Jersey Angel

Mar 14, 2012 Sophia (The Book Basement) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

DNF. (pg. 78 out of 208)

I will say immediately that I did not finish this book. I stopped on page 78 of 208 (38%). I always try my hardest to make it through books, even if I'm not enjoying it. However, this book just made me want to hurl my nook across the room.

Take the last line of the synopsis. "With its cast of vivid and memorable characters, this tale from the Jersey shore is sure to make some waves." Vivid and memorable characters? Not so much. Angel, our protagonist, was probably one of...more

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 13, 2012 Jason Kurtz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-ya

A great summer read, Jersey Angel will be perfect by the pool or at the shore. If you are looking for a plot driven book, this is not for you. Jersey Angel is a slice of life story about a girl who is trying to come to terms with her future, her sexuality, her social status, and life in general. It could be argued that this is a “regionalist” book, as it does take place on the Jersey Shore, but having friends from the OC, and being a frequent traveler to Lake Havasu, AZ, any person who has ever...more A great summer read, Jersey Angel will be perfect by the pool or at the shore. If you are looking for a plot driven book, this is not for you. Jersey Angel is a slice of life story about a girl who is trying to come to terms with her future, her sexuality, her social status, and life in general. It could be argued that this is a “regionalist” book, as it does take place on the Jersey Shore, but having friends from the OC, and being a frequent traveler to Lake Havasu, AZ, any person who has ever been to a vacation town during those hot summer months should be able to relate, and those who haven’t will get a taste of what “kids” do during those hot summer months.

Angel narrates this book with a frank manner and an honest look at herself, but Beth Ann Bauman doesn't allow here to be overly introspective. Angel is coming to understand that she is going to be a community college girl, and that some of her friends will move on, and some will always be on the Shore. She is torn between these two lives. She feels a bit guilty that she doesn’t want more for her life than to be happy (and pretty). She is paired against two extreme female models in the book, her mother (whom she is on a path to become) and her best friend (who seems to be a bit innocent in the ways of the world, but we see her opening her eyes a bit in the end). When we meet Angel, she is in the process of developing her own sexuality, and attempts to discover what Love is all about and if it has anything to do with sex at all.

Not only does Bauman not dwell on introspection, she does not sentimentalize her Angel's character either. Angel makes mistakes, at one point almost an unbelievable one. Then I see my students (I teach high school English) walking around campus, having OBVIOUSLY made these same mistakes, I gave Angel (and by definition Bauman) the benefit of the doubt. There are definitely girls who are more sexually active than others, and Angel is one of those. I found it a refreshing read, and finished it in a day. I was fortunate to have an advance reader copy, and I think once this book becomes available to the general public this week, May 4, 2012, the Goodreads ratings on the book will skyrocket.

*Spoiler Alert?* This book does not wrap itself up in a neat little package. As with life, there are no easy answers (and people make mistakes, have guilt, etc.) and I could tell about 2/3 the way through that I was not going to get a very “satisfactory” resolution. The text is broken into three parts, Summer, Fall, and Winter. The Reader is left to determine what “Spring” will be like for Angel. Many readers prefer a first person narrator that tells the Reader what they are thinking, or tells the Reader what to think and how to feel. The clever thing about Jersey Angel, and a salute to Bauman’s craft, is that we the READERS are forced to reflect upon how we feel about Angel’s actions, and what she might do in the future. Many readers would say, “I would never to that.” But does that mean someone else wouldn’t? If we are pigeon-holed into reading books about characters that are exactly like us, why read at all? I can say this… I would have been excited (and terrified) to have met Angel in high school, but I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 22, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: families, friendship, school, self-esteem, romance

Angel Cassonetti enjoys the freedom and independence being the offspring of a mother still in search of her own long-lasting relationship provides. But as the story unfolds, she begins to realize that her mother still behaves more like a girl than a responsible woman, and that maybe she isn't the best role model. As her senior year approaches, the seventeen-year-old knows that she and her best friend Inggy are approaching different paths. Inggy seems destined for college and a career in journali...more Angel Cassonetti enjoys the freedom and independence being the offspring of a mother still in search of her own long-lasting relationship provides. But as the story unfolds, she begins to realize that her mother still behaves more like a girl than a responsible woman, and that maybe she isn't the best role model. As her senior year approaches, the seventeen-year-old knows that she and her best friend Inggy are approaching different paths. Inggy seems destined for college and a career in journalism while Angel isn't even interested in attending the local community college. Although she likes him well enough, Angel enjoys taking breaks from her on-again, off-again boyfriend Joey, breaks that allow her to hook up with other locals or tourists. But this time, the break seems to be permanent, and try as she might, Joey continues to resist her. Her behavior is reminscent of the typical behavior of many males who take their pleasures where they can and when they can. But during one summer expedition, she and Inggy's longtime boyfriend, Cork, succumb to mutual attraction and begin a torrid physical relationship that they keep secret from Inggy. In the end, Angel seems to recognize that she's made some unhealthy choices. I liked how the author doesn't preach at her readers or demonize Angel while allowing Cork to escape unscathed. I also liked the fact that Angel seems to grow and change over the course of the novel. The way she rationalizes the relationship with Cork and with others by telling herself that this won't count or it's only one or two times or even this is the last time describes exactly how girls and guys like Angel think.

