Joyride

By: Anna Banks
Published Year: 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 288

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.

It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.

Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.

All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.

                                                           First Impressions

This cover is gorgeous! I was immediately drawn to it. The summary sounded cute as well so I picked it up! There really wasn’t much more to it than that.

                                                            What I thought

So cute! Sort of wish I had saved this for a summer pool/beach read but also glad I got to enjoy it now.

Carly is the daughter of illegal immigrant parents who were deported three years ago. Arden is rich, the most popular boy in town, and the son of the sheriff. One night, Arden decides to pull a prank which causes his life to intersect with Carly’s and their lives are never the same.

Carly and Arden are two really fun and unique characters. I have never read a novel about a Mexican teenager whose parents have been deported. She spends her life working towards bringing her family back with her brother Julio. Arden, while not as unique to me as Carly was, isn’t your typical popular privileged boy. He has his own issues and seems to understand the world a little bit.

It was so much fun to read about their relationship developing. I am a sucker for relationships that start with a little bit of hatred and I enjoyed that Carly didn’t fall for Arden’s charms immediately. The teasing was a lot of fun but never over the top. I thought Banks did a great job at making the development of their relationship seem pretty realistic. I also liked that while the book focused mainly on Carly’s problems with her family and her life in general, Arden has issues and a story as well. I also loved Cletus so much. I want an entire book with him as the main character!

This book is definitely one that needs to get more hype. I think the topic of illegal immigration and deportation isn’t touched on much in the book realm, let alone the YA realm and Banks does an amazing job. In a world where we have to deal with people like Trump, it’s important to read stories from the view points of the families who are going through it. I know this isn’t a true story, but it provided me with a perspective I had never read before and for that I am grateful.

I think my only complaint about this book is that I want more! I wish there had been a few more scenes with Arden and Carly playing pranks or hanging out at school or with his friends. I also felt like the ending was a bit abrupt, but it didn’t ruin it in any way. I think I was just enjoying the story so much that it could easily have had another 100 pages and I would have been happy. 
 

If you are looking for a book with a unique, diverse perspective, pick this one up. If you like stories about fun high school romances, pick this one up. This book was so sweet and I can definitely see it being a good beach read for the summer. While it’s not all fluff, it is an easier read and I don’t think it would be hard to get through on vacation. I’m on the fence about whether or not I would re-read this book, but I also wish it had a sequel and I know that if it did I would re-read this book. I don’t feel like I’m ready to be done with these characters!