(Goodreads) When Native American Fredericka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.
The Short Story? - While the blurb leads readers to believe that Hooked is just another typical frothy YA romance about two completely different teenagers falling in love, it's little more than that. Fichera's debut explores the unexpected chemistry between two teenagers of different racial backgrounds and how racism and prejudice play a role in keeping them apart. Fichera's debut definitely leaves a lot of food for thought for readers. Great use of YA contemporary to deal with heavier issues! For fans of Miranda Kenneally's Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.
The Long Story? - Hooked had more to offer than what I thought it did, it wasn't quite as romantic and frothy as I thought it would be but I think swapping froth for the exploration of more meaningful issues wasn't all that bad. I am disappointed with the "less frothiness" but not too much that I didn't enjoy the book. I think Fichera did a great job incorporating racial prejudice into Hooked, it wasn't an in your face kind of book, it was actually done quite delicately. I liked how the racial prejudice tied in with the love story, I thought that it made the book a little more relatable to readers because love causes many problems but it's also the only thing that can overcome all those problems too. Hooked was also very educating, I definitely learned a little more about the american indian heritage through the book. I also loved the sportswoman aspect of the novel, there is something appealing about female athletes as protagonists. It's almost like "YEAH GIRL POWER". I think fans of Miranda Kenneally's books will enjoy Hooked!
Personally I thought the characterisation let the book down a little, like I always say characters can make or break the book and in this case unfortunately, it was the latter. They weren't necessarily bad characters but they weren't amazing either. I guess I just couldn't find enough common ground to connect with them. I wanted to like Fred and there were parts of the novel where I did but overall I would have liked to see Fred gain a little more confidence and to stand up for herself. She was kind of the girl who just took the bullying and that's not cool with me. Even if you're different, it doesn't make you helpless. Ryan was probably my biggest disappointment of the book, I really wanted to like him and I know that he's a great guy but he is such a follower! It frustrates me to see people who know something is not right yet they're too cowardly to stand up to it! Ryan, quite frankly, needed to man up and he did (eventually), I just wish he found his balls a little sooner. There was definitely a little work to be done in the characterisation department but the characters weren't unbearable so that's something!
I did enjoy Hooked but not as much as I hope I would. I would say that I "liked" the book but I didn't fall in "love" with it and that's partly because I'm more of a frothy contemporary girl and partly because I just couldn't connect with the characters. It's weird because there are A LOT of bloggers and reviewers who absolutely adored Hooked and sadly I'm not one of them! It wasn't "quite" my cup of tea but I'm sure this novel will appeal to some of you. Don't let my review dishearten you from picking it up because it was good, it just wasn't right for me! I still commend Fichera of her excellent plot though, that was pretty amazing! :)
What's it Worth? - Squeeze into the Budget/ Hand Over the Paycheck
Badass Bookie xx
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