Amigas and School Scandals

Amigas and School Scandals, Diana Rodriguez Wallach

The second in this series did not dissapoint. Mariana is back from Puerto Rico & brings her cousin Lily back with her. Trying to re-adjust to her friends after being gone all summer, while trying to get her friends to warm up to Lily proves challenging.

A story line about a distant relative & the way Mariana's father & uncles react is stretching it. It seems unrealistic & just thrown in with no resolution.

The girls find their way through the drama that surrounds teenage girls, deal with their first major "boy" issues, and handle some messed up grown up secrets in a way that is usually realistic & fun. Again the lack of focus on sex, alcohol & drugs is a nice bonus. Great YA reading for teen girls.

Amor & Summer Secrets

Amor & Summer Secrets, Diana Rodriguez Wallach

This book was really a nice YA book. Drinking played a majorly small role in the book, sex was just a few sweet kisses & drugs weren't even mentioned.

Against her wishes, Mariana is shipped off to chaperone her older brother to meet long forgotten relatives on a summer trip to Puerto Rico. Mariana & her brother Vincent are from a wealthy area of Philadelphia, with 5,000 square foot houses & marble bathrooms for everyone. The family is ruled by her father & sharing thoughts & emotions is discouraged.

Welcome to Puerto Rico & culture shock! Warm, effusive distant realtives in a very small abode, with one bathroom for everyone to share is a real wake-up call for Mariana. Throw in cousin who's Mariana's mirror image, except for her two prominent endowments & there's a lot going on in this fun book.

I would have liked to see a little depth to Mariana's first romance, but the story continues with Rodriguez Wallach's next book in the series, Amigas & School Scandals.