Goose

wonderfully plotted, presented and engaging.

I haven’t read the first, so I have no expectations as to this follow-up story. Renee and Flo are friends of long standing, and are wrapping up their senior year of high school. Almost oppotsite personalities, Flo is more anxious and attempting to do the right thing where Renee is substituting fun and adventure at every turn, taking little seriously.

While both girls want out (and perhaps off Guernsey) their future planning is very different: Flo has plans that include university, even as her own work-ethic isn’t particularly demonstrating that desire. Renee just wants out, letting the idea of freedom consume her: all thoughts of future and planning for it are not on her horizon.

The closeness between these two different girls is fracturing: with a lean toward a group of more Christian friends, Flo is grasping for something to solidify her place in the world. Renee, initially jealous at the more needy Flo’s growing independence first spies on, then steps up to ‘outdo’ Flo’s new relationship by dating an older man.

These two are playing at adult while getting most wrong. Kudos to Dawn O’Porter for giving them both such distinct and realistic personality traits, issues and pitfalls as they move forward through the year. Neither girl is particularly insightful or worldly, and their paths away from what they know aren’t the best, they are just different. Their friendship strained to the breaking point, they do learn important lessons in the attempts to keep that friendship alive.

Not having read Paper Aeroplanes, I don’t know how the characters have grown or changed from that story to this, but the growth, the situations and the lessons these two learn in one short school year are wonderfully plotted, presented and engaging.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.