There are some lovely passages sprinkled throughout the book, and the book's closing lines may be among the most memorable as Inggy hopes that the snowfall will "be enough to cover the town in a clean sheet of white" (p. 199), an observation that seems to signify her own desire for a fresh start, unencumbered by her previous dalliances. (less)

like · see review

Aug 21, 2012 Sharleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Personally, I had mixed reviews about the book. I loved it for the realism and the how raw the character is in the sense that we can see right through her. Angel is portrayed as anything but an angel- she fools around, betrays her best friend, and can't see that what Joey wants is sweet and innocent. Instead, she does things she soon comes to regret. What I and a lot of the readers have mixed feelings is the open nature of the discussion of the sexual acts Angel commits. Yes, the author has the...more

like · see review

Aug 13, 2012 Doug rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jersey Angel takes a unusually candid look at teen promiscuity for a young adult novel. At the outset, narrator Angel Cassonetti is pretty much ruled by her id. She has a see/want/take attitude towards food (this might be a tough book for dieters) and boys. She sort of works, but selects her employment partly based on on-the-job tanning opportunities.

Angel's story has a deceptively strong moral compass. She's not necessarily punished for her choices by the standard teen sex bogeymen of pregnancy...more Jersey Angel takes a unusually candid look at teen promiscuity for a young adult novel. At the outset, narrator Angel Cassonetti is pretty much ruled by her id. She has a see/want/take attitude towards food (this might be a tough book for dieters) and boys. She sort of works, but selects her employment partly based on on-the-job tanning opportunities.

Angel's story has a deceptively strong moral compass. She's not necessarily punished for her choices by the standard teen sex bogeymen of pregnancy or STD's, but she's marginalized by some of her choices within her own peer group. This sort of language is me talking, not Angel -- when her on-again, off-again goto-boytoy Joey says he wants to get off the ride, she's not completely clear why -- she relates the clues she's given without consciously putting them together. When friends explicitly criticize her indiscriminate approach to selecting partners she reacts with a curious mixture of nonchalance and indignation. And when her gimmie-gimmie-gimmie eye falls on her best friends' longtime steady, complications inevitably ensue, even if they're not exactly what you might expect. Meanwhile, her younger sister Mimi, galpal Sherry, and her mother function as a sort of ghost of Christmas past/present/future: Mimi is all-too eager to assume Angel's high-availability hottie mantel. Sherry is stumbling through an unplanned pregnancy with a frightening lack of preparedness. Angel's mom is scarcely more mature than Angel herself -- she's chronically unemployable, clearly not satisfied if not exactly miserable, and able to provide for her kids mostly thanks to an accident of inheritance.

Angel acknowledges almost none of this consciously, but throughout the book she shows signs of a slowly dawning awareness that the path she's on might be lacking in important ways. Bauman gets Angel's voice just right. Angel is hardly bookish, nor given to introspection, but the language she uses is clear, structurally clean, and enlivened by a wealth of detail about the Jersey seaside environs. And even though Angel makes a wealth of choices that look at best questionable and at worst horrible from my vantage point she remains essentially likable and believable.(less)

like · see review

Jul 17, 2012 Joli rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Orgininally posted at http://actinupwithbooks.blogspot.com

When I first heard about Jersey Angel, I desperately wanted to read it. I loved the fun summertime cover and the premise sounded promising. Then the grumblings started and low starred reviews were popping up. I would gloss over the reviews reading a comment here or there, but never a complete review because I didn't want my decision to read Jersey Angel and my opinion of the book to be swayed entirely. But I did decide that it wasn't an i...more Orgininally posted at http://actinupwithbooks.blogspot.com

When I first heard about Jersey Angel, I desperately wanted to read it. I loved the fun summertime cover and the premise sounded promising. Then the grumblings started and low starred reviews were popping up. I would gloss over the reviews reading a comment here or there, but never a complete review because I didn't want my decision to read Jersey Angel and my opinion of the book to be swayed entirely. But I did decide that it wasn't an immediate "must-read" for me. I could take it or leave it. So when I received the Jersey Angel from Random Buzzers, I had to take a moment and reconsider because there must be something about this book worth talking about if they are putting it in the hands of their Ambuzzadors (ambassadors) to share.

Jersey Angel had me from the get go. Once I picked it up, I just couldn't put it down. And when I did, I couldn't wait to get back to it. Bauman's writing style is quick, descriptive, and immediately pulled me in.

This book is not for everyone. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. But I'm not indifferent to it either. Beth Ann Bauman has written a book that I want to talk about. Her character Angel is unlike many others in many books I've read because she is very sexually active teenager. Sex in young adult books isn't unheard of. Like most readers, I get swept up in the romance of young love and with the anticipation of will they or won't they. And often we want it to happen. I mean, just look at all of the Twilight readers who stuck through the whole series to see Bella and Edward finally get together. (I am one of them) The difference with Jersey Angel is that, while it isn't graphically described, there is quite a bit of sex throughout the novel. Also, Angel doesn't always make the best choices in who she does have sex with. She does cross the line, in my opinion, and I certainly wouldn't want her to be my best friend. But I am a little forgiving of the characters I read. I wanted to see where her decisions would lead her and what would happen with her friendships.

