Firecracker, by David Iserson

I'm not sure what I was expecting from David Iserson's Firecracker. Whatever it was, I was probably expecting it to be funny- he is after all a writer for SNL and New Girl. I should also probably add that New Girl is one of my favorite shows (mostly because it leaves me laughing and squealing with feels and my roommates probably think I have problems). So I guess my expectations were high. Thank goodness they were also fulfilled.

Astrid Krieger is everything. She's rich, cunning, intimidating, hysterical, the list goes on. Astrid also got kicked out of boarding school (she's convinced she was set up) and is now being forced to attend public school. Not only that, but her parents are making her see a therapist (aka the Dean at her old boarding school), who she manipulates into letting her make a list of three good deeds (real good deeds) in order to be allowed back to boarding school. To top it all off, Astrid is determined to get revenge on whoever it was that set her up. That's the plot line. But there's really so much more.

Here's what I really liked about this book, Astrid's voice was very unique. Her character is different from a lot of stuff I've read in YA fiction, especially since she's the protagonist. She has this laissez faire attitude and she literally does not care if people like her. Actually, she'd rather them be afraid of her. This can be kind of annoying at times because you just want to shout "JUST CARE ABOUT SOMETHING!" when she's being all hard and indifferent. But she does care about something, and there's a really great scene towards the end just as you're questioning why you like her that really changes everything. It shows Astrid's human side, her vulnerability and why she hides it. A+ character development.

Also, I like how Iserson doesn't really describe Astrid- therefore, we're not focused on her looks and distracted by trying to imagine her. Yes kiddos, you get to imagine her however you like (besides the fact that she has dark hair but that in itself is pretty vague). No long winded descriptions about the color of her eyes or her features that she just doesn't like about herself (Astrid is not lacking in the self-confidence department- she thinks she kinda rocks). So that means if you're into Charles Dickens-like descriptions, this book is not for you.

Lastly, and something I really appreciated, this book was not about Astrid's search for romance. In fact, when she was little, she swore off men and wasn't expecting to want anything to do with them. This is great because everything Astrid does, she does for herself and not to make so-and-so fall in love with her/notice her/like her, whatever. Not saying there isn't any romance. She eventually falls for someone (but it's not love and she doesn't think it's going to go anywhere really), all while having love obsessed Pierre following her every move- she just doesn't care.

The only thing I wasn't a big fan of was that it might have been a teeny tiny bit predictable, plot-wise. No, I didn't know what Astrid was going to next, but there were some plot points that were obvious. That still didn't affect how much I liked the book, though.

Iserson creates a voice that people will fall in love with (even though you really don't know why you love Astrid at some points), and I secretly want it to be turned into a movie- I think that'd be cool and they could really do a lot with it (can I volunteer to audition? or is that not a thing?). I can now say that I am a fan of Iserson's television writing and his fiction writing, and I can only hope he continues to write YA books for us all to enjoy!

-Annie