Wednesday=Book Review Time--Pass me that peach

Up for today PEACHES by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Why I bought it? I actually bought the 2nd book first from a $5 table at the BN thinking it was the first one. I thought it would be a good, cheap way to try out a new author. I troll the YA section a fair amount and don't know how I would have missed the first one because I'm a HUGE fan of the peach as a fruit. Growing up in SC, I think it may be required. Anyway! I digress, but my love of the fruit is part of why I picked up the book in the first place. On the cover of The Secrets of Peaches (Book 2) the quote from Ann Brashares carried weight for me. It said: "Jodi Lynn Anderson's writing is packed with loveliness. Peaches is a sweet and delicious read." I'd been looking for something like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to read, and, as I read inside the cover about the main characters, I thought this would fit the bill. When I got it home, I realized it was book 2, and then I had to go back later and search out book 1.

Synopsis: Birdie's family owns a peach orchard in Georgia. The story follows the unlikely friendship of Birdie, her cousin, Leeda, and Murphy as they are forced together while working at the orchard. It explores love and friendship--what it means to find the right boy and how that affects your friends.

What I thought? It's a pretty enjoyable read. There were times when I LOVED Jodi Lynn Anderson's prose. She has a wonderfully charming voice. The story frustrated me sometimes, but, ultimately, I did like it a good bit and was glad that I had the 2nd book already to dig into. I enjoyed the characters a lot. When I got to the end of the 2nd, I was looking for the third even more, but it wasn't out, and so I had to wait a few weeks. I bought it right when it came out because I felt invested in the characters and wanted to know what happened to them. I enjoyed the 3rd book, as well, even though the storyline still frustrated me sometimes.

My rating: 4 (for all three books really--I enjoyed them quite a bit but not in an "over the top" way.)

Cleanness Score: 4 out of 10. The first book was cleaner than the 2nd and 3rd. I would give them ratings of 5. There was some language and some PG-13 sexual situations--nothing too terribly overt.

The sequels:

Book 2

Book 3