There is also a level on confusion that Angel experiences as a result of her sexual relationships. She wants to get back with her on-again off-again boyfriend, Joey, but he has other plans. She is just beginning to realize how her actions can affect her future relationships and what people think about her. Bauman only touches the surface of these new feelings Angel is experiencing leaving many situations unsettled. The story ended a little too abruptly for me. I could have imagined a little more resolve than what was given.

Like I said before, this book isn't for everyone. But I do think that readers should forget what they think they know about Jersey girls from watching The Jersey Shore (they really don't compare) and give Jersey Angel a chance.

Other books recommended: Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky and The DUFF by Kody Keplinger.

Disclaimer: I received this advanced reading copy for review from Random Buzzers/Random House. Thoughts and opinions are my own.(less)

like · see review

Jul 13, 2012 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, ya-realistic-fiction, 2012

I picked this up when I heard that Angel was the somewhat rare phenomenon of a sex-positive teenage female protagonist. And she was. Probably a little too positive for my taste as the mother of teenage girls. But, this wasn't a book about the way I wish the world was, it's a book about how the world is. And there are lots of girls out there with self-absorbed mothers, little supervision and guidance, and no life goals whatsoever. And many of them like to have sex - sometimes with their best frie...more

like · see review

Jun 15, 2012 Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars

I went into this book expecting to like the protagonist Angel and come to her defense over some of the major slut shaming I've been seeing around the Interwebs regarding her sexual activity (seriously, 17yo teenage girls have sex, get over it). The author has also spoken out, saying that it's ridiculous that people want to hold a fictional character as a "role model" and that "slut" is a perjorative term (which it is). That being said, I tried but I couldn't bring myself to like her.

The truth o...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a lovely, well-written book about complex, believable relationships among high school seniors at a specific point in time, within a specific place on the east coast. Angel and her friends live in a seaside town that is mainly taken for granted by others and "operational" two or three months out of the year. By staying put after the "bennies" (vacationers) leave, Bauman allows us to see a complete ecosystem. By boldly taking the focus off of sex (but definitely not ignoring it), Bauman illus...more

like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 Kricket rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, who-am-i, teen-fiction

it's summer in jersey and angel casonetti's on-again/off-again boyfriend, joey, does not want to be on-again. feeling bored, cagey and unsure of what to do after she graduates, angel begins having sex with her best friend's boyfriend, cork. when she realizes just how sleazy he is, she moves on, deflowering a virgin classmate as a favor to him. meanwhile she feels angst about her family situation, a pregnant friend, and joey.

i'm not sure what i think of this one. the writing is really beautiful,...more

like · see review

Jun 09, 2012 Majibookshelf Juhina & Farah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was really looking forward to Jersey Angel, but I had my doubts when the word “Jersey Shore” was linked to this book. I really do NOT like that reality tv show and its people but I still hoped it would be a fun, summer read. Boy, was I wrong. This book has nothing to do with anything except Angel getting it on with every guy she ever made eye contact with, and get this, she is PROUD of that. I mean, setting aside how wrong this is and the message it sends, I don’t think this is YA material in...more I was really looking forward to Jersey Angel, but I had my doubts when the word “Jersey Shore” was linked to this book. I really do NOT like that reality tv show and its people but I still hoped it would be a fun, summer read. Boy, was I wrong. This book has nothing to do with anything except Angel getting it on with every guy she ever made eye contact with, and get this, she is PROUD of that. I mean, setting aside how wrong this is and the message it sends, I don’t think this is YA material in my opinion. I mean if you are looking for the moral of the story? I don’t think there is any, because for one, there is no character development, the Angel (yea that’s her name) at the beginning of the book, is the same one at the end, oh but she’s even worse. She somehow found it in her mind that it is fine to cheat with her best friend’s boyfriend AS LONG as she ’didn’t find out, because if you look at it 30 years from now, we will all be laughing at the time I cheated with her boyfriend’. Yes, I summed up her mentality regarding cheating.
Oh, can I point out she is only 16? There was a scene in the football field where she looks at all the guys she has slept with one by one as if she’s ticking off a checklist and you sense that THIS is her accomplishment and goal in life. This book is wrong in so many ways, I definitely wouldn’t want my younger sister to read this and see how frivolous the protagonist is and how this book was one step away from being an adult book. There is even an explicit scene between her and her best friend’s boyfriend. I really can’t stress how misleading the synopsis is and how wrong the message sends about what normal life for girls of that age.
Overall I did not enjoy this book one bit, I actually have a lot of problems with the overall ‘moral’ of the story and what it is trying to teach the young adult community, which if some may have forgotten, DOES contain YOUNG adults, and not just us old people who still read YA. I am really disappointed in this book and honestly wouldn’t be recommending it to anyone at all. (less)

1 like · like · see review

May 19, 2012 Pooja (On books!) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley, arc

2.5 stars Review originally posted here

In many ways, Jersey Angel seemed like it could be a light yet memorable read. I could feel the sun and sand in my toes just by reading the synopsis back in January. Unfortunately, the book failed to deliver.

