Fiction, Romance

One Lonely Degree

Name: One Lonely Degree
Author: C. K. Kelly Martin
ISBN: 9780375851629

by C. K. Kelly Martin

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Overview

Anything is possible. . . .

Finn has always felt out of place, but suddenly her world is unraveling. It started with The Party. And Adam Porter. And the night in September that changed everything. The only person who knows about that night is Audrey—Finn’s best friend, her witness to everything, and the one person Finn trusts implicitly. So when Finn’s childhood friend Jersy moves back to town—reckless, beautiful Jersy, all lips and eyes and hair so soft you’d want to dip your fingers into it if you weren’t careful—Finn gives her blessing for Audrey to date him. How could she possibly say no to Audrey? With Audrey gone for the summer, though, Finn finds herself spending more and more time with Jersy, and for the first time in her life, something feels right. But Finn can’t be the girl who does this to her best friend . . . can she?

Praise for I Know It’s Over:

* “Authentic and sophisticated. Readers will look forward to whatever gestates next.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

* “An emotionally complex and disarmingly frank coming-of-age tale.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

Synopsis

Praise for I Know It’s Over:

* “Authentic and sophisticated. Readers will look forward to whatever gestates next.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

* “An emotionally complex and disarmingly frank coming-of-age tale.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

Publishers Weekly

When 15-year-old Finn's childhood friend Jersy returns to town, Finn is instantly attracted to him but says nothing as he gets together with her best friend, Audrey. Audrey is almost too good to be true, providing an endless supply of sympathy for Finn's complaints about her parents' fighting. Audrey is also Finn's cheerleader as Finn tries to work up courage to talk to her crush and deal with the aftermath of an ugly incident in which a popular senior tries to force Finn to perform a sexual act. When Audrey leaves town for the summer, Finn can no longer fight her attraction to Jersy, which turns out to be mutual. The connection built between Jersy and Finn doesn't feel strong enough to convince readers that Finn would betray Audrey, and the story of Finn's parents' breakup drags. Finn is easy to relate to, with her doubts and inner voice that critiques her every social interaction; however, as a romance and family drama, the story comes up short. Ages 14-up.
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About the Author, C. K. Kelly Martin

You can visit C. K. Kelly Martin’s Web site at www.ckkellymartin.com.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature - Stephanie Dawley

Set in suburban Toronto, this is a painfully realistic novel about a fifteen-year-old girl named Finn. Finn appears normal on the surface. She has a best friend, loves music, does well in school, and dreams of being a graphic designer in New York or London one day; but, inside, she carries a secret that makes her feel like a freakish outsider in her own life. Audrey, her best friend, is the only one who knows the truth. Audrey is sent away for the summer though, and Finn is left to fend for herself. On top of all of this, Finn's parents are getting divorced, and she has no idea what to do with her feelings of resentment and anger towards her father. As she and Audrey's boyfriend, Jersy, begin spending more and more time together, it becomes difficult to hide their feelings for each other. Finn feels torn between her love for her best friend and her blossoming feelings for this "Beautiful Boy" who makes her feel normal again. This young adult novel is well-written, with realistic dialogue and likable characters. Sexual content, references to drug use, and adult language make it suitable for older teens. Reviewer: Stephanie Dawley

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Ninth-grader Finn's story begins in the middle of winter as her life continues to fall apart. Her parents are headed toward divorce, and she is trying to cope with her own private trauma from an incident that happened in September. Matters are made worse when her best friend, Audrey, is sent to live with relatives during the summer, leaving Audrey's boyfriend, Jersy, alone. As everyone else in Finn's life becomes distant, she and Jersy drift dangerously closer. This novel is difficult to read because the time line jumps forward erratically, with little transition between days and months. Only important events in Finn's life are narrated, which gives readers little insight into the characters' thoughts and actions and creates a jarring effect instead of a flowing narrative. An interesting plot will occasionally make up for a lack of character development, but that simply doesn't happen in this book.—Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL

Kirkus Reviews

Finn's family is falling apart at the same time she's falling for her best friend's boyfriend. As the school year transitions into summer, Finn's father moves out and her mother retreats to her bedroom. Her confidante, Audrey, is sent on a forced vacation for dating Jersy, Finn's childhood friend, and Finn finds herself increasingly attracted to Jersy's supposed stability. Martin delivers the same genuine and powerful voice in her sophomore novel that garnered praise for I Know It's Over (2008). Finn embodies the outsider teen, with her forays into reinvention and concomitant retreats into familiar territory. Authentic emotions resonate throughout the text, and the upbeat ending flows naturally from the story rather than being forced into the summer-romance archetype. Readers will find strains of Sara Zarr and Laurie Halse Anderson in the prose, but the author is innovative, not derivative. The perfect temperature for a summer read or a cool discussion, and an outstanding second novel. (Fiction. YA)