Book Review: Candid by Michelle Pennington

Candid
True Image #1
Author: Michelle Pennington
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Romance
Released: April 17th 2012
Review Source: Author
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Life is simple for high school senior, Sienna Whitfield. With a few good friends, a camera, and a dream, she has everything she needs to be happy. But when Jordan Rubio, the most popular girl at Haskins High, makes her mad, she decides to use the power of photography to right a few social wrongs. As if that doesn’t cause enough drama in her life, she realizes she’s falling for the new guy, Lee Franklin. Strong and protective, he’s just what she needs to survive the craziness she’s stirred up at school. If only she didn’t have to keep her feelings for Lee a secret from her mom…

Were you the Book Worm, the Jock, the Cheerleader or on the Yearbook staff in high school? No matter which you were, reading this book will take you back to your time in high school. It's been twelve years but this story made me feel like it was just yesterday. The "in crowd" was never accepting of those who were not a part of their circle and would often target the unpopular students to make their lives miserable. Back then, we didn't express ourselves through blogs, Facebook, etc ... If we didn't like someone we just spread rumors about them and ruined their lives the good old fashioned way. Now it's all out there on the Internet ... you can realistically make the less popular football player more popular overnight with the right photo and a little photoshop magic. There is nothing supernatural about this story and that is what made it real! Just when I thought I could start predicting the outcome of Sienna's actions, the author kept me on my toes and that is what made this a very enjoyable read!


The story was very well written with Sienna's clever use of causing trouble at school with a DSLR Camera and her blog. Like it or not, that's how the world works today. Students in high school take their frustration out on others through social media and sometimes that misuse comes back to bite them in the behind. That is what made this story genuinely relatable. While reading, I kept thinking of people I went to high school with that were like the characters portrayed in the story. Michelle Pennington made me glad I didn't grow up in this age of cyber bullies and social media. I recommend this book to parents who might need a reminder of how the world works today in schools and how it differs greatly from how we grew up.