Caitlin Trepp's Reviews > Lust

Once I got past the annoying lamp-shading (no writer needs to write "such a cliche" that much - I wasn't thinking it, but I am now), I became really absorbed in this book. Sure, in the beginning, the teenagers' attitudes are obnoxious, unhelpful, pitiful, and unflattering. This book feels like an after-school special, and while I was reading it, I thought, if this book takes a different direction (than an after school special typically ends) then it could be pretty awesome. I was happy to discover that there weren't any life-changing epiphanies (although in some parts I was really wishing for one, preferably immediately). I started to identify with these characters when their motivations and smaller desires were revealed. It didn't excuse their behavior, but I felt at that point the plot definitely thickened. This story almost feels like a (really well done) Mary Sue but with unexpected results. What if you did something that you knew you shouldn't? I felt really intrigued by this somewhat simple premise throughout this book. Robin Wasserman, although perhaps lacking confidence in the beginning, wrote a story that takes an old, old, concept and makes it interesting. I am super excited to read the next, and the next and the next and the next!