Also finished Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale. I got to sit next to Stephanie during the RWA conference in Dallas, and she was nice enough to sign a book for me.

This is a young adult novel that focuses on Aspen Brooks. Aspen is smart, beautiful, and one of the coolest girls in school. So, it’s just natural Aspen would be crowned homecoming queen. But somehow, her arch rival, Angel Ives, ends up wearing the tiara instead. As if that isn’t bad enough, weird things start happening to Aspen. Someone slashes her tire. Her inhaler gets stolen. Soon, the so-called Beauty Bandit kidnapper is on the loose, and Aspen’s mom is among the missing. Can Aspen figure out who the bandit is and save her mom before it’s too late?

I thought this book was going to be your typical, spoiled-girl-gains-a-heart read, but it takes an interesting turn with the kidnapping plotline. Hale also makes some spot-on observations about high school life, and how it can affect people for the rest of their lives.

Aspen starts out as a snotty, self-absorbed drama queen, but she learns some important lessons along the way, including there’s more to people than just what labels they wear. I wound up rooting for her in the end.

So, thumbs up.

Up next: Something from my to-be-read pile.