Members of the Cast by George Beckman

YA Historical Fiction, Independently Published in 2021, 265 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• Some scenes are sort of skipped over and explained to us later (like the winter formal) making it feel a little lopsided in pacing. I would’ve liked to explore a few of those scenes in more detail. 
• I was working from a paperback copy and there are some strange formatting errors that caused chapters to end mid page or leave blank pages in the middle of chapters.
• The big secret that was revealed felt a little unbelievable to me. Perhaps with a bit more time or exploration it would’ve felt a little more realistic. 

What I Did Like:

• The changes in Maggie as she progresses through the book are obvious and relatable. The author doesn’t have to beat us over the head with phrases like “she’s a different person” because we already see it. Excellent example of showing vs telling. 
• All the teenage characters are well written, believable, and realistic. I enjoyed watching them make mistakes and learn from them. 
• Really despite the time period (this one takes place during the 1950s) this felt like a contemporary coming-of-age novel. It had a good feel to it and was overall enjoyable!

Who Should Read This One:

• Fans of coming-of-age stories with realistic characters they can love and root for. 

My Rating: 3 Stars

• Good book for the right audience! I enjoyed this one.