The Girl in a Cafe

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I'm not sure why, as everyone had been saying how awesome it was, and I'm never one to say no to a book. Seriously, it's terrible. I just cain't say no. Anyway, I was on the fence to begin with whenever Confessions popped up. The main reason was that Rose was in her freshman year, and I generally try and stay clear of anything that's not junior year and above (for all you non Americans like moi, that's 16 and up. If I'm wrong, please correct!!). Granted, Speechless was set in Chelsea's sophmore year, and I'm sure I've read other books that are below that barrier, but generally speaking it's a big turn off for me.What I loved about Confessions was the maturity of Rose - she really surprised me. At her age, she has a lot on her plate, and it can't be easy. No wonder she feels so angry and frustrated all the time. Rose is a loyal and caring person who is smarter than her age bracket. She's just an ordinary teenager with ordinary teenage problems and then some. A hell of a lot of then some too. Rose was a really easy character to sympathize with, however there were times that I threw my hands up in frustration and questioned some of her actions - namely where her best friend Tracy was concerned. That being said, I think it's more of an age gap between me and Rose that brings that up (no, I'm not that old, but old enough!!). Thinking about it now as well, it's all part of Rose's development as a girl her age. Tracy got on my nerves a whole bunch. She was such a toxic best friend, and I kind of just wished that Rose dropped her altogether and was done. Alas, not the case, however I hope that Tracy's small steps to redeeming herself will be a part of the next book.What made this book a great read was the real and serious issues presented in it, but done in such a way that it wasn't in your face or offensive (four for you, Louise Rozett, you go Louise Rozett!) I think most teens these days struggle with sex, drugs, love and all the rest of it, and it's hard for them to be able to communicate that across in an adult way without being looked down upon. Rose isn't a self righteous person, but she has good, strong morals and values that I hope the younger generation will be able to look up to. Apart from the temper issue of course! And I can definitely say with ease that I'm looking forward to reading the sequel to this book. I definitely need more Jamie in my life. Squee.