Pretty Amy Blog Tour

Guys, I have the sincere pleasure of being a part of the Pretty Amy blog tour (my very first blog tour ever--YAY!) And if you haven't read my review, READ IT NOW. Are you reading? Good. Not yet convinced? Well I have an interview with Lisa Burstein, the author, who was kind enough to answer some questions: 

Cassie: Describe your main character (Amy) in three words. 

Lisa: Real, Raunchy, Misunderstood

Cassie: What inspired you to write Pretty Amy?

Lisa: I was arrested during my senior year of high school, not for the same reason Amy was, but that was where the kernel came from. I also knew I wanted to write a "shocking" book from a teenage girl's point of view. I feel like you can get away with your character being a murderer, or a jerk, or just a smart ass more easily if your book isn't contemporary and I wanted to try to break that mold with PRETTY AMY. I also wanted to write a contemporary YA book that was about what real teens go through. I feel like teenage girl's lives are complex and I hoped to show that in PRETTY AMY.

Cassie: Which character did you relate to the most, and why? 

Lisa: Amy. She is a hyperbolic version of me from high school. I am definitely using her and this book, to work out some of the issues I had back then.I was a lot like Amy. Just like her I had such a desire to belong, to fit in, to have people who understood me. I wanted that so badly and I guess I never felt like adults understood that. It was most of the reason I wrote PRETTY AMY. If I'd had it when I was in high school I feel like I would have been able to understand my feelings better. I wouldn't have felt so alone. That feeling was something I never admitted to anyone, not even my friends and I want to let teens know it's okay to feel lonely even surrounded by friends and family.

Cassie: Which character was the most difficult to write, and why?
Lisa: Amy, again because I wanted her to be complex and it hard to pull that off. Hard to make people like and believe in your character.


Cassie: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Lisa: Do not give up. Seriously. I could have given up so many times after any number of the rejections I received agent and editor both and if I had I would never be here today.

Cassie's final words: Wow! I had no idea that this was heavily based on you and your experiences as a teenager. I think that makes this story UBER special. Thank you so much, Lisa, for taking the time to answer my questions. (And for the record, Amy is most definitely REAL, raunchy, and misunderstood). 

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Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Fiction 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.

Review: Pretty Amy

Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein 

Release: May 8, 2012

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble 

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.

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It is difficult to put into words my experience while reading Pretty Amy. So let me begin by saying that this is not a book for the faint of heart. It is YA, but more adult than young (if that makes any sense). In fact, I initially shocked by the use of foul language and the topics/issues that were explored.

Once the shock died out, though, I understood the necessity of such words. It made for a much more realistic story.

Pretty Amy begins on Prom night. Amy and her friends, Lila and Cassie (that's my name!) have been stood up. One thing leads to another, and as you can tell from the cover, they all end up in jail. The story that follows marks Amy's journey through regret, forgiveness, and realization of self worth. And I can say that, without a doubt, this book would not have worked were it not for the realistic characterization of Amy. She is at the heart of the story and her voice and character are worth noting. As layers are peeled back, the reader begins to see the desperation and uncertainty that everyone feels at one point in their life. When one becomes so defined by their social group that they feel like they are nothing apart from them.

And this relatable theme has the potential to hit readers to the core.

The rest of the cast is also quite colorful. From Conner, to Lila, to Cassie...and even AJ (Amy's pet parrot). The relationship between Joe and Amy could have been more emphasized and/or developed, though. That is my one and only complaint, aside from the relatively quick resolution. The romance isn't the focus of the book, though, and perhaps that is what made this read different and refreshing. Pretty Amy is a simple, heavy, and yet satisfying story.

So please, PLEASE don't miss this amazing book. Thanks to entangled publishing for providing the e-ARC. Look for my interview with Lisa Bursten come Sunday--see you then.

(Oh! And on a side note, I have posted up a NEW giveaway. Go and enter now!)

RATING: 5 SLICES