Angel lives in the Jersey Shore all year round. Jersey Angel starts out in the beginning of summer with Joey, her on-again off-again boyfriend, deciding that he needs to be taken seriously. He tells Angel he's not going to get back together with her un...more 2.5 stars Review originally posted here

In many ways, Jersey Angel seemed like it could be a light yet memorable read. I could feel the sun and sand in my toes just by reading the synopsis back in January. Unfortunately, the book failed to deliver.

Angel lives in the Jersey Shore all year round. Jersey Angel starts out in the beginning of summer with Joey, her on-again off-again boyfriend, deciding that he needs to be taken seriously. He tells Angel he's not going to get back together with her until she's ready to take him seriously; as more than someone she hooks up with and breaks it off with as and when it suits her. And um, for the most part of the book (which stretches into fall and then winter)... Angel is Angel. All she wants out of life is to remain young, pretty and carefree forever. She sleeps with almost everyone, including her best friend's boyfriend and seems vulnerable and confused about what awaits her after high school.

I couldn't stand most of the decisions Angel made, especially decisions related to sex. But more than anything, I was concerned and worried about where those decisions would lead her as there was so much more to Angel. She seemed smart and like she maybe did care about how one decision of hers might affect her best friend but she kept pushing it to the back of her mind. She seemed strong and independent and I wanted to scream, Stay when she ran out in the middle of her SAT exam and stop her every time she did something stupid and fell back into the same old pattern.

Things I liked: Angel wasn't mean-spirited. She was confident and in some ways more mature than the average seventeen year old. She knows that she's probably going to community college as she doesn't have the grades or money to make it beyond that. I loved how she wasn't rattled when she overheard an overly pompous high schooler say as much. High school was probably as good as it got for Angel and she seemed to accept that. There were many instances in the book, particularly towards the end, when I wanted to give her a big hug.

BUT: She slept with her best friend's boyfriend. More than once. And justified it in a million ways. I couldn't respect her after that.

There were many instances in the book when I realised that there were not many books that had main characters like Angel. Girls like her are usually secondary characters who are badmouthed. I was curious about Joey and the history he shared with Angel and by the time I'd got to know him better, I definitely liked him best. His conversations with Angel were different and hilarious and he brought out the best in her.

I wish I found the other characters just as likable but most of them were one-dimensional and some I downright detested. I think other than Joey, the only other character I sort of found endearing was Mimi, Angel's sister. I wish the plot had gone somewhere. I wish I could've liked this book more... I wanted to, just like I wanted Angel to get somewhere in her life. The writing was great and some parts felt real and poignant. Unfortunately, most of the book was full of bad decisions and lacked real plot or direction to make any sort of impact.(less)

like · see review

May 09, 2012 Andrea thebusybibliophile rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, netgalley

Well. I’ll say this: Angel is not your typical young adult protagonist! She is saucy and opinionated and not afraid to do what it takes to get what she wants. She likes sex and goes after it when and where she feels like it, no matter who the boy may be (or may be dating). So now not only have I described the main character, I have also just described the plot. Not kidding.

Seriously, there was very little plot to speak of. The novel simply covers Angel’s summer. There was no big mystery (other t...more

like · see review

May 02, 2012 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

My Review: Well folks, it has finally happened. I found a book that I could not stomach to finish. I made it almost to the end, about 40-50 pages to the last chapter, and I had to stop.

Before I get into why, I will say that I was happy to receive this book to review and just because I didn’t like this book, doesn’t mean someone else will. There was nothing technically wrong with Jersey Angel. The writing itself was good, I laughed...more See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

My Review: Well folks, it has finally happened. I found a book that I could not stomach to finish. I made it almost to the end, about 40-50 pages to the last chapter, and I had to stop.

Before I get into why, I will say that I was happy to receive this book to review and just because I didn’t like this book, doesn’t mean someone else will. There was nothing technically wrong with Jersey Angel. The writing itself was good, I laughed a few times, and I think the author has some talent. All of my issues with this book comes down to personal preference, so with that said....

I hated the main character, Angel. I believe that the author was trying to make her come across as being a strong and independent woman who was knew what she wanted out of life and was very sure of her self. I, unfortunately, did not see her that way. Wild animals would have more class and grace then Angel. Angel is no angel. She has not one moral bone in her body, she is snarky and rude, she sleeps around, betrays the people she supposedly cares about, and more. Angel is basically a whore. I’ve never come across so much sex in a young adult novel in my life. And swearing.

