way she doesn't quite understand. The last thing Emily wants is another summer of tanning and pool hopping in Cherry Grove. Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance I was encouraged, though, to look at those girls, see my high school self, and realize how much progress I have made since that time.Publication: November 25, 2014, by Scholastic

If I am being really honest, this story reminded me of a bit too much of feelings I still have about myself. If I am being honest, this story reminded me a bit too much of feelings that I had about myself in high school. Any girl who has been through high school should be able to resonate with at least one of the girls named on the list. It is easy to see these girls as real people, their struggles and insecurities revealed on the page in such a revealing fashion that they would surely be mortified if they knew we were reading them.

To me, the strength of Vivian's writing was not in her plot, but rather her characters. I do not, however, see that as a downfall. You know what to expect and it follows basically as expected. The downfall of Vivian's work is that it is predictable for any girl who has gone through high school. I doubt that I need to detail for you how the story goes. What Vivian focuses on is the effects this lists has on the girls who are named. The list names the prettiest and ugliest girl in each grade. Every year, on the Monday before Homecoming, an anonymous list is posted around Mount Washington High.

The list by siobhan vivian characters