Such a Bad Influence by Grace Demyan
In rural Ohio, the last connections lonesome Felicity Lavigne has to her late mom are the blueberry farm she inherited and her mom’s old phone number—which Felicity still calls every day. Until she gets a call back. It’s the number’s new owner, Alex Norse, a surly, homeless teenager who has aged out of the foster care system with no one to turn to except the stranger who’s been leaving rambling voicemails for a dead woman.
Felicity takes Alex in on one She has to help scare off some kids vandalizing the fields. Not only does it work, but news spreads, and soon locals are lining up to solicit justice for their own grievances. Best of all, an unexpected friendship blooms for the two young women, who have found in each other the family they’ve been yearning for.
But revenge has a funny way of getting out of hand, and when things go a bit too far, Felicity and trouble-prone Alex must stick together to confront the heartbreak of their pasts and whatever new calamities may lie ahead.
Review: A huge thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Felicity Lavigne has been devasted by the loss of her mom who was her best friend. All she has left of her mom is the blueberry farm she inherited from her and her mom's old phone number, which she called every day. Until one day when she gets a call back. And it turns out the phone number's new owner, Alex, is a homeless teenager who has aged out of the foster care system and is calling the only person she has to come bail her out. Despite their tenuous connection, the pair hit it off. This unlikely friendship leads to a 'revenge business' where people pay them to get back at various people in their small town. But quickly, this business goes south.
This was such a unique premise! I loved the setting on a blueberry farm and seeing Felicity desperately trying to hold onto the farm and house that she loves. I also loved the foster care representation. So many kids fall through the cracks once they age out of foster care and I love that Felicity steps up to fiercely defend Alex and advocate for her. I also loved the boy next door plotline.
Felicity's high school experience reminded me a lot of the movie Never Been Kissed in that she is publicly humiliated by the popular kids. Years later, she is still not over it - or the high school crush who was the source of the humiliation. This is a real redemption story for her, and I loved it. I did love Wade and his dog Jude. I would describe the romance as a subplot of the book, which was actually really fun that this wasn't strictly a romance! This has substance and heart.
There were some gaps in the characters for me. For instance, much is made about Felicity's devotion to Alex. But they seem to never really speak much. Beyond the connection to her mom, what makes her so devoted to Alex? It seemed like a flimsy connection at best. I wish the relationship between the pair had been more fleshed out. Likewise, there were some holes in Felicity's life story. What did she do between high school and college? When did she move back home? Did she date at all? Why does she seem to have no friends and no job beyond a blueberry farm that won't pay the bills? I also did not like the whole revenge business. What was she thinking?! Why would Felicity risk criminal charges? I know she needed money to keep her farm, but surely, she could just get a job and not resort to under the table suspicious/criminal activity. It just seemed out of character and poor role modeling for Alex.
Stars: 3.5
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