I’m an adult, so you know; I can be mature about the whole sex thing. I’m just not too sure I would want the teenagers in my family to read this book. To me, it just sends a bad message. Not only do I think it isn’t appropriate for most teens, I also hate that the author furthered the Jersey stigma that has been going around. It is bad enough that we have television shows like The Jersey Shore with annoying whorish people who make New Jersey look like America’s trash can. Do we really need books with similar Snookie-like characters? I know it sounds harsh, but at least I’m being honest. I get that it is the popular thing to do right now, but come on! Enough is enough.

I’m all for empowered and capable women. I’m not okay with people who use that umbrella to justify a bunch of really bad choices. That is why I just could not finish this book, because the more I read, the less I could tolerate Angel. She is a horrible role model for young girls.

All of this may be your cup of tea, but it wasn’t mine. God, I hate giving horrible reviews... (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 02, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a fun read. A thoughtful, nuanced, and in-depth look at dating, sexuality, friendship, and school. It's also fun, suspenseful, and dramatic -- a page-turner. Very satisfying. And unlike some other reviewers, I loved the ending!

I don't want to give too much away, but I'll just say this:
Angel, the main character, is fun-loving, yet level-headed, popular but also affectionate and generous. She's someone who deals with her difficulties by living in the moment, generally avoiding too much se...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 29, 2012 Dan Cooke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Angel is a great, strong character. Although it's classified as a YA title, adults can also enjoy this quick, well-written read. I would recommend to my daughter who is 16 without hesitation. It doesn't pull any punches around the life of older teenager girls, and it's another pleasant break from the syrupy sweet stuff that sometimes haunts YA shelves. Bauman's writing is loaded with great details, painting a private, real, sensory-filled, and very specific world that you get immersed in quickly...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 18, 2012 Jeremy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jersey Angel deals openly and shamelessly with sex, lust, and promiscuity, but those things don't have the final say over Bauman's characters - especially her central character, Angel. That is what stands out to me about this book.

Bauman's subtle, yet potent story-telling paints a living imagine of how things in life actually are. Her characters - teenagers, friends, siblings, parents, lovers - all experience the full effects of the human condition, and she presents them to us fearlessly.

Bauma...more Jersey Angel deals openly and shamelessly with sex, lust, and promiscuity, but those things don't have the final say over Bauman's characters - especially her central character, Angel. That is what stands out to me about this book.

Bauman's subtle, yet potent story-telling paints a living imagine of how things in life actually are. Her characters - teenagers, friends, siblings, parents, lovers - all experience the full effects of the human condition, and she presents them to us fearlessly.

Bauman also makes masterful use of her story's three part framework – Summer, Fall, and Winter – creating intuitive links between each season's symbolic qualities and her own characters' struggles. She begins with Summer - the season of life lived to its full - with Angel about to enter her senior year of high school. The context charges Angel with an energy of life she hasn't experienced before, and, by the end of the summer, she's engaging in a steamy, sexual relationship with her best friend Iggy's boyfriend Cork.

That moves us into Fall, and Bauman is keenly aware of the symbolism. An internal struggle takes place in Angel, and she tries to resolve her desire for sex with her deeper desire to love and be loved. Over time she realizes that what she has with Cork isn't love - that he does't care about her in that way - and that he can't satisfy her deeper longing.

The story ends in Winter, and, again, the season's symbolism embodies a deep truth for Bauman's characters. We experience Angel's disappointment at losing a beauty pageant to her best friend Iggy, and the deeper complexity of Angel's simultaneous love for and jealousy of her. We experience Iggy's own sadness as she faces the reality of leaving her friends and family to attend college. And, at the extreme, we experience Sherry's (a mutual friend of theirs) heartbreaking loss over the death of her baby daughter.

At the very end of the book, however, death and loss don't have the final say. While their effects are very real and painful, there's also a first snow coming. This too stands out to me as a deep truth about the human condition: that Winter is both real and unavoidable, but that being covered in freshly fallen snow – in newness, in white – is what Angel, and the rest of us for that matter, all want at our core. Jersey Angel captures this reality masterfully, and rang true with me long after turning its final page.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 15, 2012 Marc rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like the way Beth Bauman writes and she has a bold hand that I trust. No sugar coated overly dramatic depictions of sex and no Vampires (thank goodness!) and no Snooki. Jersey Angel is just a really raw look at a believably promiscuous teen trying to find the confidence to face the reality of her impending high school graduation. And to make a decision herself for her own future. What I like about Bauman's writing is that it unapologetically forges new ground for the genre and makes the story...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 15, 2012 Jim Butler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh, my. Based on some of the early reactions to this book, Beth Bauman seems to have kicked the hornet’s nest when she unleashed teenage s-x on an apparently unsuspecting world. The voices of outrage are reminiscent of those who were once convinced that “Catcher in the Rye” would permanently corrupt the youth of America. This New Jersey summer story is told by Angel Cassonetti. She’s seventeen, and it’s been a while since she was a virgin. She definitely has no regrets about this, and her conte...more Oh, my. Based on some of the early reactions to this book, Beth Bauman seems to have kicked the hornet’s nest when she unleashed teenage s-x on an apparently unsuspecting world. The voices of outrage are reminiscent of those who were once convinced that “Catcher in the Rye” would permanently corrupt the youth of America. This New Jersey summer story is told by Angel Cassonetti. She’s seventeen, and it’s been a while since she was a virgin. She definitely has no regrets about this, and her contemporaries seem to envy rather than resent her. (Although, so far as I can tell, nobody tries to emulate her.) During this summer before her senior year, living with an enviable independence, she tries to reignite her relationship with an ex-boyfriend, who – in a nice reversal of the cliché -- dropped her because she didn’t want to get serious. She also has a brief fling with her best friend’s boyfriend. (“”He loves Inggy and she loves him. They’re meat and potatoes. I’m just a dessert.”) In a rather sweet act of sheer generosity she shares her bed a couple of times with the neighborhood’s non-sexy nerd. Along the way she provides emotional and practical support for a pregnant classmate. (“[Sherry’s] face still looks a bit dazed, like she’s trying to listen to two conversations at once.”) Angel has positively no self-consciousness about her sexual relationships. No one suffers –her best friend never really planned a life with the faithless boyfriend in the first place, and the nice nerd is now a wistfully happy former virgin whose only regret is that a girl as special as Angel will most likely never enter his life again. The book spares us a conclusion with formulaic regrets and angst and, when all counted up, all these friends turn out to have had a meaningful summer with no blood on the beach. Maybe Angel’s best friend sums it up for everybody when she says, “ We can’t see how we’re turning out ... but we are. When we graduate ... we’ll really get a chance to see who we’ve become.” These characters – bearing no resemblance, I’m happy to say, to TV’s “Jersey Shore” -- have already turned out to be people whose company we happily share for 199 pages. I’ll bet they could even safely read “Catcher in the Rye.”(less)

like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Angel is a unique YA character in that she’s far more independent (she lives in her own house on the Jersey Shore), sexually free (she likes sex and isn’t afraid to admit it), and unconventional (her career goal is to become a receptionist) than most teen fiction permits — but that doesn’t mean readers of all stripes won’t relate. In fact, what I love most about this book is how honestly it deals with what I see as the universal challenge of being a teen — the question of how to go from being a...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2012 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Angel at 17 is not an angel in any conventional sense. She cheats with her friend’s boyfriend, she stays out really late, she’s not interested in school, and she desperately wants her old boyfriend back, although she doesn’t understand why he wants more than just uncommitted sex from their relationship.

Yet she is also kind. Sexually free she does a kindness to a nerdy boy, she tries to ease the pain of a friend who has a devastating loss, she takes her own losses without exploding into teenage...more

like · see review

Jan 30, 2012 Mindy Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. It’s such an enjoyable, addictive read (I've read it twice). Bold, sexy, good-spirited, page-turning, cleanly written, with so many charming touches (I’m a fan of food details), turns of phrase, and wonderful characters, most notably Angel, a girl who, refreshingly, likes sex and isn't conflicted about it. I’m struck by how truly revolutionary the book is, creating an emotionally spacious world that allows each character room to be themselves, affectionately accepting each oth...more

like · see review

Jan 28, 2012 Heather Anastasiu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Angel is not your typical YA female protagonist. She’s not obsessed with love, but she does like sex. I found this novel refreshing, honest, and a bit unflinching about the real way that relationships and hook-ups happen. The plot unfolds slowly as Angel gears up for her last summer and senior year on the Jersey shore, but unlike the ‘bennies’ (aka tourists who just come for the benefits of the summer season), Angel lives there year-round. Her rich best friend Inggy is looking forward to leaving...more Angel is not your typical YA female protagonist. She’s not obsessed with love, but she does like sex. I found this novel refreshing, honest, and a bit unflinching about the real way that relationships and hook-ups happen. The plot unfolds slowly as Angel gears up for her last summer and senior year on the Jersey shore, but unlike the ‘bennies’ (aka tourists who just come for the benefits of the summer season), Angel lives there year-round. Her rich best friend Inggy is looking forward to leaving, with several top-tier collages to choose from. Angel, on the other hand, only has the community college across the bridge to look forward to if she even decides to go to college at all.

This book seemed to be about change, facing that point near the end of high school when relationships evolve, when the disparities between who will stay in the small town and who will leave seem suddenly more apparent, and how it feels when the carefree era of being a teenager comes to an end. Throughout the novel, Angel’s younger sister Mimi is constantly trying to act more grown up, saying she wishes she had Angel’s life. Angel meanwhile wishes she could go back to being Mimi’s age, or freeze everything exactly where it is at the age of seventeen when she’s beautiful, lusted after, and free to do what she wants. But then there’s Angel’s mother, who seems like a cautionary tale of what can happen if you never do quite grow up.

The relationships and daily drama move the book along. There’s partying and hooking up, and even though the book is in first person, there’s not always a clear-cut explanation of why Angel does the things she does. Angel often doesn’t know what she wants, takes things as they come, acknowledges that she makes mistakes, and has only vague plans for the future. All in all, I felt it made Angel seem like a very complex, fully dimensional person, and I liked that the author didn’t shy away from the ambiguous reality of this time in teenager’s lives that is definitely a turning point, but one that doesn’t always come with a clear direction pointing where to go next.(less)

like · see review

Dec 22, 2012 Angela (: rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, books-library-owns

0.5 stars Not even.

