For Keeps

Reader: Sabrina K
Age: 16
Title: For Keeps
Author: Natasha Friend
Publisher: Penguin
Pub Date: April 6
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: If you love drama in any way shape or form, you'll love this book. The drama in this book though, is not your TV soap drama. It has real life predicaments sprinkled throughout the book as well, which gives the book a better grasp on reality—making it quite relatable.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The most compelling aspect was the characterization. It was beyond amazing—just how intact Natasha went with the characters. At the end of the book, you truly knew each character for their soul and could describe them in depth just from the book. It truly made the book enjoyable and how each character was different from each other was refreshing.
Comments: I had read Perfect from Natasha Friend, and I have to say I would have never put the two and two together after reading this book. By far, this book felt more lively, and it felt like not only had I grown since Natasha's last book, but her as a writer as well. The characters where amazing. I just wish the imagery was a bit better, honestly I could describe how each and every character acts and feels from the book, but I would not even have the slightest idea of how they looked. It bugged me a bit, but it made me realize that beauty comes from within and not without. I don't know if the book meant to have any symbolism about that, but it felt like there was a reason for little to no imagery/description on the characters physical appearances.
Cover: The main reason I had the slightest urge to pick up the book was because it looked like a frilly book—which (no offense) fits the contents of the book.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal