Golden

by Jessi Kirby

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Road Trip

277 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2013

About the author

Jessi Kirby is a former English teacher and librarian. She lives in Orange County, CA with her husband and two kids, where she writes stories and runs the beach every day. Well, almost every day.

You can contact Jessi at jessi@jessikirby.com

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But as much as we wish it were different, the truth is, our worlds are sometimes balanced on choices we make and secrets we keep.”

Four and a half stars. Because, really, I think this is a four-star read but there are five-star tears running down my face even now, almost a full day after I finished reading the final page. This book is categorised as young adult but, oddly, I think Golden is everything I used to expect from the new adult genre before I knew better. I think it is a beautiful, poignant, incredibly moving tale of a young woman stood on that fine line between childhood and growing up. Of the decisions she has to make and the lessons she must learn. She realises that she can no longer cling to the safe bindings she always known because she isn't a little girl anymore, but she also has a long way to go. So before this turns into a rendition of a Britney Spears song, I'm going to move on to what made this story so special for me.

Every time I start to speculate on what other readers will think of a novel, I tend to find many of them proving me wrong. But I will say that I think Golden is a book which you may be more inclined to enjoy if you find yourself relating to Parker's experiences, either in the past or at this current point in your life. I fall into that latter category. Yes, I'm a few years older than Parker but I'm a university student, balanced somewhere between the world of school and weekend drunken escapades with friends, and the world of steady jobs and thinking about where I really want to go with the degree I've been working for. It's exciting, it's scary and you can't help but wonder what future you will look back and see. Will they be proud of the decisions you made at this time... or will they wish you'd had the guts to do something different and perhaps unexpected?

In Parker's story, her high school teacher has asked the students to keep a journal of their life right now, then to seal it in an envelope so he can mail it to them in ten years time. The prospect frightens Parker as much as it would me. Maybe it's best not to remember the dreams we had when we were teens? Especially if those dreams never went anywhere. What happens when you look your younger self in the eye and don't like what you see? How do you live with that? Parker's life has always been planned out for her, she is faced with incredible opportunities that very few people will ever have but she still sometimes cannot help but wonder whose dreams she is living.

But then comes the second aspect of this story. In the small town where Parker lives, ten years ago two teens plunged to their deaths in the icy lake and their bodies were never recovered. The two were the local "golden couple", always together, certain to marry, until their lives were tragically cut short. Ten years later, Parker finds the journal kept by the girl in the days leading up to her death and, despite knowing it's wrong, Parker cannot help opening the envelope and hoping to gain some insight into what it is like to know for certain exactly where your life is headed. And right before her eyes, the image she had always known of two young people with perfect lives begins to shatter and she realises that perfect smiles can be hiding sad truths.

Golden is about being on the border. It's about that place between longing to begin living your life and fear of change, of leaving something important behind. It's about uncertainty. That uncertainty which comes with growing up, when you begin to worry you won't make the right choices. The message, in the end, is very simple and overdone and it should be incredibly cheesy. But, somehow, it isn't. The message is carpe diem, sieze the day, live in the moment and do what you love. Take chances, be wild, be crazy and don't let other people define your dreams for you. It's a very bittersweet story and I now can see easily why there has been so many positive reactions to it.

There are two reasons I think it is a four-star read. One is that I found some of the language used in Julianna's journal unbelievable and it occasionally took a little something away from it and edged it towards the Nicholas Spark's cliches. The second is really spoilery: I think the ending was a little too perfect. It was the ending we all wanted, of course, but the raw realism I'd experienced throughout died right there. Some part of me wishes that the final thing hadn't happened, perhaps to serve as a further lesson about how time can change things. It would have been sadder, but in an effective way. So, it isn't a perfect novel, but it's hard not to be affected by it. I'm going to use that word again: bittersweet - I'm not sure a word has ever more accurately summed up a book. If you like hard-hitting, emotional reads - PICK THIS UP.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming of age stories are so hard to get right, particularly in realistic fiction. I have no idea what it's like to develop supernatural vampire powers (darn it!), but I do know what it's like to navigate the tricky road to adulthood. So while I generally read more paranormal fiction or sci fi, it's always a pleasure to come across a contemporary YA book that I really connect with.

This was my first book by Jessi Kirby, but I'm now very eager to read Moonglass, and anything else she comes up with in the future. Writing like this is contemporary YA at its best.

The full text of this review appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s not actually making the choice that takes courage. It’s facing it afterward. Owning up to it whether it’s good or bad.”

If I relied solely on the introductory chapters of the novel, I wouldn’t think this book was going to be something special. Sure, I saw glowing five star reviews but at some point during the start I felt like I would end up suffering from “it’s not the book, it’s me case” syndrome. That is not the case.

This is an inspirational story about friendship, taking chances and making choices written in a smooth and comforting tone, smooth enough that I’m letting the gazillion times Nicholas Sparks was mentioned and the almost endless reference to Robert’s Frost “The Road Not Taken. “ slip.^^

I enjoyed how this story is complete with a mysterious plot, realistic characters and themes of inspiration that would certainly touch anyone who’s read this. I love that you couldn’t identify which story is more important-that of the past or that of the present but where the story is concerned, what really matters is that in the end, there is nothing to regret because you had enough courage to make choices for yourself. This and many other inspirational truths about the story are what make this book really GOLDEN.

And because I was inspired by the story and am feeling poetic after reading this, here’s a poem I wrote related to that opening quote above. Hope you don’t drown in its cheesiness. Lol.


COURAGE

Who am I to speak of courage?
When I have always been known as meek and weak
I have always been perceived as fragile and frail
I have always been thought of as passive and submissive.

So what right do I have really to talk about courage?
When all they see of me is that of a coward’s image?
But I know of it, yes I do!
I write of it, I speak of it
Won’t you say that’s courage?

I climb and fall; I laugh and cry
I dream and keep on dreaming
But I’m wise enough to know when it’s time to let it go.
I am doubtful at times but I keep my faith strong.
I accept defeat but I never lose hope.
I risk and make the wrong choices
But at least there’s nothing to regret in the end.

I am not a good poet
But I write a poem about courage
And that alone is courage.


Thanks to Beatrice for the recommendation. Click her name for her lovely review. <3

[Natalie Monroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

Welcome to the very first episode of I Don't Give A Fuck!



In this premier, our fabulous host Natalie Monroe will be interviewing a bunch of white, middle-class teenagers, all more selfish than the last. Believe me, folks, you would not want to give birth to these bastards kids. Give it up for the main cast of Golden!

*Parker, Kat, Trevor, Julianna, and Orion walk on the stage*

Natalie: Take a seat, kids. Orion, Julianna, please stop making goo-goo eyes at each other. You're not Romeo and Juliet. If you were were, I'd take an anvil to your heads. Save us the trouble. Now first off, I'd like to congratulate you guys for making me create a new shelf just for your book: stick-the-status-quo-everyone.

Trevor: *preens* Why, thanks, babe. Nice to see I have fans on the other side of the fourth wall.

Natalie: Oh, you have fans, alright. I'm just not one of them. Are you aware that you're a walking, talking stereotype?

Trevor: A what?

Natalie: You're the playboy love interest that half the female population wants. But you're hopelessly in love with the quiet homebody heroine, who has, frankly, done nothing to warrant your affection.

Parker: Trevor's not in love with me. How can he be? I'm not interesting. All I do is study.

Trevor: Nah, babe. You're so much deeper than that. I can see it in your eyes. When you actually dare to look at me during those moments of sexually-infused teasing.



Kat: Yeah, you're a tall glass of skim milk! Take chances. Be bold like me, your wild and promiscuous BFF!

Parker: Oh no, I can't. Except for the time we embarked on an impromptu road trip to find Julianna. The whole town thought she'd died when her car crashed in a lake ten years ago, but through reading her diary, I just knew she was alive.