Why I read this, I have no idea. It's related to Jersey shore -_-
But whatever, I read it anyway.

There were so many things that went wrong in this book. The characters, for one, weren't fully developed. At all. There wasn't even one character I liked.

Basically what happens:
Girl meets boy.
Girl and boy break up.
Girl and boy get back together.
-repeat last two-
It's the girl's birthday.
They break up again.
Girl wants boy back.
Boy doesn't want girl.
Boy gets together with a different...more

like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Catie Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is really not like anything I've read lately in YA lit. It is both refreshing and disturbing. Refreshing, because the main characters voice is so clear. Disturbing, because it is so sexually explicit and, at times, shocking. Angel is not really your typical YA protagonist. At 17 she lives away from her family in her own house and pretty much does what she wants. She drinks, smokes weed and sleeps around casually with really no thoughts of the consequences (she says throughout the book...more This book is really not like anything I've read lately in YA lit. It is both refreshing and disturbing. Refreshing, because the main characters voice is so clear. Disturbing, because it is so sexually explicit and, at times, shocking. Angel is not really your typical YA protagonist. At 17 she lives away from her family in her own house and pretty much does what she wants. She drinks, smokes weed and sleeps around casually with really no thoughts of the consequences (she says throughout the book that she gave up smoking four years earlier, apparently pot doesn't count). These are not normally traits that a parent would want their teenager reading about. However, coming from an adult's perspective they make for an interesting and thought-provoking read. Angel's voice seems very genuine throughout the book, you really feel that you can see how her thought process works and while she isn't a very likable character most of the time, she can be a sympathetic character. I sort of liked that the author didn't make excuses for Angel's behavior because, well, there really isn't one. Angel acts how she wants to regardless of how it effects other people. While this isn't a desirable trait in a human being, it is true that some people behave this way and it is interesting to see inside the mind of such a person. I also liked that the "Jersey Shore culture" is explored without being mocked. There is no Snookie, no fist pumping, and while there are various "situations" The Situation is thankfully absent. This book is serious without being message-y and I liked that.

Now lets talk about the controversy, and there is plenty of controversy, surrounding this book. Basically there are a lot of people who are concerned with the explicit sexual nature of this novel. There are several scenes in the book that were gasp-worthy, not because of what was actually happening, but because of the language that was used to describe it and the casual attitude with which it was approached. I get it, teenagers have sex, and I think that the topic is certainly fair game. However, I also think that the topic should be approached in a responsible manner and that the vocabulary used, while it doesn't need to be clinical, also doesn't need to sound like the dialogue from an "adult" film. I mean seriously. (less)

like · see review

Aug 10, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-ya, 2012, new-jersey-setting, young-adult, high-school, friendship, coming-of-age, mother-daughter-issues, teen-love, secrets

I really liked this book. Finished it in a gulp. Here are some things some of the other reviewers here seem to be missing.
1) The depiction of a popular Jersey Shore town is dead-on accurate - take it from this Jersey girl. The writing is skillful and is palpable.
2) This really isn't just about a girl who likes sex. This is about a girl who's unsure of her future. In fact Angel struggles with the sex issue. she's constantly wondering about love. What she knows is that she's attractive and sexy a...more

like · see review

Jun 25, 2012 BethA rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Jersey Angel" by Beth Ann Bauman is a beautifully written story about a Jersey shore teenager, Angel Cassonetti, who is beginning to understand that her life is changing as she heads towards adulthood. and that her own actions and decisions will shape her future. The writing is crisp and spare, but with lovely imagery and elegant prose. Angel is a great character; she is forthright and strong-minded, and she makes her share of mistakes and poor judgement calls, but she has a vulnerable side tha...more

like · see review

Jun 10, 2012 Michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'll say it upfront: I don't like giving 1-star ratings. But, I have to be honest and compared to the books that I've rated 2-stars in the past, I couldn't bump this one up another star. It's not even that the book had a particular, glaring thing that made it bad. It was just that I felt everything was so on the surface, just giving me snapshots of scenes and the people in them rather than telling me an actual story I could get invested in. I've seen 1-star reviews for this book complaining abou...more I'll say it upfront: I don't like giving 1-star ratings. But, I have to be honest and compared to the books that I've rated 2-stars in the past, I couldn't bump this one up another star. It's not even that the book had a particular, glaring thing that made it bad. It was just that I felt everything was so on the surface, just giving me snapshots of scenes and the people in them rather than telling me an actual story I could get invested in. I've seen 1-star reviews for this book complaining about the amount of sex and open expression of teenage sexuality, especially from Angel herself who isn't ashamed of liking sex and wanting to have it often--and THAT is definitely not what I disliked about this book. Strangely enough, it was on the only aspects of Angel's character that I liked because it's rare that we have a YA protagonist who doesn't have people calling her a slut or doesn't have her eventually feel guilty and regretful of enjoying sex and sleeping around.

