The Right & the Real by Joelle Anthony

Joelle Anthony has cemented her place on my shelf as an author I love. Her first book, Restoring Harmony, blew me away with it's originality and great characters. The Right & the Real has done it again.

This is a scary book, but not because of anything paranormal. This story is very frightening because it feels so real. Ripped from the headlines. LaVon is such a cool character. I wish I could meet him in real life. He's one of those characters that I like to see so much in YA books - the one that scares you are first, but turns out to be such a great person. And Trent! A total caring and trusting boss. The things Jamie goes through and endures are astounding. Things no teenage girl should ever have to deal with. But she handles it with such strength and grace that I found myself pausing to wonder how I would have reacted if I were in her shoes. There were a few elements in the story that were a little hard to believe, such as Jamie loving acting so much and getting in to a great acting college. For someone so studious, we barely saw her crack open a book. The other thing that was difficult to see happening was how no one else seemed to know what was going on with her, from her teachers to her best of friends. Ultimately, though, this was a book I had trouble putting down. I enjoyed Janie's journey immensely and it should go without saying that I am looking forward to whatever Joelle Anthony has for us next.

Overall Rating: 5 Stars