Natalie: Ah, that purple-dipped college-lined notepad. The one where it reads like a narrative than an actual diary.

Parker: That's the one. I stole it out of the box of other journals I was supposed to mail to their ten-years-older-now owners. Tee-hee, I'm so bad!

Kat: Attagirl!

Natalie: ...The epiphany? Mind walking us through it?

Parker: Oh, I don't know. It was just a feeling.

Natalie:


A feeling. You went on a three-hour drive to a random town without telling your parents because you had a feeling she'd be there?

Parker: It wasn't random. Her journal said she liked art, so we went to a town that showcased art. Easy-peasy.

And I couldn't tell my mom. She'd freak on me. She's always so controlling; that's what drove my dad away though. He'd be trying to summon creative juices and she'd be there, glowering, because electricity can't run on writer's block. That's why I stifle my creative side. Woe is me.

Natalie: You live in a two-story house in the suburbs.

Parker: I repeat: Woe is me.

Kat: Attagirl!

Julianna: Hang on. I thought this story was about me!

Parker: It is about you! I wasted gas money to fulfill my YOLO mission and bring you back to Orion.

Orion: I work at a coffee shop with paintings on its walls because I'm heartbroken Julianna disappeared on me ten years ago. I was 15, but I knew it was true love. Her golden boy boyfriend, Shawn, was totally holding her back. I would've rocked her world.



Parker: They were like Romeo and Juliet! Or a Nicolas Sparks movie!

Natalie: R&J died, sweetcheeks.

Parker: Whatevs. It was a forbidden romance.

Natalie: I see you subscribe to the Twilightarian school of thought. Speaking of schools, Julianna, did you go to the John Green school of dialogue?

Julianna: I'm afraid I don't understand your question.

Natalie: This here was pulled from a conversation you were having:

"He was on the other side, wedged against a tree branch that bent down in the water. It was holding him there and the river was moving fast around his legs. His arms were just drifting and he was so white already. I ran in and I couldn't feel my hands or my feet but I had to swim because it was deep where he was."

Don't you think it sounds rehearsed, almost to the point of a narrative instead of speech?

Julianna: I'm a well-educated white girl. One with a creative spirit at that. I can't help that I talk like I'm reciting from a script.

Kat: Attagirl!

Julianna: And my story is a cautionary message, you see. To tell people the true meaning of YOLO. Except YOLO is too vulgar, so I prefer to quote Mary Oliver: 'What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?'

Natalie: I'm fairly familiar with that quote. It was shoved in my face numerous times during Parker and Co.'s journey to become uncool Air Nomads. And Goodreads gave that literary pie a final push in my nostrils by showcasing it as Quote of the Day.


A dark day indeed...

Julianna: Oh, good, you got it! I thought I was being too subtle. I only mentioned that phrase every 50 pages, you see.

Parker: It was so inspirational. My surname's really subtle too. It's Frost just like that famous poet Robert Frost, who also wrote that poem on taking the road less traveled. My name is like a metaphor!

Natalie: I've heard far too fucking much about metaphors...



And I really don't give a fuck about you or your selfish asses, especially you, Julianna. You let your parents believe you were dead because your head was too high up your cowardly butt to act like a responsible adult and return to give them closure. Go follow your dreams. I'll be here, living my boring life, getting an education for a job, and quietly reaching for the clouds at the same time, because you can't eat starlight and pixie dust.

Parker: *gasp* How dare you make fun of a girl embarking on a spiritual journey! Haven't you heard of Eat, Pray, Love?

Natalie: Oh, go agonize over whether Trevor really likes you.

Trevor: *preens* Did someone say my name?

Natalie: Aaaaand we're out. *mutters* Where's the bar?

[✦❋Arianna✦❋ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars!!



“Golden” was an interesting YA, coming of age novel that totally surprised me. What intrigued me reading the blurb was the fact the novel incorporates two different stories. And I love 'a story in a story'. I find this format very interesting and the good part was that I’ve got to read not only a story, but two. “Golden” is a story about life, taking chances, fear of change and all the aspects that comes with it. It’s a powerful read, well written with an important message that I’m very fond of – carpe diem –‘seize the day’. It goes without saying this novel will make you reflect. Even if you’re not 17 anymore, like our heroine, this book will make you wonder about the choices you made at some point in your life, wonder if you choose them ‘correctly’ and maybe, just maybe it will give you some strength for the future to welcome something new in your life, to take chances.

“Tell me, what is it your plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Parker Frost, the heroine of this novel is a 17 years old girl who represents the image of the ‘good girl’. Valedictorian, she’s about to graduate high school and she hopes to win a scholarship to attend Stanford. One of her teachers, Mr. Kinney, had always had a special project – he asks his seniors to reflect on their futures in a journal, to seal it in an envelope for him to mail it to them ten years later. This year he asks Parker to help him with them. One of the journals she comes across is Julianna Farnetti’s journal, a girl who died in a tragic car accident with her boyfriend ten years ago. Juliana and Shane Cruz were always remembered as the golden couple, meant to be together forever. Everyone in Parker’s town consider them a legend. So, when Parker realizes what she has in her hands, she cannot help but want to know who Julianna was back then, what she wanted and even how her beautiful relationship with her boyfriend evolved. So she starts to read Julianna’s journal even if she knows she has no right to do it. What she will find out from the other girl’s journal is that nothing is perfect, that everyone can change at some point in their lives. She wanted to know how Julianna felt knowing that her life, her future is already planned, but she will find out you can plan your life, that nothing in this life is for sure and maybe that not everything stays forever.

"There's a spark of exhilaration that gives me hope that the choice I just made could turn out to be right, and this feels infinitely better than the weight of regret."

This story was not only about growing up and figuring out what you really want to do with your life. It was also about friendship, family dynamics, first love and about being yourself no matter what everyone around you thinks and also finding yourself in the process. The story felt real because after all it can be labeled also as realistic fiction and most of all it felt honest. Written in first POV from the heroine’s perspective, “Golden” was a very relatable story.

Parker’s portraying character is great and her character growth is fantastically done. I really felt her struggling and her inner turmoil is good. She’s sweet and hardworking, she’s a great friend and she’s a little bit shy. She was a likeable character from the beginning. There were moments I really sympathize with her, but there were also moments when I just wanted to scream at her ‘Grow up already!’. I can’t say I was frustrated, but I wanted for her to learn to live for herself, not for her mother, to realize that she has the right to decide what she wants to do with her own life. I really felt for her at times.

Julianna’s story even if her story is in Parker’s story was quite good. The two girls are different, but there are also some similarities between them. And that’s why Parker felt so connected with this girl who became such a legend in her small town. Through Julianna’s story, our heroine finds who she is, what she wants, learning that if you never try, you’ll never know. Eventually, she also takes a chance on love, realizing she has nothing to lose. Anyway, Julianna’s story was poignant and it also felt real. My heart broke for her, for her past and I enjoyed the mystery behind her story.

Romance is an important aspect here. First we have the sweet romance between the heroine, Parker and her long time crush, the one between Julianna and Shane and the one between Julianna and Orion. Each one of them was lovely in its own way, but I would have liked the heroine’s to be more developed.

I really liked the side character in this story. Kat, Parker’s best friend was such a wonderful friend. That kind of friend all of us wants in our lives – caring, thoughtful, considerate. And Trevor, Parker's secret romantic interest was pure and simple sweet.

Like I mentioned before the story is relatable, so Parker was relatable as well. I think many readers will relate with her, because at some point every one of us was insecure or didn’t know what to do with his life. So, yes, in some way I related with her. But I also related with Kat, because of her philosophy - “Seize the day, live in the moment, soak it all up—good or bad.” I’ve always had this philosophy and I try to ‘carpe diem’ as much as I can because IMO life it’s too short not to.

