Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
Reviewed by: Olivia (Grade 9)
Rating: 4/5
Late to the Party is a young adult fiction book about friendship and the expectations that come with being a teenager. The story is told from the perspective of a 17-year-old girl named Codi who has to face her internal conflict regarding self-acceptance and coming to terms with the person she wants to be. She lives in her own little bubble where she works her part time job, never stays up too late and spends every night in her basement watching the same old movies with her two best friends. She feels as if her teenage years are slipping away and she’s not satisfied anymore as being known as the quiet, artistic wallflower who would rather stay home and watch Netflix rather than engage with the outside world. Suddenly, her entire life changes one day when her two best friends Maritza and Jakory suggest crashing a party in the hopes of going out of their comfort zone and doing something different. Things take a turn when Codi stumbles upon one of the “Cool” kids named Ricky secretly kissing another boy outside the party and an unexpected friendship between him and Codi develops. Over time, he introduces her to a new world filled with new experiences, people and a pretty girl Codi really likes named Lydia. Late to the Party is the tale of Codi and how she finds herself balancing friendship and overcoming her internal conflict. I really liked this book because it was extremely relatable and I thought the representation of how teenagers feel/act was extremely accurate. It was exceptionally written and I would recommend it to anyone who likes coming of age stories.