[I received these books from their Canadian publisher ECW Press as a part of the Pippa Greene blog tour. This does not affect my opinion of the novels.]
This summer was a weird one for me in terms of reading as it seemed like the only thing that could hold my attention was beachy, fun reads. Whenever I’d try to read something more “serious,” I’d just fall back into my slump. But I guess I really shouldn’t complain about this because there’s really nothing better than relaxing on a nice summer’s day and getting caught up in a wonderful book (or two)! I had never read any Pippa Greene novels before, and I found that they scratched that summer reading itch for me.
Warning: Since this is a review of a book in a series, there will be series-related spoilers ahead!
The Pippa Greene series is a young adult series about Pippa, a high schooler who dreams about attending Tisch, the art school that her photographer father went to in New York City when he graduated from high school. The series starts with The Rule of Thirds, where Pippa enters Vantage Point, a photography contest with the ultimate grand prize: the opportunity to spend a two-week photography camp at Tisch. It’s everything you’d want from a YA novel: a heroine with a clear goal, a trusty best friend, and a “villain” to get in her way. Oh, and cute boys, of course. In Depth of Field, the second book in the series, Pippa heads to New York, only to uncover some deep secrets. Leading Lines, the third book in the series, is the one that I will be reviewing more in depth!
In this book, Pippa has returned home from New York with some hard-to-digest news. Not only does she have that to deal with, she also has to figure out her feelings regarding her boyfriend and the guy she became close with while at Tisch photography camp. It really doesn’t help that her boyfriend has been acting aloof since they’ve reunited and that he knows nothing about what she found out at Tisch. Will Pippa figure it all out?
I have to say that I really enjoyed reading about Pippa. I love how passionate she is about photography (something that I can totally relate to!) and that she’s ambitious about wanting to pursue it as a career. The books are written in first person, and they really remind me of what it’s like to be in high school. 10 points for writing real, true-to-life characters! Besides Pippa’s aspirations, Guertin also adds in Pippa’s family backstory, which makes her a more rounded character. While romance is a part of the series’ plot, you get a sense that that’s not the only part of Pippa’s life, and it’s nice to know that there are YA books out there that can find that perfect balance.
Leading Lines, like The Rule of Thirds and Depth of Field, is full of drama, but thankfully, it’s not over the top. Leading Lines sees Pippa and her family dealing with the aftermath of her discoveries in New York as well as reconciling her feelings towards two very cute boys. These are major plot points and are just as juicy, enticing readers to keep turning the page to find out what happens. Overall, I found Leading Lines and the rest of the Pippa Greene series to be fun, light-hearted reads that were perfect for a relaxed weekend.
The only critique of the series would be that it was quite obviously written for a series. At the end of The Rule of Thirds, one big storyline isn’t quite resolved, which means that readers are required to pick up Depth of Field in order to get closure. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, especially since I had planned to read the whole series anyway, but it could be a little frustrating to finish a book only to find out that the story won’t be resolved until the next one. A similar situation happens at the end of Depth of Field; which, again, wasn’t a huge problem for me since I had Leading Lines on hand, but I wonder if I would have felt cheated to reach the end of a book only to end on such a cliffhanger. Luckily, things are more or less resolved by the end of Leading Lines! There’s a sense that there’s more to come, but you can also put down the book knowing that Pippa will be able to get through the things she’s facing.
So, if you’re looking for a new series to start, I’d highly recommend the Pippa Greene series! Just make sure to have all of the available books on hand so you’re not left craving the next one. 😉
Verdict: A really fun YA series that combines some of my favourite things: photography and cute boys. It features a determined and relatable heroine that’s easy to root for!
Read if: You’re looking to commit to a new YA series, want to read a YA novel that doesn’t just focus on boys, need something to help you bust out of a reading slump.
Have you read any Pippa Greene novels? What did you want to do after high school? (Pippa and I both wanted to be photographers!)
Want to read more thoughts on the Pippa Greene series? Here are the other blog tour stops:
September 5: Tour kickoff, Review, and Giveaway, Booking it with Hayley G
September 6: Giveaway, Chapter by Chapter
September 7: Review, Books Etc
September 8: Review, Read my Breath Away
September 9: Review, One More Page (Me!)
September 10: Review, Sukasa Reads
September 11: Guest Post, Dear Teen Me
September 12: Review and Excerpt, Brains Books and Brawn
September 13: Review, Musings of a Writer
September 14: Review, Ramblings of a Daydreamer
September 15: Review and Giveaway, The Book Bratz
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