There are so many reviews out there for middle grade or young adult books where adult readers inexplicably complain that the main character is immature, well, yeah, you’re reading about a kid, there’s going to be a certain degree of immaturity there and if there isn’t, the story probably isn’t all that realistic. So warning to those readers, you should probably run for the hills rather than read about Violet.

Violet is most definitely on the young side of her twelve years, so she’s going to rub some readers the wrong way, the rest of us will simply understand that not everyone grows up at the same rate and I like seeing that reflected in books. If I’m going to read about kids who are written practically as though they’re mini adults, then I also want to read about the ones like Violet, who don’t have it all together yet, who act without entirely thinking it through, who still hold out hope for impossible things and do the kind of cringey stuff we’re all a little bit guilty of in our childhoods and beyond.

The emotion could have been amped up a little more here, this had effective moments, particularly where Violet and her sister Rose note that their dad favors his newest children, I wanted more of that sort of thing and more of the anxiety motivating Violet’s desire to find a solid match for her mom (the mom has had some seemingly depressive episodes following breakups). I also would have liked more interractions and maybe even confrontations between Violet and her parents, there were disappointments on both sides that I didn’t feel were addressed to quite the level they could have been, or at least not to the level that feelings are delved into in some of my favorite middle-grade books.

I did for the most part enjoy this, the pacing is brisk, and there’s humor throughout. ( )

Loved this book! ( )

Another Susin Nielsen using a teenaged-voice to tell a story. The writing hits the right note and sympathetically portrays a real situation that so many kids encounter. The George Clooney encounter was a bit contrived, but it served its purpose and added a lot of humour to the novel. ( )

This was a nice read for tween girls. Violet was a quirky narrator although, as an adult, I became frustrated with her, especially with some of the things she said and did. However, I think younger girls will relate to her and find her story enjoyable. ( )

Violet is a very likable character. Call me a sucker but I love a book that takes place in Canada rather than the US. Overall this book was really cute. ( )