Publisher: Entangled Teen
Where did you get this book? Purchased
Release date: Out now
Things I know about Reece Malcolm:
1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.
Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.
L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.
But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?
*Blurb taken from Goodreads*
I love my twitter friends. When they recommend a book to read, they never fail. The wonderful Brie from Romance Around the Corner recommended this sweet and cute YA read.
The Reece Malcolm list is a story about a relationship with a teenage girl and her absent mother. Devan’s father has just passed away, and Devan is moving to LA to live with her famous mother, Reece Malcolm. Reece Malcolm is a Pulitzer prize winning author. Devan has never met her mother before as she gave up parental rights to Devan’s father. Devan’s relationship with her dad wasn’t the best, and she doesn’t know how to feel or react when she goes to live with Reece.
This book was a little different from other YA reads that feature parental difficulties. Reece is different. She doesn’t act like a mother, and nor does she want act like one. She can be very difficult and abrupt, but Devan sees a side of her mother that she can’t help but like. I still don’t know what to make of Reece after finishing the book. I think I liked her character, but my heart hurt a little for Devan because Reece doesn’t watch her mouth in what she says about having Devan at such a young age. Yet she acts with a lot of ease and comfort with Devan. It was a fascinating relationship to read.
Reece enrolls Devan into a performing arts school without any qualms and is quite supportive of Devan. Devan meets new friends at her new school, and she has no issues with getting to grips with her classes. Performing is one aspect in Devan’s life that she is completely at ease with. What she’s very unsure about is boys. Devan meets Sai and she’s instantly drawn to him. She’s hoping they have a flirtation going, but Sai ends up hooking up with another girl. This bothers Devan but she doesn’t show her hurt feelings. This is how Devan acts with Reece. She is constantly apologizing and is very insecure about how she should act with Reece.
Devan carries on as normal, and ends up going out with Elijah. I was warned there was a love triangle in this, but I agree with Rachel that it didn’t become annoying. It felt natural and there wasn’t any soul-destroying angst, and the romance works it’s way out sweetly towards the end.
Devan’s relationship with Reece’s boyfriend, Brad, was also sweet. Whilst Reece could be awkward and difficult, Brad was the total opposite and welcomed Devan without any qualms knowing that a teenager would be coming into his life. Reece and Devan’s relationship was very interesting. Devan would be so passive with Reece. For most of the book, there’s no mention of Reece’s abandonment of Devon, and I wanted Devan to have more spirit and gusto in her. A lot of the time, she was passive and that frustrated me at times. There is a showdown at the end of the book, but it was a little too quick and tied up happily for my liking. This is where some angst would have been appropriate. Devan seemed to get over Reece not being in her life very quickly in the end.
Despite my frustration with how passive Devan was, this is a cute read and I enjoyed that there was more time spent on the relationship between mother and daughter, and the romance took a back seat.
I give it a B-.