Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Title: Golden
Author: Jessi Kirby
Published May 14th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads / Amazon
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Golden is Jessi Kirby's sophomore novel. And while I thought In Honor, her debut, was actually pretty good and loved its concept. I loved Golden much more. In my opinion, it was much well structured and written, Kirby certainly improved a lot and you can immediately tell that.

Golden is about Parker, a shy, bookworm who by chance or fate finds an old journal from a girl who went missing 10 years ago. Parker, a high school senior, is in the run for a scholarship in honor of the missing girl and her boyfriend, so she starts reading the journal in the hopes of finding some inspiration for her speech and for her own boring life.

While I enjoyed Parker's growing process and was delighted to see her finally start to take the reins of her life and owning it, the real joy to me was getting to read Juliette (the missing girl)'s story.

I was utterly captivated by Juliette's quiet exterior and passionate interior. Her story really pulled my heartstrings and it was just so perfect in so many levels. The fact that she lived a secret summer affair was amazing, and the boy she lived it with was amazing too. I loved that scene at the secret beach, I could picture it like a movie in my head, and it made my toes curl.

Essentially, the book is two stories blending together masterfully, with great characters that you can relate to, and beautiful passages about standing up for yourself and for the things that you want in life. And I would encourage fans of Jessi Kirby and fans of contemporary to give it a chance because it was the perfect summer read.