Book Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost may be a distant relative of Robert Frost, but she has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a mystery in her lap—one that might be the key to uncovering the truth behind a town tragedy, she decides to take a chance.

 

My Thoughts: Parker is a goody-two-shoes.  She listens to what her mom says, she studies her butt off so she can get scholarships, she never ditches school, never parties and is just pretty much not living life.  

 

Parker is a TA for one of her favorite teachers.  She is helping him with his annual project, which, by the way, I think is an awesome project!  The teacher gives the senior students a composition notebook and one question that was posed by the poet Mary Oliver:  "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?".  The teacher doesn't read them but boxes them up and ten years later, sends them to the former students so they can see what they dreamed about as a senior.  Parker is going through the box and addressing all the journals to send back to the former students when she finds one from a girl who went missing (and was presumed dead) on graduation night, ten years ago.  Juliana was part of a golden couple and her and her boyfriend got in a car crash on graduation.  No one every found them and assumed that their bodies were lost in the lake.  

Parker finds Juliana's journal and on a whim she takes it and reads it.  What she finds in the journal that was never intended for anyone else's eyes surprises her and sets her off on a mission to discover the truth.

I loved Parker's best friend, Kat.  She was fun and quirky and a perfect fit for Parker.  I also really liked Trevor.  He was so funny and yet you could tell he really liked Parker.  I got annoyed with Parker and her mom.  Parker just did what her mom said with no arguments and it got annoying.  Her mom was clearly trying to take charge of Parker's life.  I just really wanted Parker to stand up to her mom and tell her off!  She does get better towards the end though so that redeemed her character for me.  

This book had mystery, romance and some great life lessons in it.  In fact, I quoted one of the quotes by Robert Frost that was in the book on my Facebook page today because it was just perfect for where I am in my life.  It was a very fast read and I highly suggest picking it up when it hits the shelves!