Overall, a fantastic read!

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." ~ Robert Frost

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, emotional story that took my breath away!



Jessi Kirby doesn’t play with words, she plays with emotions. Her stories don’t have complicate plots, but subtle ones. Her prose is so beautiful that it leaves you breathless, the edge of her words cuts deep into your soul.. You can never have enough of her stories and I can never put into words how much I love everything written by her.

I don’t know if she puts a lot of effort into writing, or if it cames to her naturally, but it really feels effortless to read her wonderful stories.
You start reading and then you’re turning pages in rapt attention, the characters feel so real with their raw and deep emotions that you feel like they are part of your own self and, without noticing, you read the last page with traces of tears on your cheeks and with some sort of addiction that makes you want to trade your soul for another book written by Jessi.

Like with her other 2 books there is a bit of mystery born from a tragedy. If you don’t know what loss is, don’t worry, she will teach you slowly. She will make you love the characters, connect with them on many deep levels, she will break their hearts (and yours) and she will give you just a pinch of humour (maybe a bit more) and loveliness every now and then to heal the pain that starts to take over your heart.

The highs are so high and the lows are so low, the characters are complex – never too good, sometimes hitting the bottom only to then keep afloat… There are really not enough words left in this world for me to express all the feelings her books convey.

At this point I would read everything from this author, she is simply amazing and her words always leave me misty eyed. This is a book I wish I've read 10 years ago.. definitely recommended.


* This review can also be found at ReadingAfterMidnight.com
** ARC received from the publisher for review - Thank you!
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[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This is a beautiful coming of age story. Mixed with romance, friendship, and family.

Just like the 5th wave, this is one of my most anticipated books of the year. With all those praises out there, I was pretty sure this was going to turn out amazing. It was, a pretty nice read. Although I have to admit, I might have been slightly disappointed. I was expecting to be really blown away, but anyhow, this book actually made me think. It made me look back on my life and reflect.

The entire story revolves around a question.


“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”


It's just a simple question, but do you really have an answer to it?


As a senior myself, only days from graduating, I can totally relate to Parker's desire to do something that means a lot to herself. It also made me question if I, myself, had done something I would remember when I get old, something that can make me tell myself "Hey, I did this when I was young" . The answer is no, I haven't. While reading this book, I was constantly thinking about all the things I haven't done and should've done in my one precious life, and all those "what if"s crowding my mind. Rarely do I find a book that could make me reflect. Just like Parker, I kept on questioning myself if this is the life I want along with the story.


"I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost


The story starts with Parker finding a journal of Julianna Farnetti's, the town's legend. Julianna and Shane Cruz is the town's golden couple, who both died from a car crash ten years ago during a storm, so when Parker comes across her journal for Mr. Kinney, the English teacher's class, she did the unthinkable. She stole the diary and read it, and she found out that what she has always believed in wasn't true, and therefore decided to embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind everything. But sometimes, reality may not be what you hoped for.

Two storylines weave together to make up this book. One is Parker's, the other Julianna's. We get to see Parker grow up throughout the book. She went from a girl who's obedient, uncertain, and a Stanford candidate with her whole future planned out to a girl who learns to live her life, stand up to others, and take risks. She went through a huge amount of character growth to become the Parker she is now. Most of what we see of Julianna is from her diary. Her story is tragic. When she first moved to this town, she met Shane Cruz, and they became the couple everyone admired. She was happily in love and satisfied with her life until the night she met Orion. To Julianna, what happened between them changed everything. Her future, her life, what she believed in are all altered. And therefore led up to the tragic car crash. But is that really the truth? Is that all that had happened? That's what Parker is set to find out.

This book actually started out really really slow. We see Parker with her dream coming true, her questioning if this is what she really wanted, and her crossing path with Julianna. Despite the pace, the beautiful writing had me captivated from the beginning. I really love how the author described everything in a beautiful and exquisite way.


"A moment was all it took to change everything...A moment to end up at the hot springs under a glittering sky and a fresh dusting of snow, to feel the fire of the water and the ice of the air mix between us. For hands to brush skin, and lips to meet beneath the moonless sky."


The romance is also a major aspect of the book. Julianna and Shane's commitment towards each other. Julianna and Orion's mutual love for art, and for each other. Parker and Trevor's mutual affection and chemistry. Although we didn't get to see Julianna and Shane's, her and Orion's was beautiful. It's one of those meant to be's. The ones that would only happen in a Disney movie. Parker and Trevor's, on the other hand, was slow-progressed. They went from having a mutual crush to finally being together. The only thing I didn't like about it was that I didn't get to see more of it. Throughout the book, I was constantly willing them to just get together already, but then when I finally got it, the book ended. I really really need to see more of them, and I consider that as one of the reasons why I didn't like the book as much.


"Nothing gold can stay." - Robert Frost


Friendship and family is also important in this book. Kat, Parker's best friend, is the direct opposite of her. While Parker is obedient, your typical nice girl, Kat's reckless and lives her life to the fullest. But that doesn't stop them from being the best of friends. Kat's constant support of Parker really warmed my heart. I love how she urged her to take a chance, to do something worthy and never regret. I love how she made Parker realize that she's missing out. Her mom, on the other hand, is those kind of parents who plans out their children's life from an early age. I know she has good intentions, and only wants Parker to succeed. But that is just wrong. You cannot force your kid to do what you expect them to do. But I'm glad she eventually agreed to let go, at least a little, and respect her decision.


Sadly, though, I felt nothing after finishing this book. Although it did make me think, it didn't have any impact on my emotions, and I think that is the main reason why I didn't like this as much.

I'm not sure I like that vague ending. But anyway, I seriously want more of Parker and Trevor! And I really don't get what Trevor meant by being straightforward with her for the last six years. I mean he's has all these girlfriends and all that flirting with someone else. I NEED HIM TO CLARIFY!

Overall, the book is mainly about realizing what you want and growing up. Although I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, I still recommend this to everyone out there. Maybe you'll gain a lot from it, who knows?


Lastly, I just want to say to every single one of you out there:

"Carpe Diem" - Seize the moment. And never regret.

[Keertana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very rarely do I come across novels that make me slow down, catch my breath, and actually reflect. Usually, I’m too caught up in the rush of the next book that I fly through my current read, type out a review, and put it behind me. Granted, I remember my favorite titles fondly, discuss and recommend them often, but either than the twist of my gut or intense swooning while reading, my love affair with the novel has ended almost as quickly as it began. Golden and I, however, are on an extended honeymoon – one I suspect will go on for awhile. Quite simply, I cannot get this book out of my head. Its quotes, its characters, its plot…all of it keeps spinning around and around in my head like a revolving door without air resistance to stop its momentum.

I wish there was an apt anecdote I could find to convey exactly why this book struck such a deep chord within me, but there isn’t. Although I cannot determine the reactions of other readers, I know for a fact that Golden is so special to me merely because it mirrors my own hopes, fears, aspirations, dreams, and life itself so perfectly. In fact, I’ll take a leap of faith and simply state that Golden mirrors the thoughts of so many teenagers on the cusp of adulthood. For the first time, I have finally found a New Adult novel I am proud to call New Adult because it is deserving of that title. Golden is what New Adult should be – rich, intellectual fiction that transports its readers to the troubles of finding oneself in the world.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver

Parker Frost, the protagonist of our tale, is a very typical heroine: class valedictorian, perfect goody-two-shoes, and set to win a scholarship to attend Stanford. Now, as her senior year is winding to a close, Parker helps Mr. Kinney return journals to his students from ten years ago. Every year, Mr. Kinney asks his seniors to reflect on their futures in a journal, only to ship it back to them in a decade. One of the journals Parker stumbles across, however, is written by Julianna, a teenage girl who died in a car crash with her boyfriend ten years ago on the night of graduation. Julianna and her boyfriend were seen as the Golden Couple, the two who “had it all” and their story has become the stuff of legend in the small town Parker lives in. As such, Parker cannot help but read her journals, but she soon learns that the girl whose life – and love – they all believed to be perfect was far more flawed than they thought. And, as Parker begins to follow the story of Julianna, she just may find herself as well.

