Review: Peaches

Peaches, by Jodi Lynn Anderson. The GoodReads summary:

Three Georgia peaches are in for one juicy summer . . .

. . . but Birdie would rather eat Thin Mints and sulk in the AC.

Leeda would prefer to sneak off with her boyfriend, Rex.

And Murphy just wants to cause a little mischief.

Together these three very different girls will discover the secret to finding the right boy, making the truest friends, and picking the perfect Georgia peach.

In some ways, this book reminds me of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. Not in the details, but in the general themes of female friendship, first loves, and life-shaping summers. And I was totally fine with that similarity. After all, I enjoyed the Sisterhood series plenty (at least, the three books of it that I read). But I think I actually ended up liking “Peaches” a bit more.

In so many YAs, friendship takes a backseat to the romantic storyline, and the YAs that do have strong friendships often center around girls who have been friends for years. So I found it refreshing that Birdie, Leeda, and Murphy don’t particularly like each other at the start of the book, but as they spend more time in the orchard together, their friendship tentatively but steadily grows. And can I just get an amen for solid female friendships that don’t fall by the wayside the second a cute boy comes along? Seriously.

Birdie, Leeda, and Murphy couldn’t be more different from each other, but I loved that after the initial rocky start, the three girls learn to see each other for who they really are and accept each other, flaws and all. Each girl struggles with different things, but it was easy for me to find something in each girl to relate to. Even Murphy, with whom I don’t have much in common, held an equal part of my heart as Birdie and Leeda did.

I don’t know what it is about Jodi Lynn Anderson’s writing style, but from the get go, the book was consummately readable. Have you ever read a book where the way it was written just felt like coming home? That how this book was for me. Pretty much from the first page, I clicked with Anderson’s storytelling style, and it made the book feel so comfortable, you know? There wasn’t anything showy or flashy about the writing—it was just subtle and relaxed and somehow captured summer for me.

Overall, a great summer read about friendship and growing up. I fully intend on reading the rest of the series, because although “Peaches” ends with some closure, I can’t help wanting to spend more time with Birdie, Leeda, and Murphy.

Rating: 4 / 5