Book MYView: Just Another Girl by Melody Carlson

Aster Flynn is stuck. She has to spend all of her "free" time with her younger sister, Lily, who, though fifteen, is mentally handicapped. At age seventeen, Aster should be hanging out with friends, dating boys, and working at a fun job. But her dad's MIA, her mom is always at work, and her older sister Rose is too self-centered to give her any help. It's not that Aster doesn't love Lily--it's just that for once she'd like to be able to be a normal teenager. So when a cute popular guy seems to take an interest in her, Aster hatches a plan. Somehow she has to get her workaholic mom and deadbeat dad to be the parents Lily needs so that Aster can have a life of her own. But can she ever get her parents to start acting like adults? Is this new guy worth the trouble? And, most importantly, will Lily get hurt in the process? With its real-life characters and struggles, Just Another Girl will immediately draw teen girls in. Author Melody Carlson knows how to write to girls just where they are. (Revell, 2009)

My Thoughts: First of all, I can't keep up with all of Melody Carlson's books! It seems she has new books coming out left and right. I often wonder does she sleep at all.

In Just Another Girl we meet Aster at a pivotal point in her life. She's just met a cute guy and wants the opportunity to date him. The problem is her parents are shirking their responsibilities onto her, inhibiting her from leading a normal teenage lifestyle.

Just Another Girl portrays a young girl ready to define herself on her own terms. I seem to like Melody Carlson's teen books better than the adult ones. I think her teen books, especially ones like Just Another Girl, are more realistic. Her teen books seem to deal with the edgier challenges facing Christian youth. I like reading about youth rising to different challenges.

I may have to revise my statement about her adult books soon. I've only read her adult chick-lit, but have noticed The Other Side of Darkness which deals with a mother's struggle with depression. I'm going to have to read that one soon.