What I love about Golden is how unflinchingly honest it is. Although, at its core, it’s a mystery novel unraveling the truth of Julianna’s past, it is simultaneously a novel of friendship, first loves, family, and most importantly, finding yourself in a world full of people whose lives are entangled with your own. Although Julianna and Parker are starkly different people, both have lived their lives without making decisions for themselves, but for others. For Parker, it is her mother who she is fearful of disappointing and, as such, she becomes the person her mother wishes she herself was at her daughter’s age, stifling out who her daughter really is on her own. Although the interactions between Parker and her mother are minimal in this novel, they carry their own weight and the impact of even minor conversations is felt so palpably through Parker’s actions. Jessi Kirby, who failed to make me a fan of her writing with In Honor, successfully made me fall head-over-heels for her talent by capturing the tenuous and delicate relationship between a mother and a daughter in a way that felt only all too real.

And, if I’m being honest, this is the heart of Golden. Its heart lies in Parker undertaking a task she feels passionate about – the mysterious death of Julianna, who she feels bonded to through her journal entries – and pursuing it to the point where she breaks the rigid rules her mother has always placed in front of her and finds herself while searching for completely different answers. Golden may belong to Julianna or to Parker, but these two never outshine one another, somehow managing to connect with us despite – or perhaps because of – their differences. All the relationships Parker experiences are like this, whether it is the inevitable separation with her best friend or the drawn-out tension between her long-standing crush, Trevor, so much is explored and comes to light during Parker’s journey. In terms of the romance, especially, I was pleasantly surprised by its subtleties; by its ever-present undercurrent that never managed to overtake the plot, by its sweet and eternal factor that was far more touching than any amount of swoon, and by its realistic ending full of hope.

Yet, even more poignant were the ongoing messages of choices and fate. Although Parker learns and uncovers more than she bargained for on the journey she undertakes, she comes to realize that she has the choice to change her future – if only she is willing to act on it. If only she seizes the moment and doesn’t let it slip by. After all, life, as she learns, only gives you a few fleeting moments, a few chances, and it’s up to you to take them or leave them, if only you are daring enough to reach out and take that leap of faith. Moreover, all this self-growth is presented in a very realistic fashion. All the ultimate decisions Parker makes are perfect for whom she is and her relationships, whether they be romantic, familial, or friendly, are all viewed in the lens of reality; of inevitable change just around the horizon. And I love that. I love that perfect relationships don’t exist, but that everything is in equal measures bitter and sweet. I love that finding your way doesn’t mean seeking the meaning of life, it simply means seeking the meaning in your life. And I love that happy endings are not permanent because all that really means is that sad endings aren’t either.

Golden is a novel that I emerged from a different person. Or, at any rate, it felt that way. It is inspiring, realistic, and beautifully written. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to throw it up there with my other favorite coming-of-age story, Wanderlove, and I know that I will inevitably wind up re-reading it multiple times. While Golden may have come to me as a godsend at the exact right time in my life, I suspect it’s one of those novels that transcend time and age, managing to resonate within you no matter what. If you read one novel this year, let it be Golden. It could be the road less traveled by – or it could not – but I can assure you, it really will make all the difference.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

You can read this review" and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.

[G.S. Lima]

Ich bitte um einem Applaus, weil ich es geschafft habe, eine meiner grössten SuB-Leichen zu lesen 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[Giselle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful read! I literally had goosebumps when I turned the last page. It's one of those all encompassing stories that leaves you to ponder your own past experiences, your own hopes and dreams - past, present, and future.

Do you often read back through your diaries or journals and reminisce on your high school days? In Golden, one teacher gives all his students just that opportunity. The class assignment is to fill a journal with everything you're hoping for yourself, then in 10 years this journal is sent back to you. I loved this idea - almost wishing we had this teacher at our school. It had me both wondering and cringing at what I would have written in there myself. Golden combines a coming-of-age story with a decade old mystery that link together when Parker Frost comes upon the journal of a girl who has gone missing - presumed dead - since Parker was 7 years old. Despite her guilt, Parker reads it and discovers things about the iconic couple that broke every mold she'd ever built for them. While we discover the mysteries of Julianna's life inside her journal, Parker is learning how precious life really is, how quickly things can change, and how taking chances is sometimes what one needs to figure out who they are, and where they're meant to end up. And even if you fail, at least you took a chance at something you wanted!

Golden is the kind of book that I had to force myself to put aside or I would have skipped work and meals to finish it. Even though the basis of this plot is a tragedy, this is an inspiring story filled with dreams, passion, friendship, and love. We see Parker grow as a person, with a love story of her own that she's finally giving notice to. We also get an amazing best friend, a road trip, a realistic family unit, senior year pressures, and a girl who's learning to live for herself.

The writing is what brings all of this together in a tragic, yet hopeful way. Both Parker and Julianna's stories had me fully compelled. Their voices so real, so raw, so poignant that I knew they were leaving lasting impressions. Golden is a contemporary novel that I think everyone should read. It's powerfully inspiring and dares you to live, to take chances - to just go for it!

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Dear Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way. Thanks S&S, I love you, too.

Honestly, I'm finding it difficult to review this book. I went into this novel with absolutely no expectations, but with a faint hope that I'd be able to finally find a gem deserving of 5 stars, a hope that would quench my thirst for a masterpiece. That was, fortunately, answered. I turned the last page of Golden with feelings so conflicted, but also satisfied, as I've found a tale so inspiring, compelling, and lastly, so relatable. It spoke to my heart like no other, and touched on a sensitive side of me that I have oftentimes tried to avoid. I'm truthfully at a loss for words as it hit home... very hard.

Golden, like many of its peers, is a tale of finding oneself and realizing one's worth. It's a story where a lone, troubled, and struggling teenager tries to find her place in a world full of expectations and pressures. Parker Frost has worked her way to the top in order to get her mother's approval, a lonely journey in which she forced herself into a tight cocoon, isolating herself from activities that she thought would stray her from her intended path. While this gave her the momentary pleasure of getting her mom's smile and encouragement, it also didn't give her much opportunities to have fun and experience new things. But finding Juliana Foretti's journal, a woman who was killed in a tragic crash ten years ago, opened a door for her that was too hard to resist. Was this fate? Was this chance? Was she willing to risk it?

One of the factors that made this book so genuine and real was the voice of the narrator. The writing, the narration, all of it was just absolutely sublime, effortless, and real. It's the kind of prose that can easily be compared to the ones like Emily Murdoch's, who doesn't reach out to the readers by playing with words, but by playing with feelings, thoughts, emotions so deep and raw that they just pierce right through you. It's just so beautiful that I can't even begin to describe it. One thing for sure, though, is that it spoke volumes to me; I read it page by page and absolutely felt that the book was speaking to me. It made me feel so connected to the characters, to the scenes, to the losses of life, to everything... without even trying. It just... does.

But the best factor of all... the subject matter. The story, overall. The way the mysterious tragedy of a certain character, and a stranger at that, became interconnected with the concepts of chance, risk, and fate. How actions affect all of us in this complex, yet familiar circle of life. I know, I know; I may be spouting big words and deep sentences that may already sound borderline disjointed, but... it is what it is. A tale of so many tales, of so many stories, linked by fate and by chance, written so convincingly, compellingly, hauntingly, mystifyingly. There are no other ways to describe it, you simply need to read it for yourself to get the same experience.

