10 Truths and a Dare

Gr 7 Up–High school senior Olivia lives in Shreveport, LA with her huge Italian American family. She’s not graduating as valedictorian, but she’s more than proud to be runner-up as salutatorian. Before she can head off to Louisiana State University for an accounting and political science double major, though, she needs to graduate…which may be an issue because she didn’t fulfill her gym credits. To save her standing as salutatorian (and avoid the judgment of her cohort of aunts, uncles, and cousins) she has to skip Senior Party Week and volunteer at the town’s big golf tournament. While she’s setting precarious golf ball pyramids, her cousins are standing in as Olivia at parties so no one can find out her secret. Elston’s prose is clean and easy to digest, making this a speedy read for teens. While the premise is highly improbable and the characters follow teen rom-com tropes, this book delivers a fun romp with lovable characters (or characters that are enjoyable to hate). This is a book meant purely for the joy of the story.