For Keeps Review

For Keeps by Natasha Friend

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


'Did you say please just follow me, I thought you wanted me, 'cause I want you all to myself [...]'

I was listening to All to Myself by Marianas Trench when I was thinking of how to write the review for this. Well, the chorus of it definitely describes Josie's relationship with her mom. More on that later.

I can't say I hated the book. I got through it, and actually liked the relationship between Josie and her grandfather, little that it was, and also the concept to some extent. I felt the author didn't stick to the story. She starts the book off with Josie and her mom running into Josie's paternal grandparents, who don't know she exists, and then they're not mentioned again until the end of the book. It seems that the author got sidetracked by Josie's other relationships.

The characters were quite cliche, storyline was predictable. I wanted to read more of Josie and her grandparents, but the author didn't give much importance to that relationship.

And there were a few annoying factors:

1. As I said above, Josie wanted her mom all to herself. To some extent, that was fine, but her portrayal seemed quite exaggerated, she came off as very clingy.

2. Her worshipping Liz. You know how there's always that character that can't do anything wrong? Everyone just loves them and wants to be them? That is Liz (according to josie at least). When Josie talked of Liz, it was always something like 'She can wear the weirdest outfits to school, and she'll pull it off when no one else can. The next day all the freshmen girls will be wearing that same outfit.' a) That just doesn't seem realistic to me and b) Josie said that same sentence at least 3 times that i remember. 2 too many times.

That is my rant for the day.

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