While a good book, I don't think I would recommend it to any young adults. There is a very disturbingly real scene at a party involving drunkenness, "promiscuity" and giving in to peer pressure.

At first I didn't like Katy (Beige). She was very whiney in her mind while presenting a very shallow and false persona to the world. I guess that part disturbed me because I related to it so well. Especially the smiling while being miserable inside. Parts of the book were great, but other parts didn't delve deeply enough. When Katy gets the first revelation from her mom and is so gracious and accepting it just seemed unreal. When she got the second one it seemed like she should have spoken explicitly to her mother or had a bigger tantrum. It didn't seem genuine to me. Still, again I would have done similar things and wish I could have acted out more.

I would say this book is more young college adult than high school book.

Merideth says: Katy, daughter of an anthropology student and a burnt out rock legend, winds up spending the summer with her estranged father amid the L.A. Music scene. While there, she learns more about her past and herself as she grudgingly befriends the people around her.

This book is a good argument for sticking with a title you don't think you'll like. Left to my own devices, I probably would have bailed half-way though this one, as it features unlikeable characters, a music scene I have no real interest in, and takes place in that mystic LA that only exists in teen novels.

If I had bailed, I would have missed out, because while Castellucci doesn't make her characters anymore likable, she does make them a whole lot more sympathetic and understandable. And while I'm not sure that the LA setting is all that realistic, it is more recognizable than that of Block or Rachel Cohn. Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well drawn, their back stories skillfully introduced and the ending, while upbeat, is not over the top happy. (cross-posted from MeriJenBen) ( )

surprisingly good. i'm not a big fan of other l.a.-based ya books (francesca lia block.. i just don't get her. or like her.), but this one felt real.. though the ending was a little too pat. but still, i liked katy/beige and i liked her changes and i loved the songs-as-chapter-names. little phrases here and there made me go "a-ha, this is _good_!" having lived in l.a. for over seven years, it made me miss it a lot. except no mention of in 'n out, how can that be! ha. anyhow, a quick good read. ( )

this book is very young adult. it was entertaining but written for middle school and early high schoolers. i would not really recommend it although i did enjoy the setting of the book. the author did a good job of explaining the music scene. ( )

Katy has lived with her mom, a former heroin-addict rock music groupie, in Montreal, for her entire life. She's only met her father, the lead singer of an infamous rock band, a few times. When her mother has to go to Peru for research, adolescent Katy is sent to live with her father (aka "The Rat" to his friends) in Los Angeles. When her mother's plans change and Katy is stuck in Los Angeles for the whole summer, she learns to love her dad, understand her self, and think about the world a little more broadly.

The plot is straightforward and appealing to adolescent and teenage girls. The language includes French phrases and some expletives. There are several references to drugs and some references to sex. The setting is Los Angeles. Characters are interesting and immediately likable, if somewhat predictable. Each chapter is named after a different punk-rock song, which might be fun and engaging for adolescent/teenage readers.

Highly recommended for middle and high school libraries. ( )