Book Review: Pearl by Jo Knowles

Title:  Pearl

Author:  Jo Knowles

Publication Date:  July 19, 2011

Source:  Good Golly Miss Holly ARC Tours

Synopsis (from Good Golly Miss Holly):  Bean (née Pearl) and Henry, misfits and best friends, have the strangest mothers in town. Henry’s mom Sally never leaves the house. Bean’s mom Lexie, if she is home, is likely nursing a hangover or venting to her friend Claire about Bean’s beloved grandfather Gus, the third member of their sunny household.
Gus’s death unleashes a host of family secrets that brings them all together. And they threaten to change everything—including Bean’s relationship with Henry, her first friend, and who also might turn out to be her first love.

My thoughts:  Bean and Henry have a lot in common.  They are both 15 and have no other friends.  They both have crazy moms.  They both have no father around and both their worlds are about to become more dramatic than the soap opera that they watch with Henry's mom. 

It is summer and Bean is hanging with Henry when she gets the phone call to come home.  Upon arriving home, her young, single and slightly off-center mom tells her that her beloved grandfather, whom they live with, has died.  Now, Bean's mom and her grandfather have never gotten along and Bean has always wondered why.  As the days after Gus's death go by and Bean's mom and her best friend Claire become increasingly happy, Bean knows she has to figure out why happened between her mom and grandfather and her mom and her real dad. 

What is even more surprising is when Claire and Lexie (Bean's mom) include Sally, Henry's mom, into the mix and she actually enjoys herself.  Sally is a very heavy woman who hasn't really left her house since Henry's father left.  Once she gets out and spends time with Claire and Lexie though, she becomes a whole new woman.

There are some interesting issues that come to light as Henry and Bean learn about their mothers, their fathers, the relationship between Claire and Lexie and the relationship between Lexie and Gus. 

I liked the fact that there wasn't a ton of romance between Bean and Henry to complicate issues even further.  Bean and Henry were very identifiable characters and I really enjoyed both of them. 

I thought the issue between Lexie and Gus and Lexie and Claire was a little off.  The reasoning for how Lexie explained her pregnancy to Gus was just kind of weird for me.  I also thought the reasoning behind how she got pregnant was odd.  It just didn't really ring true or real for me, I guess.

This book was a very fast read and was pretty good.  I was never bored with it and didn't want to put it down so I could figure out what exactly was going on.