Review: Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Published: December 31, 2013

Format: Copy via Publisher

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother -- whose name her dad won't even say out loud. That's why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her...and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she's everything Emma is not. And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It's more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop.

My Thoughts

The description is what instantly caught my attention and I knew I had to read this. I was lucky enough to get a copy after the author herself saw I had featured this book as my WoW of the week. However I am being fully honest and real in this review.

There were many things I felt an instant connect with right from the start. I loved the interaction and dialogue between Emma and her father. I thought the push and pull of them was real to how most father daughter relationships are.

The thing I enjoyed most was the relationship between Emma and her best friend Siobhan. While I didn’t like Siobhan at times I thought the character was really well written. She had that little girl lost persona down. I felt she put down Emma at times so that she felt better about herself. Siobhan is the type of person who has these grand stories that you wonder if she was even telling the truth or just trying to paint a picture of life she wished had happen. Like all teenage girls things come between them. Some are small petty things other stuff blows out of portion. What comes next is a series of things that you can never believe is possible. Emotions run high and lines are crossed.

This a good story of friendship and finding out who your friends really are. While I found some parts drag I think this is a good read nevertheless.