But...yeah. I'm not the type of person to brag about things, but I tend to remember at least major plot points and/or characters in most books I read, even years after I've read them. I finished this last night, and I can't really tell you what the plot was because there wasn't anything really substantial that happened.

Angel fools around with her best friend's boyfriend. She's hung up on her ex-boyfriend and pretty much stalks his house nightly trying to get him to bang her. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life and puts no real effort into finding it out. And...that's about it. I didn't feel like there was any sort of character change. Sure, there's a hint that Angel's ex-boyfriend may take her back, but I didn't get the feeling that Angel herself had grown or changed at all by the end of the story. We never really get into the character's motivations or desires, we don't see them change (if anything they just come back full circle to where they were before), and I felt like all the characters were just one-dimensional hollowed shells rather than people who I could actually want to read about, and that's disappointing. We don't even get a good glimpse into the setting. And I've been to Jersey on vacation, so depending on where on the coast you go, you could really describe some interesting places on the beach, but I didn't feel like the fact this took place in Jersey made any difference at all, except for the fact that it gave Angel an excuse to call some dude a Guido once.

So, that's about it. I just felt so very meh about the entire thing and just inexplicably turned off by it, that I can't even go into detail as to why I felt it wasn't a good book. Check it out if you really want to, but I don't recommend it.(less)

like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Book Twirps rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those books that people are going to either love or hate — either way, people will be talking about it. Not necessarily because it’s a stellar, life-changing read, but because Ms. Bauman has created a wonderfully flawed character and doesn’t hold back while telling her story.

I’ll get straight to the point and say that at first glance, Angel seems like nothing more than a self-centered slut who only cares about herself. I’ve read a lot of reviews where people say exactly that, but...more This is one of those books that people are going to either love or hate — either way, people will be talking about it. Not necessarily because it’s a stellar, life-changing read, but because Ms. Bauman has created a wonderfully flawed character and doesn’t hold back while telling her story.

I’ll get straight to the point and say that at first glance, Angel seems like nothing more than a self-centered slut who only cares about herself. I’ve read a lot of reviews where people say exactly that, but I saw something else.

It’s true — Angel is fairly promiscuous and does a lot of questionable things. She’s strung Joey Sardone along for years — dating him, breaking up with him when she needs distance and then going after him again. When Joey finally tells her he is done, and shows no sign of caving in again, Angel decides to find excitement elsewhere. The fact that this “excitement” (ie casual sex) comes in the shape of her best friend’s boyfriend doesn’t exactly score her any more points. Then there’s the tall, skinny, sweetly awkward (and virginal) Kipper who Angel agrees to have sex with so he doesn’t have to go to college a virgin. I can see where, if you base the book on those things alone, people may not like it. I, on the other hand, seemed to have an entirely different opinion.

First of all, I love questionable main characters. It’s true, Angel is far from perfect, and a lot of the time she appears to be a self-centered little ho, but I liked that. She’s not the shy, awkward girl looking for her first true love, or maybe a sexual awakening over one life-changing summer. I’ve read that book — been there, done that. Angel hasn’t been a virgin since she was fourteen. Trust me – her sexuality is awake.

What I did see in Angel was a seventeen-year-old girl who doesn’t know what she wants. She wants to be loved, but she doesn’t know what love is. She’s never worked hard at much, mainly because she’s never had to. Her looks have always gotten her everything she wants. She has no desire to go to college, so a C-average is good enough for her. She’s a wonderful big sister, works hard to keep her mom in line, and struggles with the absence of her father. Some of the scenes with she and her dad broke my heart. She wanted so badly to be a bigger part of his life.

While the book doesn’t conclude with Angel having this huge, life-changing revelation where she realizes her slutty, questionable ways should be laid to rest and runs off to join a convent — she does change. Several things happen along the way that slowly make her realize what she has done, making her really think about what she’s given up, what she’s lost and the possibilities that still lay before her. Angel may not be the perfect role-model, but readers can learn something fom her.

I really enjoyed this book, but I will warn parents, younger teens and more sensitive readers that this book does contain drinking, drug use and lots of sex. Ms. Bauman doesn’t hold back, and honestly, I’m glad she didn’t. She gives the reader a true, honest look at Angel without censoring who she is, and for that, I applaud her.
(less)

like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Juliann Garey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beth Ann Bauman does a wonderful job of establishing this particular group of teenagers in this place at this moment in their lives. Angel Cassonetti may not be the easiest heroine to love unconditionally, but she is a real teenager given the circumstances under which she is living.Angel likes sex and has a lot of it; she craves her inaccessible father's attention, dotes on her younger siblings, yearns for her ex-boyfriend, lacks supervision because her mother is flaky, and often feels lost. She...more

like · see review

title link	preview: Jersey Angel
avg rating	preview: Jersey Angel Goodreads rating: 3.09 (298 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12384951-jersey-angel?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318425255l/12384951.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12384951-jersey-angel?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Jersey Angel by Beth Ann Bauman[/url]

Jersey Angel

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (7)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Beth Ann Bauman

Books by Beth Ann Bauman

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Jersey Angel