It spoke so much to me because in a way, I'm conflicted with a similar problem. To go or not to go? To stay in my comfort zone or experience new things? Needless to say, I think this book shedded light on this particular conflict, and pushed me towards a path... a path I for so long tried to avoid, but suddenly realized was necessary for my own growth.

Do I recommend this? Highly. If you're going to the bookstore anytime soon, this is the book you first must buy. Perhaps, like me, it will give you a sort of epiphany, perhaps, it won't, but whatever may happen when you turn the last page, I'm certain it will transform some part of you for the better.

Read this and my other reviews over at The Social Potato!

[Tink Magoo is bad at reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Every town has its stories. Stories that have been told so many times by so many different people they've worked themselves into the collective consciousness as truth."

On one hand, this was a highlighters delight, it had some really good lines that I could fill this review with, but on the other hand, Parker was just a vehicle in which to tell Julianna's story, for me.

"Their parents buried empty coffins"

But it's still well worth saying that the writing and especially the descriptions were amazing in this book. In enabled me to picture everything in my head almost like a movie.

But, because I'm a little disappointed it's a 3.4 star read for me.

MAJOR SPOILERS under here When Julianna revealed what happened that night it felt like I was there. And of course, I know Shane is a fictional character but it really made me angry that Julianna never gave his parents any closure. She left them with a pile of questions and an empty coffin. They will never have closure because she was selfish.
"And he died thinking I didn't love him anymore. I killed us. Everything we had, and everything we were, was gone. It disappeared when I said those things to him."
It's upsetting to think that his last thoughts before dying were that the person he loved didn't love him back. He's left cold and alone, rotting at the bottom of a lake while she lives her life, giving his parents nothing to help them. ANGRY FEELINGS!

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initial reaction: Right now this is a tentative rating, but this is probably going to end up being 2 or 2.5 stars overall. On the level of the writing and the use of Robert Frost's poems, the overarching intent of the narrative were wonderful.

But I had issues with this story on so many levels. I don't know if I can articulate them fully at the moment, but I'll try to do so after sleeping on it for a night.

Full review:

"When darkness is no less
Than everything you built become undone,
There's no fight, and no flight
Disaster leaves your passion overrun.

It's time to let go,
Time to carry on with the show..."

"Remembrance can be a sentence
But it comes to you with a second chance in tow
Don't lose it, don't refuse it,
'Cause you cannot learn a thing you think you know.

A new light is warm
Shining down on you after the storm,
Don't mourn what is gone, greet the dawn,
And I will be standing by your side,
Together we'll face the turning tide."

- lyrics from Poets of the Fall's "Dawn"

Pretty much the first song that came to mind when I read this, and something I've had in my mind while penning this review. If you have the chance to hear it, give it a listen, it's very pretty and I think it colors the novel rather well for what I think it intended to show. Unfortunately, I wish I could say that this novel was as potent as this song for me.

I want to start this review with a disclaimer: while I only rate Jessi Kirby's work "Golden" two stars, that doesn't mean that I don't see the value in this book or its potential for other people to love it to tears for the story it tells. I'll admit that after somewhat of a slow start, it builds upon itself and its themes of self-discovery as well as an overarching, tormenting mystery well enough. Yet as you'll note in my subsequent review, those themes are often contradicted by much bigger problems that I'm afraid people will take in the wrong context of what this novel provides. And it boils my blood at the thought.

I gave myself a night to sleep on what I wanted to say about the overarching novel, because after I finished reading it, it made me quite upset. For ALL the wrong reasons. You may love this book if you take into consideration its caveats and are okay with them, versus the consideration of what the narrative doesn't say or what it promotes without intention. Or does it intend to promote these things? If it's the latter, then you can bet that I would have more than a bone to pick with it.

"Golden" is the story of Parker Frost, a 17-year old who has many opportunities going for her - she's in the final stages of getting a scholarship, she makes good grades. She has a friend (Kat) who encourages her to do one last bold thing before they graduate high school, and she has a potential crush (Trevor) whom she dismisses his other girlfriends because they're casual flings, but at the same time can't find the mind to actually decide whether she wants to be with him or not.

I'm going to start off saying that I was not impressed by Parker, Kat, or Trevor as primary characters in this novel. They're not characters I dislike, but I don't think they were deep enough to carry this novel for what it intended to show. One of the problems "Golden" has is that the three of them aren't really the center of the larger conflicts and debates this novel brings to the table. Well, Parker is, but not Kat or Trevor. It's more of a series of passive conflicts with them sitting in the driver's seat navigating and observing, and that makes it harder to connect to.

Parker, on a time-capsule assignment for one of her classes, comes across the journal of a girl believed missing or dead for many years, forming the framework of a tragedy that shaped the town she lives in. I found Julianna's journals compelling enough as she struggled with issues of identity and deciding where she wanted to be in her relationships. The journals paint a contrasting view of what Parker thought of Julianna and her relationship with her boyfriend at the time, Shane Cruz. They were the school's, and ultimately the town's "golden" couple. I thought of that presentation well enough because teens have issues with identity and defining themselves. So when Julianna had written in her journal that she was starting to define herself more - I was like "YESSS, I can get into this novel now!"

The drawback - in some terms - is that she discovers this in her relationship with another guy. Orion, to be exact. I was willing to go with it, though it set off warning bells in my head of the "love heals all" thematic that I see in a lot of romance books, even ones in the young adult genre. This is a coming of age tale, so I would've valued it more of Julianna had her own coming to terms on her own a little more than simply defining it her relationship with Orion. She does become more comfortable with being herself though, so I guess that's a bonus in honesty for what she was able to note in her relationship with him. The problem I had was that she felt she had to keep it secret from everyone else. Ergo, she wasn't really being honest with herself or other people.

Parker is stunned by what she learns in Julianna's journals, realizing the couple that the town and that she idolized was not "golden" at all. She not only makes a discovery about Orion's identity, but Parker also wants to uncover more clues as to where Julianna may be, if she is indeed still alive. So she tells Kat (who tells Trevor) and they set off in search of Julianna. And the answers that lend from there are not so "golden" either.

Between searching for answers to the overarching mystery, Parker struggles with her own identity issues, between living a life that's dictated to her (through her mother mostly) and navigating the life she truly wants to live. The parallel with Julianna's story is that Parker's not being honest with herself either, and that she has to come to terms with that. That's a great intention, but in the underlying narrative from what I read, THAT IS NOT THE MESSAGE IT SHOWS WITHOUT CONTRADICTIONS. The story basically throws a bunch of other considerations under the bus in order to get to that point, and I became angry with the story on that level.

The underlying messages that this book communicates on one measure is that to focus yourself on academics and working hard is "boring" and that in order to have a fulfilling experience in high school, you have to do something "daring," which insinuates something in the line of trouble and out of the "good girl" persona that Parker is.

I call B.S. for that on sooo many levels.

There is nothing wrong with taking AP Classes or doing academic things, because not only does it challenge you, it gives you work ethic and it feeds your knowledge so that it can give you appreciation for the world around you and other things that you may not have been exposed to before. There's nothing wrong with valuing knowledge or work or anything like that. It doesn't make you "boring."

I've always lived my life to finding the balance between working and playing hard, and that in order to do certain things I want, I do have to "work" and make sacrifices and do things that I may not necessarily want to do, but I see it as a vehicle in order to ultimately get what I want in life. But you can work, play, and love both either way - find value in each of them. The two are not mutually exclusive and this book has parts of it that make it seem like you have to choose one or the other. The latter is absolutely NOT true.

Plus, the fact that this book puts pressures on its young protagonists to do one daring thing before they graduate is also not true. The things that we do can be daring in that we have passions for them and care about them throughout our lives, whether we are young or older. It comes in cycles. You find the balance and do what YOU wish to do. Be honest with yourself.

