The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti

 

I'm doing an experiment where I reread some of the books that I loved as a teen to see how well they hold up. There are so many YA options out now these days, but when I was younger, it felt like there was a much narrower selection. Most girls I knew either read Deb Caletti or Sarah Dessen (and maybe Julie Anne Peters if they were edgy). Because of this, a lot of the titles that I read and enjoyed really stick out in my memory. I've read so many more books now as an adult that it's fun to reread and compare them to my other options and see if they really do stand up to the test of time.

I remember liking THE QUEEN OF EVERYTHING but I also remembered thinking parts of it were boring. I actually enjoyed it a lot more this time around because of how detailed the town and all of the characters are. It's one of those books were the town is basically the main character and I really loved that because it made the setting so much more than just set dressing. The details that went into the island community and all of Jordan's classmates, friends, and family members was just so, SO well done.

We know from the beginning that Jordan's father has done something terrible, so reading the book is kind of like holding your breath and waiting for disaster. While Jordan deals with family drama, she also gets entangled with a burgeoning psychopath named Kale who dabbles in sexism and animal cruelty. Trigger warnings for on-page animal deaths (and off-page). One of my favorite parts of the book is when Jordan gets sick of his shit and plans revenge on the little freak. It truly is a YOU GO, GIRL moment.

I don't want to say too much more because I think it's one of those books that you have to experience for yourself. The plot is pretty thinly spread out over the course of the book but the heroine and her world have so much personality that I didn't really mind until the end where it began to drag (right about the time she ends up at Big Mama's). But 95% of the book was pure gold. I think I own HONEY, BABY, SWEETHEART somewhere around here from my high school days and I am definitely planning on purchasing the rest of this author's books at some point-- and so should you.

4.5 out of 5 stars