Smash It!
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Refreshingly authentic and bold… Don’t miss this smashing novel from Francina Simone, filled with heart, humor and a heroine to root for!
Olivia “Liv” James is done with letting her insecurities get the best of her. So she does what any self-respecting hot mess of a girl who wants to SMASH junior year does…
After Liv shows up to a Halloween party in khaki shorts—why, God, why?—she decides to set aside her wack AF ways. She makes a list—a F*ck-It list.
1. Be bold—do the thing that scares me.
2. Learn to take a compliment.
3. Stand out instead of back.
She kicks it off by trying out for the school musical, saying yes to a date and making new friends. Life is great when you stop punking yourself! However, with change comes a lot of missteps, and being bold means following her heart. So what happens when Liv’s heart is interested in three different guys—and two of them are her best friends? What is she supposed to do when she gets dumped by a guy she’s not even dating? How does one Smash It! after the humiliation of being friend-zoned?
In Liv’s own words, “F*ck it. What’s the worst that can happen?”
A lot, apparently.
#SMASHIT
“Smash It! smashed it."—New York Times bestselling author Christine Riccio
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a loose retelling of Othello, Simone (The Keeper's Vow) follows Black high school junior Olivia Johnson as she sheds her insecurities and embarks on a Shonda Rhimes inspired Year of Yes, embracing everything that scares her. Hoping to catalyze a bolder life, Olivia introduces a bevy of new undertakings into her routine: she auditions for the school theater department's rap production of Othello, makes fearless new friends who help her take risks and stand up for herself, and whirls between three love interests, including her two best friends: suave jokester Dr , who is Puerto Rican, and lovelorn poet El, who is half Palestinian, half Israeli. Determined to achieve happiness whatever the cost, Olivia sometimes makes choices that hurt those around her; though she eventually apologizes, a lack of reflection causes her transformation to feel somewhat flat. Simone (The Keeper's Vow) deftly captures the cadence of modern teenagers, however, offering gems of wisdom on sexuality, responsibility, family, and love: "My love story isn't tragic, and it's not about a boy. It's about me loving me." Though the premise is familiar, Simone crafts an entertaining and inclusive cast to accompany Olivia through the peaks and valleys of friendship, romance, and self-love. Ages 13 up.
