Jersey Angel

By: Beth Ann Bauman

Narrated by: Jaclyn Gaines

It's the summer before senior year and the alluring Angel is ready to have fun. She's not like her best friend, Inggy, who has a steady boyfriend, good grades, and college plans. Angel isn't sure what she wants to do yet, but she has confidence and experience beyond her years. Still, her summer doesn't start out as planned. Her good friend Joey doesn't want to fool around anymore, he wants to be her boyfriend, while Angel doesn't want to be tied down. As Joey pulls away, and Inggy tours colleges, Angel finds herself spending more time with Inggy's boyfriend, Cork. With its cast of vivid and memorable characters, this tale from the Jersey shore is sure to make some waves.

Critic reviews

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, March 19, 2012:
“One can almost smell salt and sunscreen in the air in this soulful and insightful coming-of-age story.”

Review, The New York Times Book Review, May 13, 2012:
“Whatever the resolution to Angel’s story, it is clear that with Bauman— whether she’s Judy Blume’s successor or not—the genre is in good hands.”

Too brash!

Would you try another book from Beth Ann Bauman and/or Jaclyn Gaines?

Probably not, I felt like this book was just about teens and sex. Not real relationships or romance, just sex. I don't think that YA/teens need to read about this.

Has Jersey Angel turned you off from other books in this genre?

It sure makes me a lot more leery of this type of book. I will definitely check a lot more carefully as to what the book actually contains.