A coming-of-age story about a child looking for the father they never knew may not sound like the most original idea. But there are enough unexpected incidents, so it does not feel like it has all been done before. Some of those incidents are improbable, but not so outrageous that you can't believe them if you try. It was not uninteresting to see all of Gwen's well-intentioned plans come to ruin and sometimes she was witty, but I had trouble connecting to this story. My main problem is that I found Gwen annoying. With all of her stream of consciousness and constant babbling and going off on long tangents that had nothing to do with the story I had trouble paying attention to her. By the end, I will admit, I was interested and wanted to know how it would all work out. But that didn't happen until I was three quarters of the way though the book. I'm sure some people can relate to Gwen, some people will find her endearing. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. ( )

The sum total of what Gwen knows of her biological father is that she is a product of a brief fling her mom had in Las Vegas sixteen years ago. Up until now, she hadn't pressed her mom further for details about the guy in the photo booth strip in her living room, but with potentially life-changing events on the horizon she is determined that now is the time to solve the mystery once and for all. This story is great fun and engaging — I'd even go so far as to call it a page turner. It really started to grow on me about one quarter through, and I didn't want to put it down. The characters were also nuanced and interesting, with a few reservations. As a writer, Schafer has a great imagination and shows a lot of promise.

That said, it is a real pity that the book did not see an editor and that the author did not consult a style manual. In that sense it felt like a first draft. On the first page alone, 'Katniss' is misspelled and the title of another book is underlined (at this point I realized the book was going to require more mental energy than I had anticipated). Other issues include nonstandard, unnecessary spacing after each paragraph, misuse of whom, incorrect homophones (balling vs. bawling, their vs. there), and a phrase translated incorrectly into French. In addition to the many books and films underlined in the text, the author sprinkles various registered trademark symbols throughout.

As a librarian, I found the library scene and its accompanying stereotypes pretty cringey (has the author visited a library in recent decades?). Gwen's snarky, smug sense of humor grew grating and seemed to consist solely of hyperbole and dad jokes a real teen wouldn't be caught dead uttering. A professional editor could have helped to tone down her inner monologue a bit, and would likely have made the difference between this okay book and a good book I would recommend to teens in my library. Authors: do have family and friends critique your writing; don't skimp on the editor.

I received this ARC via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. ( )

Disclaimer – A copy of this book was provided for review by the publisher, Moon Jumper Press, via Library Thing.
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This is a fun and breezy YA novel about a 16-year-old girl seeking the father she never knew – not for herself, but to give her single mom a shot at fulfilling a long-postponed dream.

Gwen Pendergrass and her mother Karen have cobbled together a life that doesn’t offer much in the way of material things, but which is rich in their love for each other. Yes, Gwen gripes a bit about their tiny apartment where nothing works quite right, and fusses about her combination bedroom/living room/entryway furnished with the futon-from-hell and a sassy, overweight cat. But generally speaking, she’s handling it with a minimum of angst and a quirky friendship with her best buddy Peter.

Then the combination of a writing assignment at school – an essay recalling special moments spent with Dad – and an out-of-the-blue chance for Karen to take another shot at a career dream she gave up on 16 years ago combine to make Gwen determined to break open her mother’s silence. As her attempts get more and more convoluted, so does her relationship with Peter, and the whole project threatens to topple around her.

Gwen is a bright, likeable character, and if Peter is just slightly too good to be true, he still provides Gwen with a confidante, a facilitator, and a good-natured partner in her Quixotic quest. One might quibble at the notion that Karen, a bright and capable woman in her own right, would have remained in a series of minimum-wage jobs over the years – she dropped out of college, not high school – but her dismal job prospects give impetus to Gwen’s search.

Schafer does an acceptable job of taking on the voice of an adolescent girl, though sometimes the writing is a bit over-the-top. It will probably pass muster with the target audience, however, and Gwen’s self-claimed geekiness will give many readers something to identify with. ( )