Contrary to what this book features on values of honesty - I also call B.S. Because neither Parker, nor Julianna, truly are honest with themselves in the narrative. Parker actually moves a little more towards a path that's honest to what she wants to do, but at the same time, it's at the point of demonizing her mother against her father's life, and I didn't feel too at ease with that. And I didn't feel at ease with the notation that it was Parker sacrificing her opportunities in order to get to that point of honesty. Sure, I get that she didn't want to go to Stanford. Cool. She may've felt she didn't deserve the scholarship, also cool. But...you would think there would be more of a level as to what she wanted to do beyond that, that the novel would focus on something she was passionate about in other venues. At least a thread of something, besides what she ultimately does at the end of the novel.

And Julianna. Gah, I wanted to throttle this book at the revelations that came up in her measure of things. Some of it was heartbreaking, I'll admit, especially in the account of what actually happened with Julianna and Shane. This was a girl who didn't seem to have a future, and when the truth is revealed about what happened with her, I became angry because contrary to the point of this novel noting that not every relationship, opportunity, or perception is "golden."

Lovers don't simply ride off into the sunset or hide themselves or fail to face the responsibility of their actions. I couldn't with the point the novel left on for that measure to the mystery and the pushing of the romance over more important things. Like closure for a family who thought they lost their loved one, and closure for another who really did lose their loved one. In real life, none of this would be so "golden". It contradicted the entire thematic of the novel for me, and I loathed it for those measures despite some of the better moments it showed.

In the end, "Golden" was not so gold for me. I was underwhelmed, and honestly there are other narratives that show some of the same thematics in better light than this.

Overall score: 2/5

Note: I received this as an ARC from Edelweiss, from the publisher S&S BFYR.

[Ash Wednesday · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 STARS

This story is about a girl reading about another girl's story.

And you are reading a review about a story about a girl reading about another girl's story.



Immediately after reading Golden my impulse was to give it a 4. Despite the sluggish start, I found myself captivated by a good and tautly drawn mystery in the middle wrapped in the simplicity of the character's thoughts and voices. My problem lay in the execution of the last act of the story, right when the mystery gets solved when somehow, everything just became a hodgepodge of cliches and misrepresentations that the longer I think about it, the more I wanted to lower my rating.

Every town has its stories. Events that bind its locals by the collectively ingrained emotions that they elicit with remembering. Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are Summit Lakes' Golden Couple that went missing the night of their graduation, leaving nothing but a trail of blood and an upturned vehicle in the deadly icy depths of the lake. The promise of their unrealized dreams and open-ended tragedy are captured and preserved behind a plexiglass billboard at the edge of their ever grieving town never to be forgotten.

Ten years later, class valedictorian and all around square Parker Frost finds Julianna Farnetti's journal among a pile of a decade old project where she answers: What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? a few days before the accident. A finalist for a scholarship to Stanford Pre-Med, a daughter to an ever discontented mother, a best friend leaving to pursue the dream that she needs and deserves and a girl unkissed, Parker doesn't really need to read the thoughts of a girl that's been presumed dead for ten years with all the things going on in her life.

Until she did and gave her exactly what a girl like her needs and deserves at that point in her life.

Supposedly.

While I love this writer's ability to capture emotions with the simplest turns of phrases, I found the writing non-economical. The build up to Parker reading Julianna's journal was agonizingly slow. This would have been okay if this was spent in the development of the secondary characters (i.e. Kat, Trevor and her mother), instead of solely digging into the depths of Parker's restlessness and confusion which only got repetitive as the story moved along. Because come the second act when Trevor, Kat and Parker goes on a road trip with a Julianna mission, the moments and dialogue were charming but I could not tether any emotions towards Kat nor Trevor. Nor can I be sympathetic to Parker when she eventually confronts her mother. It was reading a confused protagonist's interaction with practical strangers all throughout the book.

I don't know if you can ever truly see yourself in the present. It's too close. It's easier to see who you were in the past.

The premise of this story is hardly original nor the message it was trying to deliver and I genuinely think it would still have worked for me had I read this at a different point in my life. Because while I can relate to Parker's restlessness about living the life another person has intended for her and not the life she wants, crossing off items on a seventeen-year old's bucketlist for the sake of crossing them off is hardly a lesson I can get on board with. Hindsight is always 20/20 they say and coming from a thirty year old's standpoint, I can relate to the fear and urgency in Parker's character, but what this book failed to include is what Parker wants.

Because doing things for the sake of doing, or carpe diem-ing everything to death? That's how people become memes. For bad tattoos and shit.



I mean, being adventurous and expanding your horizons is good, so long as you're doing it because you want to, not because you feel like you HAVE TO.

The focus was just too zoned-in into Parker going beyond her comfort zone and making choices without delving into the greater difficulty of knowing what you want at that age. That was what I was waiting for from Parker's side, for her to live the life she wants. More than that speech and that dubious decision in the end because there never really was much reflection on her part if she actually wants to go to Stanford. Instead the reflection was focused on her mother wanting her to go to Stanford.

I love small-town, golden couple stories. I think that's a big reason why Kristen Ashley's For You worked so well for me. But unlike Feb and Colt's characters where I understand WHY everyone in town is rooting for their HEA, Julianna and Shane is a golden couple because this book TELLS me so. What little I know of them together was from Julianna's entries in her journal making their legend very shallow and dull. Though I actually liked reading Julianna's entries. It does sound a little too literary for a high school senior's journal entry, but I just glossed over that nitpick seeing as its a school project meant to be seen by a ten year older version of herself. I mean, if I was in her place, I'd want to impress my older self too as much as I possibly can. What I couldn't fathom was how her story indulges Parker's fantasy down the line. It's just too Nicholas Sparksy fantasy, which is okay on its own, but making it a template for Parker's direction just feels… wrong. How that subplot panned out was this side of a cliche for me, selling a fantasy (a delusional fantasy) trying to mingle with the realism of Parker's storyline.

Or maybe I really am just that jaded.

It's strange how much I liked this book before I started this review. I think I'm going to stop thinking about this now before I downrate it any further.

Also on BookLIkes.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

You guys are going to love this one! 1 part mystery, 2 parts love story, 10 parts awesome. :-)

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reaction to the cover and synopsis:



Hurry up, May!!!

[i. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I strongly recommend this book to teenagers because it encourages readers to take chances in life even if it means disappointing others to follow your dreams or simply to find out what your dreams are.

Jessy Kirby has also written about living with the decisions you made and sticking to them or on the contrary, changing your mind and making new choices to improve your life.

It is a beautiful and a bit hard coming of age novel full of poetry that may also show parents that once their children are old enough, they should be not only allowed, but also inspired to pursue their own happiness.

Golden has a lot of food for thought, however, in my opinion, some issues were not completely dealt with such as the fact that a specific character ignored other people´s grief. I wish the author had devoted some lines to this to give some closure to this situation.

All in all, it was really worth reading and worth remembering.

www.theleisurediaries.blogspot.com

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Originally reviewed here @ Angieville

I feel like contemporary YA and I are going through a rough patch. We're having trouble seeing eye to eye. We seem to be going in different directions. We don't want the same things anymore. Take your pick. I realize this is likely just an unfortunate string of mismatches, but after a little while it's hard not to take it personally, you know? So much good chatter surrounded today's release of Jessi Kirby's GOLDEN. Not having ready Kirby's previous two novels, I found myself curious about the fervor. Then I heard whispers of a decade-old unresolved mystery and something about Robert Frost and I was on board. Somewhat uninspiring Generic Sunlit Girl cover aside, I like that it doesn't lead the reader too much as to what to expect inside. That combined with my lack of knowledge of the author's work in general made it possible for me to go in with fairly untouched expectations. Which is always a nice thing.

