Paper or Plastic

I was sent a galley of this book by EntangledTeen in exchange for an honest review

“When a person is naive enough to believe things are starting to look up, that's exactly when they begin falling down. And that very moment was when I learned about Code B.”


This book comes Feb. 3rd and I was lucky enough to get a galley in order to review it early. This book is your typical YA contemporary and it was exactly what I needed after reading a lot of fantasy and dystopian books recently.

The main character in this book is Alexis. After shoplifting at SmartMart, she is forced to work there over the summer. There she meets other workers such as Ruthie, Bessie, Roxanne, and of course Noah. Noah is a manager in training and also happens to be someone she knows from school. This book is the story of Alexis's summer working at SmartMart.

I really enjoyed this book for multiple reasons. I loved the quirky side characters who worked at SmartMart along with Alexis. They were all so unique and really added to the craziness which was working there. On top of that you had the customers, whether they were just rude or extreme couponers, they added another layer of hilarity to the story. While this book was your typical contemporary, which I do not always enjoy, this book was a good mix of romance, plot, and humor. Barnes also added a few touchy subjects such as bullying, abusive parents, and deteriorating health in relatives. While these were subtle, they added to the overall realness of the book.

One complaint I have with this book is the relationship between Bryce, Court, and Alexis. I understand why we needed the hostility between Alexis's friends and Noah, but it seemed unrealistic that someone like Alexis could be friends with people so unlike her. Even when it came to the shoplifting, Alexis was adamantly against it, but somehow Court was able to convince her.

Overall, this book was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fluffy feel good read.