Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein - Review

Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein

May 8, 2012 
by Entangled Publishing

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

My Review:
Amy and her friends get stood up for their prom. So now that they are all dressed up with no place to go, what are they going to do? Her friend, Lila, breaks into the house of her boyfriend to see if their dates are in there and steals a huge bag of pot. The girls drive around, getting high, and then decide to go to the prom on their own. Only the two students taking tickets won't let them in because they don't have their tickets with them. After they leave the school, they get pulled over and arrested for having the pot. Amy is now suspended from school, has to get a job to pay for her lawyer, and is banned from seeing Lila and Cassie. But they define who Amy is, and without them, she has to find herself again. 

Pretty Amy is a step away from the majority of YA books. Many YA books have teens who are doing drugs, but you don't usually read about them having any repercussions from doing it, except maybe being grounded. Lisa Burstein has given us a realistic look into the life of a teenager who has to face the consequences of being caught. Amy's entire life is turned upside down and changed in one night. Now Amy has to try to put her life back in order, do things she doesn't want to do, and figure out who she is.

You can easily relate to Amy and understand her because Lisa Burstein has perfectly described the feelings of an insecure teenager who only defines herself by her friends. She has also captured the emotions of anyone, regardless of age, who has found themselves at the worst point in their life. Pretty Amy is easy to read and engaging. I really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to others. (I would recommend this to older YA readers due to drug use and language.)  

A copy was provided by the publisher for review.

About the author:
Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Pretty Amy is her first novel. She never went to her senior prom.

She wrote her first story when she was in second grade. It was a Thanksgiving tale from the point of view of the turkey from freezer to oven to plate. It was scandalous.

She was a lot like Amy when she was in high school.

She is still a lot like Amy.

Find out more about Lisa Burstein.