Goose

by Dawn O'Porter

Overview

Best friends Renée and Flo have been inseparable for years. But now, as high school graduation looms, the girls’ rock-solid friendship is beginning to show cracks. Flo has her heart set on going to university, with Renée right by her side, but all Renée wants is to stop going to school as soon as possible. To distract themselves from the inevitable and frightening future, Renée gets swept up in a romance with an older man, while Flo starts attending a church group. With such different paths and views on life, the girls start to worry that it isn’t just high school that’s ending—but also their friendship.

Told through alternating perspectives in a gritty, poignant, and hilarious voice, Goose will appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell, Louise Rennison, and Lauren Myracle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613128305
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	09/08/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Dawn O’Porter is the author of Paper Airplanes and a British journalist known for her frank and often comedic investigations of women’s issues, including weight, breast cancer, and self-esteem. She has made documentaries for the BBC, TLC, WE tv, and others. She also writes a column for Glamour UK. She lives in L.A. and New York with her husband, actor Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, Girls). Visit her online at dawnoporter.co.uk.

Editorial Reviews

"The pace is fast, the exploration of the redemptive powers of forgiveness and strong female friendship thorough...Hard to say who will love this most: the women who lived the 1990s or their teen daughters."

Kirkus Reviews

"This smart, touching, and often funny book will appeal to teens, especially those on the cusp of adulthood."

School Library Journal

"Best friends Flo and Renée return in this sequel to Paper Airplanes (2014), which follows their everyday exploits during their last year of high school in 1997... Despite the heightened drama, this friendship-forward story is also sensitive and full of earthy humor... Flo and Renée’s conversations about faith and its place in their lives is a topic infrequently portrayed in contemporary teen novels. Give this to older teens and new adult readers, especially those who are already fans of the first novel."

Booklist

"This book is the follow-up to Paper Airplanes (Amulet Books, 2014), and the further development of Flo and Renee’s relationship... Their paths begin to stray however, as Flo discovers religion, while Renee’s disregard for her own well-being sends her hurtling toward destruction. Despite wandering in different directions, the connection between the girls still exists, but may not be enough to maintain their friendship as the girls prepare to leave Guernsey and enter the next chapter of their lives."

School Library Connection

"Best friends Flo and Renée return in this sequel to Paper Airplanes (2014), which follows their everyday exploits during their last year of high school in 1997... Despite the heightened drama, this friendship-forward story is also sensitive and full of earthy humor... Flo and Renée’s conversations about faith and its place in their lives is a topic infrequently portrayed in contemporary teen novels. Give this to older teens and new adult readers, especially those who are already fans of the first novel."

Booklist

2015-06-29
Flo and Renée are back with their angst-filled, sex-preoccupied lives, full of cigarettes and drinking and drugs—only this time graduation looms, so they think about serious stuff, too. With an updated list of teen issues—the generic bullying of Paper Airplanes (2014) is now homophobia; slut-shaming rears its ugly head—O'Porter returns to 1997 Guernsey. There are no soft blurry edges here, just more tragedy, pain, and misunderstandings as two best friends edge their ways toward adulthood. But there is genuine, edgy humor, too; Flo wonders, "Why did I have to pick a bigger virgin than me to be my first boyfriend?" and Renée leads a late-night raid on their old school that includes the good reminders of early friendship, the bad memories of traumas and loss, and the ugly (they witness adult sex), with some impromptu larceny thrown in. Both girls enter serious relationships, one with Jesus, the other in a less spiritual union; both contemplate the deeper meaning of life. Wise Aunt Jo returns; while looking for Mr. Right, she considers teen lives through the lens of midlife regrets in passages that will broaden the novel's appeal to adult readers. The pace is fast, the explorations of the redemptive powers of forgiveness and strong female friendship thorough, and the door is open for future installations. Hard to say who will love this most: the women who lived the 1990s or their teen daughters. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews