Fiction Addict

Genre: YA

Publisher: Zondervan

Publication Dates: April 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Jessie Hatcher is fifteen and she’s got what most people would consider a pretty tough life. Her mother has a variety of emotional issues, her dad is dead, and she has ADHD. Most of the time, she’s completely on her own while her mother is in her ‘in-bed’ phase. She makes all the decisions, gets herself to school and back, and figures out her own meals.  The couple of days at a time that her mother gets out of bed are tiring while she cleans the house with her toothbrush, but they’re few and far between, so Jessie has the system down.

That is until the day that her dad calls her on the phone. What? Her dad? The aforementioned parent who was dead? Yeah. That same one. Seems that Jessie’s mom told her that her dad was dead, but he really wasn’t. So now he wants to meet her and get to know her. Since she’s no longer flying under the radar, Jessie can’t figure out how things could get any worse. That is, until her mother attempts suicide. Yeah. That is worse. What could possibly happen next?

Nancy Rue stunned me with her portrayal of a teenage girl’s mind. Especially one wrapped up in such emotional turmoil and with ADHD to boot. I was so completely wrapped in this story; I couldn’t stop myself from reading portions of the book out loud to my family.  In the same way I was instantly drawn into the story, the few pages I shared with them brought them in just as quickly. It was love at first read with this book.

I think one of the things I enjoyed best was the “RL” book that Jessie discovered at the airport. When she picked it up off of the seat, she thought she was stealing it and this would force her father to send her back home. It didn’t. And she didn’t. It comes out later that the book was left there for someone else who might need it. Jessie needed it. “RL” you see, is a ‘real life’ version of the Bible, with language that modern day teenagers can understand.

The plot moves quickly. Written in the first person perspective from a girl whose mind bounces all over faster than you can say sushi, you have to expect that. The dialogue is brilliant, witty, and perfectly on par with what you would imagine a teenage girl might say in this situation.  The only point I’d make in characters is that Lou, Jessie’s father, seems perfect. Even his mistakes aren’t that colossal and he very quickly apologizes for them. I don’t know if I have a problem with this because he’s a really great example of what we should try to be, but don’t always accomplish. In sharp contrast, Jessie’s mom does pretty much nothing right whatsoever. Much like Jessie’s life, there’s no simple middle ground. Then again, with teenagers is there a lot of simple middle ground?

Motorcycles, Sushi & One Really Strange Book is the first in a new series from Nancy Rue. Called the Real Life series, it follows the ‘RL’ book and what happens with four different girls when they find the book. I’m more than intrigued. I can’t wait to see the new books in the series and see who Nancy Rue brings to the forefront next.

Review copy provided by Zondervan.