by Liz Fichera
Published: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Available: Amazon
Synopsis:
When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.
Review:
By the time I got around to reading Hooked, I had pretty much no idea what the book was about apart from the fact that I'd obviously been interested by the blurb. By the end of the first chapter I was glad I had started reading Hooked.
I loved was that this was a book about a high school golf team. I can't remember a single other book that even mentions a high school golf team. And I can understand that. Golf is not the most exciting sport, and there are probably a limited number of schools in the country that actually have teams. But Fichera manages to give the read just enough tidbits about the game to make it interesting without feeling like you had to understand the game to enjoy the book.
The main character, Fred, is a girl on an all boys golf team. The resentment of the boys for this girl is done in a way that is not shoved in the readers face, yet we still get a sense of how hard it is on Fred to be taken seriously by them and how while she wants their acceptance she's not going to sacrifice her dreams just to make them happy. There was also the fact that Fred is Native American. While some of the problems she faces on the team would have been the same as any other girl, she also faces racism. How Fred deals with it is what made me respect her character even more. She doesn't wallow in self pity. She doesn't blame others for what happens to her. She doesn't completely write off all of the white people around her due to the actions of a few individuals. She also doesn't stoop to their level. She stands up for herself and refuses to let herself be ashamed of her heritage.
I absolutely loved the romance between Fred and Ryan. Ryan is definitely not set up as a perfect guy. He's snobby, rude, and has an air of self-entitlement. Yet, he also has a conscience and struggles to deal with the racist actions of people he considers friends. There is no insta-love and both Fred and Ryan make choices that are believable for teens in their situations.
Fichera has a sequel coming out in 2014 and I am very curious as to how she is going to move the story forward. I really hope that she focuses on two of the other characters, but regardless I will definitely be reading it.
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