Author: Kieran Scott
Series: Book One of the She's So Dead to Us Trilogy
Page Count: 275
ISBN: 9781416999515
Publisher: Simon and Schuster BFYR
Buy it: Amazon Barnes and Noble
Plot according to the Book: Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rearview mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the same of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends--friends that liked having trust funds and new cars, and that didn't like constant reminders that they had been swindled. So it was adios, Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.
Now, two years later, Ally's mother has landed a job back at the site of their downfall. So instead of Ally's new low-key, happy life, it'll be back into the snake pit with the likes of Shannen Moore and Hammond Ross.
But there's Jake Graydon. Handsome, wealthy, bored Jake Graydon. He moved to town after Ally left and knows nothing of her scandal, but does know that he lies her. And she likes him. So off into the sunset they can go, right? Too bad Jake's friends have a problem with his new crush since it would make Ally happy. And if anyone deserves to be unhappy, it's Ally Ryan.
Ally was hoping to have left all the drama in the past, but some things just can't be forgotten. Isn't there more to life than money?
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I picked this book up because the library where I worked spotlighted the second book in this series and I liked the description of the book, so I knew I had to start with the beginning of the series. I tore through this book like a monkey on a cupcake! It's a light, easy read that will have you wanting more when the book ends.
The event that causes the Ryan family to leave Orchard Hill in the dead of night with no warning and no good-byes, happens before the book begins, and the effects of the event are felt right from the get go. Ally's parents have split up, she doesn't know where her dad is, since he just dropped Ally and her mother off at his mother's house and left without a clue as to where he was going. Ally's best friend Shannen Moore's father lost a huge chunk of money and is drowning himself in the bottle even more than before. The Steins (aka The Idiot Twins) lost their home and now have to live at their Grandparents' home.
When Ally and her mother arrive back in town (Ally's mom has a new job at the high school), the first place Ally is drawn to is the old family homestead. When she gets there, she has an immediate run-in with new hottie Jake Graydon. He doesn't know Ally's history and is very intrigued by her right from the get go. He invites her to a Crestie (popular rich kids) party where Ally is sure to run into her old friends. When she gets to the party, her old friends let her know, very painfully, that she is no longer welcome in their circle.
Vowing to rise above, Ally makes new friends with the Norms (poor kids) and tries to keep her head above water. Easier said than done, especially since ex-bestie Shannen Moore seems to be especially vicious towards Ally, with pranks and rude, snide comments. Shannen does the most heinous thing she can think of to Ally and ropes Jake in on it unwittingly, setting up a stunning confrontation at the end of the story.
Ms. Scott makes Ally's plight sympathetic from the first page. How does one come back to the "scene of the crime" and make things right? And since they didn't commit the crime, do or should they even have to atone for it? It is understandable that the families of Ally's friends feels anger towards her father, he did after all lose them large sums of money on a risky hedge fund. Think Bernie Madoff, just on a smaller scale.
I liked the way the chapters were broken up into months, with gossip-y conversations covering reactions by other students to events in previous chapters. Ally and Jake both take turns narrating the story, so it's nice to get two perspectives on the action. And they do have chemistry out the yin-yang. The world of SHE'S SO DEAD TO US is well drawn and easy to get lost in.
This book is by no means perfect. Ally's mother is ill-defined and almost a non-entity in the book except for when Ms. Scott wants to try to get Ally's family back into the world of the Cresties by having Ally's mother date a doctor who has Crestie ties. There is very little actual communication between the Ryan women, and sometimes Mrs. Ryan seems a tad bit oblivious to her daughter's struggles. Not that Ally lets her in, but most mothers would know when something was off with their child. And I kind of think that Mrs. Ryan really didn't think the move back to Orchard Hill through all that much. She's shoving her daughter and herself back into a situation where they're decidedly personas non-gratas. I'm hoping for more character development for Mrs. Ryan.
Jake, ah...Jake. He's not really a likable hero, but Ms. Scott tries to make him like-able. He caves to peer pressure one too many times for me to really care about him. There were more than a few times when I was like, "Really?! C'mon Jake, don't be so damn dumb!" while reading the book. I get that he wants to maintain his own social standing, but he just cannot stand up to Shannen even when it's obvious that her vendetta against Ally is all-consuming. And how did he miss that Shannen is totally crushing on him?
But for all of it's faults, the plot does come together, is paced nicely and leaves the reader wanting more.
Recommended for teens and adults who like a little bit of bite with their light reading.
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