Book review - Always, Abigail

Title: Always, Abigail
Author: Nancy J. Cavanaugh
Genre: realistic fiction
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Rating:

a nice little read

Summary: Abigail was not pleased to discover that she'd been assigned to a different homeroom than her two best friends, Alli and Cami. Only one thing will save her year: making the pom-pom squad and finally becoming one of the popular girls. But when she only makes squad alternate and gets paired with the least popular girl in her grade for the Friendly Letter project, Abigail is certain her social life is over.
My opinion: Definitely the best thing about this book is the format. Lists organize the story in a unique way. It is like reading a journal without becoming strict narrative, keeping us out of the "telling instead of showing" trap. Also, Abigail has a distinct voice and very real problems. The book explores the difference between what we think will make us happy and what actually pleases us. I felt like Abigail had very typical reactions for a kid her age. While we'd like to think that in a tough situation kids will do the right thing, be the better person, in reality most will do like Abigail and do the peer acceptable thing. This means that Abigail isn't always the most likeable character but she is realistic.
More information: Always, Abigail releases August 5.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.