YA Books With Alternating Narrators

I tend to be very wishy washy on this type of narration.  I think it can be done really well or it can be a disaster, so this isn't typically an easy grouping of books for me to read.  I hate to pick up a book that isn't good enough or well done enough to finish!  When an author has two different narrators, I think it tends to be easier for one of the narrators to feel "off" or not authentic to the story.

Fortunately, the selections in this realm were wonderful and I had no trouble enjoying the books that I've read over the course of this week.

I had picked this book up to read once previously and wasn't able to get to it before it was due back to the library, so I was excited to see it on the list.

This story essentially follows a group of beauty queens, winners of each respective state in the Miss Teen Dream pageant.  The story starts with a plane crash.  The contestants are headed to the exotic island location where the pageant for the overall Miss Teen Dream will be held when there is an explosion and their plane goes down.

Many contestants are killed.  Many more are injured.  And what happens next I absolutely didn't expect: this turns in to one of the best books on feminism I've ever read.  Through this trial (being stranded on an island, having to provide for themselves) the girls are transformed.

The reader learns that many of these girls are not what they seem.  Some are going through the pageant system because they really do love pageants.  But lots more are doing it for their mothers.  Or doing it to send a message. Or truly doing it for the scholarship money.

What the girls don't know is that the Corporation, the organization that is in charge of the pageant, is losing tons of money on the deal and has arranged the entire plane crash and intended for all the girls to die.  That some of them survived is a huge issue.  They also have more nefarious goals in mind for a nearby island nation that is rich in natural resources.

It was really interesting to see the story line of the contestants merge with that of the Corporation.  And it was fun to read because the reader is actually privy to some information that each group doesn't have yet, so you get to wait and see the reactions once the other group starts putting pieces together.

This is where I got nervous as I've discovered having two different authors is a great way to have a story that may not mesh well.  Fortunately both authors are able to stay on-point and keep things together.

Lily wants a boyfriend. In a stroke of madness, she leaves a notebook on a shelf in a bookstore and leaves a dare for the reader.  Lily is an eccentric and accepted this years ago, so she kind of needs a boyfriend who can keep up with her.

Dash picks up the notebook and is intrigued.  And a little bit irritated.  If she gets to place a notebook with a dare, so does he.  And back and forth the notebook goes. It is the holidays and while the reader knows that Lily loves the holidays, Dash is not such a fan.  Unfortunately, many of the dares are holiday inspired (like feeling up Santa, going to FAO Schwartz, to a Jewish/Hanukkah "rave", etc.).

As this notebook goes back and forth, they get to know each other a little bit, but not as much as you'd think.  In reality, this book is just a fun (and funny), easy, holiday type read.  I found Lily a bit more easy to relate to.  Some of the side characters, like Lily's crazy aunt, became my favorites.