Author: Kieran Scott
From GoodReads, "Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rear-view mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the shame of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends -- friends that liked having trust funds and new cars, and that didn't like constant reminders that they had been swindled. So it was adios,Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.
Now, two years later, Ally's mother has landed a job back at the site of their downfall. So instead of Ally's new low-key, happy life, it'll be back into the snake pit with the likes of Shannen Moore and Hammond Ross.
But then there's Jake Graydon. Handsome, wealthy, bored Jake Graydon. He moved to town after Ally left and knows nothing of her scandal, but does know that he likes her. And she likes him. So off into the sunset they can go, right? Too bad Jake's friends have a problem with his new crush since it would make Ally happy. And if anyone deserves to be unhappy, it's Ally Ryan.
Ally was hoping to have left all the drama in the past, but some things just can't be forgotten. Isn't there more to life than money?"
As a huge fan of Kieran Scott, I had been anxiously awaiting this book. Unfortunately the book didn't live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, there were lots of things about this book that I liked. For example, I liked how the author used the school calendar to present what was going on in the story. I thought that this was a clever way to progress through the book. I also liked the premise of the book, especially because of all the things we hear on the news about the recession and ponzi schemes. I also liked how the book alternated between two perspectives, Ally and Jake. I liked the character of Ally for the most part. Her fall from grace was believable and I could totally buy why it would have been difficult to return to the scene of the crime. The hardest things to read were the parts of the story where her former friends were so incredibly mean to her. I really liked the character of Jake. Even though he was probably one of the most popular guys in school (and one of the best looking), Kieran Scott managed to give him soul and depth. His inner struggle with fitting in with the crowd and doing the right thing was my favorite thing about the book.
Now for the things I didn't exactly like. Maybe I am just used to the way Kieran Scott usually writes, but this book was a lot different from earlier books that I have read. I thought that in many ways the book was very predictable. Once I realized that Ally's friends were mostly mean girls (especially Shannon), I pretty much could guess what their next terrible plan was for Ally. I almost put the book down a couple of times, but the one thing I really wanted to know about (Ally's father) kept me reading. Without giving away anything, I was very disappointed in how the book ended. I now know that this book will probably be a sequel and it really isn't one that I can't wait to get my hands on... in fact, I'm not really that invested now with how Ally's life will turn out. Having read (and loved) all of Kieran's Scott's book, I will definitely return to this author, but I probably won't return to this series.
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