Nice Try, Jane Sinner

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 12, 2018

Review

Pushed to finish her high school diploma after she flunks out of her senior year at her Canadian high school, seventeen year old Jane enrolls at the local community college and -- desperate to get away from her deeply religious family -- lies about her age on an application for a reality online show called The House of Orange that will provide her with a place to live in the spirit of MTV's The Real World. Jane's story is told mainly in epistolary format via her journal and her dryly witty voice and appealing competitive determination will bring readers firmly into her corner. Though the overarching tone is comedic, the secrets that Jane slowly reveals about herself and the reasons behind all that happened during her senior year are serious ones that meditate on topics like depression and faith. The drama that plays out between all of the participants in The House of Orange is similarly packed with funny antics and rife with betrayal, a juxtaposition that will keep readers on their toes. Though in the end it goes on a bit too long, teens who are fans of authors like John Green and AS King will enjoy this thought-provoking and unpredictable debut novel.

Overall Book Score: very good