Parker Frost (yes, that Frost her father maintains) is on the cusp of greatness. She's ready to blow the Popsicle stand that is her small-town home and head off to Stanford for some real living. She's got Valedictorian status in her hip pocket. The only obstacle remaining between her and her dream is a scholarship speech. Knowing Parker, she can slap that puppy out in her sleep and still have time for coffee with her best friend Kat. But when her English teacher asks her to send out a stack of journals to his old students, she stumbles across something that might force her to throw all her carefully laid plans by the wayside. That something is the personal journal of Julianna Farnetti. Presumed dead (along with her longtime boyfriend Shane Cruz) in a violent car crash ten years ago, Julianna has achieved the status of local legend by now. But as Parker gives into temptation and reads the journal, she realizes that not everything in the young lovers' lives was as it seemed. And now, inexplicably, Parker finds herself on a mission to resolve their deaths and, just possibly along the way, find the answers to her own burgeoning questions about the life that she leads and the kind of person she wants to be.

It started out well. I liked Parker fine. I liked the cute, somewhat fuzzily arrogant boy who seemed to have his eye on her. Though her best friend Kat immediately felt like the usual carboard cut-out, wilder than the heroine but with a heart of gold best friend that so frequently populates coming-of-age novels of this ilk, I figured as long as she didn't play too obnoxiously large of a role, we should be able to rub along tolerably well. Her mother was an irritatingly nebulous, overbearing presence in her life, but the mystery felt intriguing and, most of all, important to Parker. So I read on and found myself wanting to know more of Julianna and Shane and the mysterious Orion. Soon, I was far more interested in spending time within the pages of the journal than with the living, breathing teens in the present day who were fumbling to unravel the past. I had no trouble understanding Parker's preoccupation with Julianna's story, but I lost my preoccupation with Parker and hers. And since not all that much time is actually spent inside the pages of the journal, I found my emotions invested in the areas guaranteed to give me the least payoff. The boy (and his interest in Parker) never materialized, always shunted to the backseat. Kat did stay in the picture. And while I bought her affection for Parker, I longed for more depth between them. And then there is the title and the whole Robert Frost thing. And let me tell you, it is a Thing. Frost poems herald the start of each chapter, they run through Parker's head, they insinuate themselves into every fold and crevice of the story. And it was just too much for this reader, too much browbeating with the theme. I get it, Ponyboy. Nothing gold can stay. You've got to grasp life by the horns when you have the chance. I just don't respond well to the painfully earnest shoving of these truisms down my throat. I finished GOLDEN actually angry. Angry at my time spent with another undifferentiated, underdeveloped, well-meaning contemporary. There. Is that cantankerous enough for you? For what it's worth (and as is the trend lately), I am alone in my high dudgeon.

[Beatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carpe Diem - Seize the day, live in the moment, soak it all up -- good or bad.

Golden is a story about a 17 year old girl senior high school student, Parker Frost. She lives a life with full of expectations from her mother since education is very important to get a good career. As much as possible, she maintains her good grades to attain the highest achievement, and get a scholarship. With too much pressure, sometimes she missed the fun side of high school life because once in a while we have to do the things according to our will and break some little rules.

One day, Mr. Kinney gives her a task to send journals to its owners (He provides journals to his senior students as a final requirement, they have to write down what they want to be in the future or just completely anything. It can be their secrets, who knows what? It is to be sealed and passed on Graduation Day and it will be sent 10 years later to them) and Parker came across with Julianna Farnetti's journal. She is part of the town's mystery because of an accident happened 10 years ago which took her life as well as her boyfriend, Shane Cruz. There is something about this journal that draws her to open and read it. Something special, but is she courageous enough to take the risk?

"I don't ever want to be someone who needs to be reminded.
I want to be someone bold, who takes risk and has no regrets.
I want to have a life made of love and beauty and chance."
-- Julianna Farnetti

Wow. Just wow. I don't know how will I review this because this book made me speechless. Where do I start? I love how this book draws me into the story. I am instantly captivated with the writing style, I was able to connect with the characters and the story is wonderful, refreshing and beautiful. It takes me back to those moments if I'm right with the decisions I make, am I courageous enough with the consequences if ever it ended up wrong. I also love the idea of journal writing because it's one way of venting out, reflecting and documenting a cherished moment. It could be anything, even little secrets.

This book leaves a lesson that in every choices we make has its own consequences whether it's good or bad. What matters most, your choices or decisions should be according to your will, not dictated by anyone because that's what they want you to be. They may give you some advices but like I said, it's up to you and it should be respected. Take chances and risks, learn to have fun with those opportunities because it's one way of learning.

One thing is for sure, I'm going to read more of Jessi Kirby's books. This is the first book that I've read from her and I would like to thank my book girlfriend, Allen for giving and recommending this book to me. I highly recommend this book to everyone. This is definitely one of the best contemporary romance books ever written. It's a light and an easy read. Just read this book with a cup of coffee, a notebook, and a pen.

Ask yourself:

"What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

i don't remember even one thing about this book. not one.

i just read (reread?) the synopsis. didn't ring a single bell.

and yet i read this a few years ago and am a healthy young person with a presumably functioning brain.

it's impressive for something to be that level of forgettable.

part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago

[Jasprit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golden was a gorgeous novel that delves into the aspect of first loves and choices. Shane Cruz and Julianna Farnetti have always been looked up to as the golden couple in Summit Lakes. Their lives were taken too early on the night of their graduation. They’re honoured by a billboard with a photo of them as soon as you leave town and a scholarship to give youngsters a chance on what they missed out on. But when Parker is set the task of posting out diaries from students 10 years ago, she discovers the golden couple weren’t as perfect as everyone imagined.

I liked how Kirby focused Golden on both of the past of Julia and Shane and with the present life of our MC Parker. Parker’s life wasn’t by all means perfect, she was going for a scholarship her mother wanted her to go for, she was studying hard for her mother, and she had confused feelings about the guy from school Trevor. Was she really doing something for herself? Her stumbling across Juliana’s school project/diary was the wake-up call she needed. She didn’t want to read a person’s private thoughts especially not a dead persons but she found once she started, she really couldn’t stop. And some of the things she discovered really someone needed to know about. Julia and Shane were epitomised as the golden couple and their demise was truly tragic but the real truth behind their relationship was much more so.

I liked how Parker decided to put everything to one side to get to the truth of the matter. She had an important speech to write up for her potential scholarship but she put it to one side to go on what some may have considered a wild goose chase. But the more she delved deeper, she discovered it wasn’t that but a truly heart rendering story of what could have been. I enjoyed discovering the mystery behind Juliana’s story and Parker’s mission to find a happy ending. But what I enjoyed most was how much Parker was able to take away from just once in her life taking a risk and doing something she normally wouldn’t. Not only was the journey she went on a discovery of Juliana’s life. But it was also an important journey of discovery about herself.

Only a few books I have discovered which truly resonate with me. Jessi Kirby’s Golden I am pleased to say is one of those books. Her writing is poignant yet purposeful, with it evoking such a depth of emotions within me. This was my first novel by Jessi Kirby, if I have to take anything away from this novel it’s that it’s certainly won’t be my last.

If you’re looking for a novel littered with beautiful meaningful passages, a beautiful mystery, a road trip full with revelations, strong relationships and a sweet romance then go pick up Golden.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, I had no idea how many y/a novels there are now out there with highly driven academic protagonists, although to be fair, not always for the same reasons. In any event, while that's very important to the story, it's also about a teen who decides to dig more deeply into the disappearance and assumed deaths of teen lovebirds that happened ten years previously.

There are many strong things in the writing, but it really wasn't my cup of tea in the end, although I did like it. Not everything that happened was completely predictable, which is something in this book's favour, and I didn't "cheat" with the mystery part of this. That said, some things were, but then it has a romance as a secondary story line.

