Katie, the narrator, has relocated to Missouri with her distant, occasionally abusive father, and she feels very much alone: her much-loved mother is dead; her new school is unaccepting of her; and her only friends fall far short of being ideal companions. When she accidentally falls through the ice while skating, she meets Jimmy. He is handsome, far older than she, and married, but she is entranced. As their relationship unfolds, so too does Katie's awareness of the pain and intensity first love can bring.Beautifully written in Berg's irresistible voice, Joy School portrays the soaring happiness of real love, the deep despair one can feel when it goes unrequited, and the stubbornness of hope that will not let us let go. Here also is recognition that love can come in many forms and offer many different things. Joy School illuminates, too, how the things that hurt the most can sometimes teach us the lessons that really matter.
To sum it up: heartbreaking but funny and entertaining too! I really liked this (unplanned) follow-up to her first novel, Durable Goods. You should definitely read the Katie Nash series in order if you choose to read them (the third one is called True to Form). Although they are technically stand alone books, the stories are better in sequence.
If you're doing the 52 challenge, what books have you read so far?
