Yvonne Prinz

Allie is one of the last of a dying breed of true vinyl and music appreciators. She works blissfully at Bob and Bob Records, a haven for music enthusiasts in Berkeley, California. Allie would be happy just to live as she is, surrounded by vinyl, forever, but she wonders if there are more people like her out there, such as that cute guy who has spent so much time in the store lately.

Allie starts to reach out to vinyl lovers everywhere by starting a blog, but she begins to learn that she can show more reach out just within her own neighborhood as well…

I have trouble finding the words to describe my experience of reading THE VINYL PRINCESS. It is an understated novel that makes its impact not with an incredible premise or fast-paced action, but with the quirky nuances that often pass by unnoticed in our everyday lives, and I love it so much for doing that.

Allie is—and at the same time isn’t—your average teenage girl. She holds herself above the usual petty melodramas of her peers, which makes her refreshing to read about, as well as gives her a potential crossover appeal. She has a sort of wry narration and a deep confidence in her music knowledge and taste, which at times made me a bit uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but imagine that the bookish equivalent of Allie would probably disdain me for reading *sniff* a young adult novel. Ah well. Too bad I still can’t help but be interested in people like her, who seem to be so sure of themselves and their passions.

The jacket synopsis doesn’t give credit to what goes on in this book. In fact, Allie’s blog is only a small thing of interest that happens to her in the course of the summer. THE VINYL PRINCESS deals elegantly with family tensions, best friend troubles, economic woes, and the adorable uncertainty of unexpected, budding romance. Even in moments when the plot seems to stumble in terms of believability, nothing really feels disbelievingly dramatic, and Allie and the supporting characters never lost my sympathies.

THE VINYL PRINCESS is a strong contemporary YA novel that will appeal to readers who like voice-driven fiction, featuring a main protagonist who seems older than her years. In fact, I’m kind of surprised that this wasn’t published as an adult novel, for in many ways its contemplation of society and humanity will be more appreciated by an older audience. It has definitely put Yvonne Prinz on my list of YA authors to watch out for, and I look forward to what she does with other characters in different situations in the future. show less

Both the readers and George (short for Georgia), the protagonist of Yvonne Prinz’s latest engrossing entrée into YA Fiction, If You’re Lucky, aren’t quite sure where reality ends and George’s scrambled mind takes over. Lucky, George’s older brother, was killed in a surfing accident in Australia. Considering he was an excellent surfer, George can’t grasp that it was an accident. To her it resembled drowning in an inch of water, possible, but not probable.

A bunch of Lucky’s show more friends congregate at George’s California home for a party, not a memorial service, because Lucky would prefer it that way. When one of the friends, Fin, decides to stay in the sleepy little town and ingratiates himself into Lucky’s family (even Lucky’s dog, Rocket, is enamored of Fin) and starts seeing Lucky’s girlfriend Sonia, George becomes suspicious. Was Lucky’s death an accident or murder? Does Fin want Lucky’s life? Unfortunately for George, her grasp on reality is fragile, and no one is willing to take her warnings seriously.

Reading If You’re Lucky conjured up memories of Gail Giles’ excellent book Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters, another psychological drama. On the outside all appears normal but on the inside something is amiss.

I could not put If You’re Lucky down, especially as I got closer to the end. Prinz, author of Vinyl Princess and All You Get is Me, does a great job putting readers in the mind of a schizophrenic to the point reality and fantasy merge in both George’s and the reader’s minds.

If you’re looking for a great book, If You’re Lucky should definitely be on the list. show less

4.5 stars

With an engrossing storyline and an intriguing mystery, If You're Lucky is a riveting young adult novel that is full of exciting twists and turns. Yvonne Prinz puts a unique spin on the unreliable narrator plot device and readers, along with lead protagonist Georgia, will have a difficult time differentiating between fact and fantasy after she begins to suspect her brother’s death might be more than a tragic accident.

Following the drowning death of her beloved older brother, show more Lucky, Georgia is delighted to meet his charismatic friend, Fin, when he arrives in town for Lucky's memorial service. She listens with rapt interest to his stories about Lucky, but she cannot help but wonder why Lucky's girlfriend, Sonia, seems displeased by his appearance. Georgia's grief quickly leads to a downward spiral of paranoia and distrust when Fin carefully insinuates himself into all aspects of her brother's life. She begins probing into his past but when her own troubled history catches up with her, no one believes her accusations that Fin might be responsible for Lucky's death.

Georgia adored Lucky and she is immediately skeptical that her adventure seeking brother could have accidently drowned. But with no concrete evidence to the contrary, she and her parents try to move past their grief and pick up the pieces of their now shattered lives. Just as life is returning to normal, she begins to notice inconsistencies in Fin's stories and even more troubling is his sudden intrusion into all areas of her life. At first jealous when he begins paying attention to Sonia, Georgia becomes alarmed when Fin befriends her parents then continues to maneuver himself into Lucky's old life. Her investigation into Fin's past reveals a very disturbing pattern but Georgia's increasingly erratic behavior makes it impossible for anyone to believe her seemingly wild accusations.

If You're Lucky by Yvonne Prinz is an outstanding psychological thriller with a likable and sympathetic main protagonist who becomes increasingly unraveled when the lines between reality and delusion blur. An overall fast-paced and suspense-laden mystery that I highly recommend to readers of all ages. show less

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

How does a self-proclaimed music geek with encyclopedic knowledge of vinyl's history survive in an MP3 obsessed, Billboard Top 40 world? If you're sixteen-year-old Allie, you spend every free moment "practically running" Bob & Bob's Records, comb the flea markets of Berkeley for classic LPs, while composing articles for your blog and zine.

Not that any of this means Allie's without a life - thank you very much. She spends plenty of time patronizing the show more bohemian eateries and coffeehouses populating downtown San Francisco, hanging with best friend and vintage fashion maven Kit, and keeping an eye on her scatterbrained mother as she reenters the dating scene.

Should Allie let her mother's personality-transplant-for-a-boyfriend, or twenty-something stepmother Kee-Kee's pregnancy, send her into a tailspin? Of course not!

Who cares if Bob & Bob's owner keeps threatening to sell the store? He's been saying that for years.

And why worry too much about a series of robberies plaguing businesses along Telegraph Avenue? With regulars like Allie keeping their eyes peeled for anyone suspicious, the police will catch the thieves sooner or later.

So what if Allie hasn't found a boyfriend of her own? Sure, she's got her eye on the mystery hottie "M" who's recently become a customer, but it's not like she expects to stumble across her musical soul mate at work...right?

I *LOVED* this book with a blinding passion! Everything from Allie herself, to her eccentric family and kooky coworkers, the descriptions of food, the plethora of music history and the way Yvonne Prinz infuses the city of San Francisco with so much life and vivacity, it becomes a character in and of itself. Even though I'm an iPod devotee, I got a kick out of Allie's references to MP3s and downloading as "the end of civilization as we know it."

THE VINYL PRINCESS is hip, blunt, quirky, and just plain fabulous - if books were people, I'd marry this one. Seriously guys, this is one you shouldn't miss. show less