Really Ravishing Review (The Implosion of Aggie Winchester)

Review of The Implosion of Aggie Winchester, by Lara Zielin. Coming August 2011.

Quickie: If you're a fan of The Duff, or Before I Fall, I highly recommend this. It's a wonderful tale of self-discovery. Loved it.

Full: Aggie Winchester dresses in black, cakes her face in white makeup, and is by all accounts "Goth". Her best friend Sylvia is the only other Goth at school and together they're invincible. As Sylvia says, act tough and nobody will mess with you.

Aggie's still trying to get over her recent break-up with Neil, her ex-boyfriend who suddenly got popular and stopped acknowledging her. The whole thing chafes, but Aggie is still hopeful that Neil will come to his senses and realize that he loves her.

Not only is Aggie Goth, she's the principal's kid. Talk about pressure. A few years back Aggie's ex-bestie started a rumor that Aggie had ratted her out to her principal mother and soon Aggie was about as popular with her peers as a plague, and treated like one as well. (Thus the transition into Goth) It's not easy being the principal's kid.

It gets even harder when a scandal at the school goes down. It's the talk of the town and the town wants to pin the scandal on Aggie's mother. Aggie becomes swept up in trying to uncover the truth, but she has to make some very tough decisions and she might lose her best friend, boyfriend, and parents' trust all at once.

I loved this book. Plain and simple. It was surprisingly complex and thoughtful. Although the plot might seem mundane, I assure you it was not. There were so many different twists and complications that I found myself distressed and imploding right along with Aggie.

If you're anything like me, you might read the back cover and assume this is just another "teen drama" book, but it's really much more than that. It's a tale of self-discovery and self-acceptance. It has a wonderfully positive message, letting teens know that it's okay to be who they are, to enjoy the things that they enjoy. You don't have to like something just because most kids like it. (I'm all about YA having positive messages for teens.)

Aggie was cute and sweet and I could relate to her. She wasn't perfect, but she tried hard and wanted to do what was best. Her story is one you don't want to miss.

I would recommend this book for older teens and up.

4 out of 5 stars.