Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Book Review: Afterparty

AfterpartyAuthor: Anne Redisch Stampler
Publication Date: December 31, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother -- whose name her dad won't even say out loud. That's why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her...and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she's everything Emma is not.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It's more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...

This explosive, sexy, and harrowing follow-up to Ann Redisch Stampler's spectacular teen debut, Where It Began, reveals how those who know us best can hurt us most.


I think it’s the edge of Paradise.

It is the first time he has mentioned her – She Whose Name Shall Not Be Spoken, the unmentionable junkie otherwise known as my mother – since Baltimore, two cities ago.

In my defense, Emma the Good did not slide easily into the realm of the formerly good.

I am determined not to, Emma the Good, Emma the, all right, considerably less than good. Every cell and eyelash of me is determined not to disappoint. Meaning: He can’t find out. Anything. Ever.

Emma is on a cross country trip when readers meet her, going from Canada to California with her dad. Emma has, so far, been the ideal daughter for her father. She abides by all his rules, is extremely cautious, and never “colors outside the lines.” California is a huge wake-up call for Emma and is not quite what she is expecting. Not everyone is welcoming and she realizes right away that it is going to be hard for her to fit in. Once Emma starts to make friends, especially with a girl named Siobhan, the rules that her dad expects her to follow get sadly left behind. Emma realizes quickly that Siobhan lives her life a little on the edge, and she may be a little wilder than Emma bargained for!

I could not put this book down once I started reading it. It was one of those storylines that are just so full of drama, gossip, and good girls gone bad that I felt like I was watching an addicting reality television show, except this was way better. Siobhan was one of the highlights of the story because of how much she really broke Emma out of her overly sheltered life. Siobhan is the exact opposite of Emma, but this was a welcoming change. While I loved Emma, I also loved seeing the side of her that Siobhan brought out as well. She was a highly energetic character and totally fit the California lifestyle!

This book digs heavily into many issues that are prevalent in a lot of teenager’s lives today. It touches on drugs, sex, alcohol, and relationship issues as well relating to both friends and family. I think more teens should read books like this one to make them aware of what all these issues look like to people on the outside looking in. Many teenagers experience a lot of the same things that Emma and her friends go through, and a lot can be said for an author that writes realistically about these issues and doesn’t just push them under the rug.

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Simon Pulse in exchange for my honest review***




1 comment:

  1. I just wanted to thank you so much for taking the time to read and review Afterparty. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete