Book Review: Rival

New York : HarperTeen, 2011

I have to admit I started out very split on whether or not I really liked Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer.  I liked her writing, I like the way she structured her book, and I really liked the voices of her characters.  It sounds like there's not much not to like--actually I think most of my holdbacks were a result of not reading enough YA.  (Kind of the point in my doing this challenge:  To get myself reading more in this area.)

This story is a good example of shifting POVs and telling the story from two different points in time without confusing your reader--something that Wealer has done an excellent job of here.  Wealer also gives readers two very well rounded characters--Kathryn and Brooke--who grow over the course of their rocky high school relationship.

The overall theme of music and their drive to excel and some of the reasons and pressures behind their efforts really made the book for me.  Their journey is an enjoyable one, albeit super cram packed with high school drama.