Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Title: Golden
Author: Jessi Kirby
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Source: Purchased
Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

My Thoughts:

I have not been disappointed by any of the books that I have read by Jessi Kirby.  So I knew that it was about time that I finally read Golden because it was going to be a real treat! 

Golden is about Parker Frost and how she has done everything right and everything planned out for her future.  She's gotten good grades, never missed any school and accepted to all the right colleges.  Everything is going just as her parents have always planned until she is tasked with mailing alumni their senior journals and she finds the journal of the town tragedy, Julianna, she wrote before she died.  Even though she knows she should do the right thing and put it in the mail, she just can't help but take it for herself and read it.  

Julianna's story is so sad but it resembles Parker's very closely.  Parker and Julianna do what their parents expect and want them to do instead of doing what makes them happy.  In Julianna's case, it led her to unhappiness and a very young death.  Parker sees that she is also trapped by feeling that she must do what is expected of her but realizes that it might not be to late her to listen to her heart. I love stories that might encourage teenagers to think outside the box because there are other options than going to college or just doing what your parents think is best.  

I definitely loved Golden and the mystery surrounding the accident what Julianna and Shane.  I thought this was a different turn for Jessi Kirby and she did is very well.  I can't wait to see what she's going to write next!