Book Review - Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Title: Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Author: A.S. King
Year: 2010
Page: 326
Genre: Fiction - YA

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Maybe
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.

First Sentence:
Before I died, I hid my secrets in the Master Oak.  

Why did I pick this book?
The Perpetual Page Turner's end of 2010 Survey (see here) said this is one of her favorite books in 2010. Since she also likes The Hunger Games and If I Stay, I thought I'd give this a try.


My thoughts:

• This is just okay to me... while I like Vera and can relate to her somewhat, the plot  / twists disappointed me. Seemed a bit predictable...

• I think it's tricky for me to read YA - there are definitely some YA I enjoy a lot, but then there are some that I am definitely not the right audience for. I guess I just need to pick more carefully in 2011...

• It was a fast read though, and the author's writing was easy to read.

• The book was written from 4 perspectives - Vera, her best friend Charlie, her dad, and The Pagoda (a place/location). Usually I enjoy reading books from multiple perspectives, but I wonder if we really need the Pagoda's perspective? I know there are books that made a place became a character too... but don't really get it in this book. Not sure if Vera's dad's perspective add much either. 

 
Rating: 2.5 Stars

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Young Adult