Girl, (Nearly) 16: Absolute Torture

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Welcome back to more crazy adventures of Jess Jordan.

School is out and Jess has nothing more planned than to spend her time with her newly turned boyfriend, Fred. But it doesn't take long before disaster strikes. Of all times, Jess's mom has decided to take a vacation. They're to take a road trip so that Jess can visit her father in St. Ives. They'll stop at all sorts of historical and literary sites along the way. She surprises Jess with the news hours before Fred surprises her with tickets to the Riverdene concert. Typical of Jess's life.

Leaving Fred behind, Jess, her mom, and her dear grandmother (along with her grandfather's ashes) head off on the trip. With intermittent phone and text show more connections with Fred, Jess's mind starts coming up with far-fetched ideas of his indiscretions. Jess's best friend, Flora, has canceled her vacation when Flora's mom winds up with a broken leg. Earlier in the year Flora was keen on Fred. So leaving the two back home without a chaperone could spell a breakup for Jess.

The trip wouldn't be nearly so bad if it weren't for the timing of it. Jess tells her story with anguish and comedy, leaving the reader in hysterics and wanting to learn more. The reader can tell what is about to happen, but the anticipation of Jess's twisted reality is what makes the story so much fun.

Eventually, they get to St. Ives, where Jess finds out the truth about her parents' divorce and what Fred has really been up to while she's been gone.

This installment of Jess Jordan's life picks up where GIRL, 15: CHARMING BUT INSANE left off. And after reading this, I'm already eager to get my hands on GIRL, GOING ON 17: PANTS ON FIRE. I can't imagine what other situations Jess can manage to get into. show less

My thoughts:
Positives:

* This type of book is always very funny to me.
* Typical teenage girl in love behavior filled with jealousy and "going to kill you" fantasies.
* Emotions run rampant and I understand that better than staying calm all of the time
* When her father tells her that he's gay, it's the coolest thing that she can imagine. That part of the book is very inclusive and hilarious at the same time. It's a great way to bring up a sensitive topic.

Negatives:

* This type of book has a plot, but really the side stories distract you from it consistently. There is no "point" to this story.
* She can be a little too dramatic at times.
* Honestly, you never really find out what's going on between the family members. Perhaps I would show more have had to read the other ones to understand the problems between her mother and her. show less

The first one was definitely funnier. Although the ending in this one makes it all worth it. I grew tired of her constant prattle, but otherwise it had its moments.

sweet sweet book--plus it was wonderful to read about Penzance and St. Ives. Recommended

Lots of drama from this young lady. I'm not sure I'll be able to finish the series.

www.yasarah.blogspot.com

La madre de Jess tiene el sentido de la oportunidad de un torturador consumado. Hacía poco que Jess salía con Fred y había planeado pasar todo el tiempo que pudiera con él. Pero su madre decidió emprender, con ella y la abuela (y las cenizas del abuelo), un vertiginoso e histórico tour que concluiría con una visita a su padre en Saint Ives. En otras circunstancias, la idea de visitar a su padre hubiera hecho que Jess se pusiera a dar botes de alegría, pero ¿por qué tenía que ser precisamente ahora?