[Öznur (kendimizeaitbiroda) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bu geceye dek önemli seçimler yapmanın sahip olduğumdan daha fazla cesaret gerektirdiğini düşünürdüm. Fakat şu an burada asıl cesaret isteyen şeyin seçim yapmak olmadığının farkına varıyorum. Önemli olan, yaptığım seçimlerle yüzleşmek. İyi de olsa kötü de olsa onu sahiplenmek."
❄️❄️❄️

Yoruma geçmeden önce kitabın konusundan biraz bahsetmek istiyorum. Bay Kinney, İngilizce dersine girdiği son sınıf öğrencilerine dönemin sonlarına yaklaştığı sıralarda bir defter hediye ediyor ve bu defterleri kendileriyle ilgili şeyler yazarak doldurmalarını istiyor. Daha sonra ise defterleri bir zarfa koymalarını 10 yıl boyunca saklamak üzere kendine teslim etmelerini istiyor. 10 yılın sonunda ise tüm defterleri sahiplerine ulaştırıyor. Gelecekteki halinize yazdığınız bir mektup diyebiliriz özetle defterler için. Defterleri öğrencilere verdiği derste ise onlara cevaplaması zor ve epey önemli bir soru soruyor. Öğrenciler de bu soru üzerinden yazmaya başlıyorlar.
Ana karakterimiz Parker ise son sınıf öğrencilerinden biri ve Bay Kinney'ye eski defterlerin yerlerine ulaşması konusunda yardımcı oluyor. Ve defterlerden biri 10 yıl önce erkek arkadaşıyla trafik kazası yapmış,bulunamadığı için öldüğü düşünülen Julianna'nın defteri... Ne kadar karşı koymaya çalışsa da defteri okumaktan kendini alamayan Parker bir sırrın peşine düşüyor ve kitap bu şekilde ilerliyor. Hem Julianna'nın sırlarını hem de bu sırları çözmeye çalışırken Parker'ın kendini bulma hikayesini okuyoruz ki, bunun gibi durumlarda aldığım zevk kesinlikle iki katına çıkıyor.

Ben böyle mektuplar veya günlükler üzerinden ilerleyen kitapları çok ayrı seviyorum. Böylesi daha özel, daha güzel oluyor bana göre. Gerçi birilerinin mahrem alanına girmişlik hissi veriyor ama kitabın bendeki etkisini çok çok artırıyor, kaçınılmaz bir şekilde bir iz bırakıyor. Bugün Farklı Olacak da kesinlikle bende iz bırakan kitaplardan biri oldu.💗

Bazen bazı kitaplarda karakterlere ısınmakta ya da gerçekliklerine inanmakta zorluk çekerim fakat Parker, gerçekliğini sorgulamayı düşünmeyeceğiniz derecede gerçek, bizden bir karakterdi ve ben inanılmaz derecede sevdim. Tabii bu her yaptığını onayladığım anlamına gelmiyor. Bazı kararlarında ona kızdım gerçekten ama genele baktığımızda bunlar o kadar da büyütülecek şeyler değildi.

Kitabı bitirdiğimdeyse güzel bir filmin sonuna gelmişim gibi hissettim. Hani bitirdiğinizde yüzünüzde bir gülümseme bırakan, keşke daha uzun olsaydı dediğiniz halde tam da kararında, karakterlere uygun bir şekilde bittiğini bildiğiniz filmlerden...

Özetle bana ilaç gibi geldi. Güzel bir YA kitabı okumak istiyorsanız bence çok yerinde bir tercih olur.

[Nafiza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let it be known that I am not one for realistic fiction unless it’s Australian in which case I am quite keen on it. Let it also be known that I, when I do read North American realistic fiction, I tend to be superpicky and critical about certain things because that’s who I am and that’s what I do.

That said and before I move into the review proper, let’s discuss the hype that has been surrounding this book. Okay, I don’t know when this review will be posted but it has been topping everyone’s charts after its release date. People are lost for words, amazed beyond what they thought was possible and penning panegyrics or odes to the book and its author. Let’s just say that everyone, their mother and their aunties have loved this. This is the main reason it caught my attention and piqued my curiousity. I mean, if that many people are talking about it, buzzing about it, then surely there must be something to it. Yeah?

Well, it couldn’t hurt to take a look.

So I started reading it, fully prepared to be blown away by the genius. It didn’t happen.

I waited for quite a bit but the book ended and I was still waiting. I mean, it’s not bad at all. It just didn’t live up to the hype. There are cool things about it, of course, like the Mary Oliver quote and the exploration (as befits the age of the protagonists) of life and all its meanings. I didn’t like Parker Frost. I thought she had her good points but the main vibe I got from her was of an entitled teenager who believes the world should lay itself at her feet. I liked the best friend a lot better but as is the case in many other YA novels, this protagonist doesn’t treat her best friend very well. I didn’t understand why the love interest kept on being the love interest because this girl is beyond mean to him. He must be masochistic.

Also, how long does it take her to read a journal? This may just be problems in logistics but it bothered the heck out of me. This girl reads an entry per class period and I am certain that a class period lasts for an hour and it took me about 2 minutes to read the same entry while her friend reads the entire journal in one class period and Parker’s supposed to be the brainy one. Hrm.

Also, I don’t understand why she cares so much about these people. Truth is, no matter how much she idolized or idealized them, they were strangers and staying back to look at the river and acting as though she has a personal stake in everything felt pretentious to me. Also, not telling anyone what she discovered is beyond ethical and the ending left a bitter taste in my mouth. ALSO, her explaining what a “gap year” is to her teacher who is almost certainly a college graduate is again condescending. ALSO giving up a scholarship for such a stupid reason is…well, you get the gist of my thoughts.

Maybe it is because my ability to stand first world bullshit is low. Maybe it is because my experiences shaped my reactions to certain topics. There are so many reasons this book was not for me. Majority of the peoples seem to love it though so you may too. If you want my opinion, I’d say read some Melina Marchetta, Vicki Wakefield, Hannah Harrington instead.

[Kath S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was beautiful, awesome and reflective and I just can’t put in words how I felt reading it.

I’ll post my review soon.

This was me, reading the last chapters:

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

**This is an ARC review-- any quotes and excerpts included come from an unfinished copy and therefore may change before the final print**

Guys, Golden is a prime example of why I absolutely adore Contemporary Young Adult literature. I think I am definitely jumping on the Jessi Kirby bandwagon a little late. I have heard really wonderful things about both Moonglass and In Honor, but Golden is my first experience with her writing. And I was BLOWN away. If her earlier works are anything like her latest than I am a prize fool for not reading them sooner.

If I could for one second just compare Golden to another book I recently read and loved, Gayle Forman's Just One Day. While the storyline's are different in many ways, what is similar is that both are stories of a teenager who has lived her whole life as the "good girl." Like Alison in Just One Day, Parker has lived the right kind of life for the wrong reasons: pleasing others. Parker, a high school senior and upcoming valedictorian, is your basic overachiever. She has a grand future laid out ahead of her, starting with a chance to win a prestigious local scholarship to Stanford University. But Parker, and her mother's, goal of academic perfection has left her feeling like she has missed out on so many other experiences-- a first boyfriend, first kiss, and first love. Her best friend Kat, who has never been one to skip out on a good time, wants nothing more than to get Parker to cut loose a little before they both graduate and head their separate ways. And Parker is about to come face to face with the realization that Kat may be right.

As the T.A. for English teacher Mr. Kinney, one of Parker's duties is to put the finishing touches on his unique senior project. Every year, a few weeks before graduation, Kinney passes out blank journals to his senior English class asking them to answer one simple question, posed by Pulitzer prize winning poet Mary Oliver:

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Students are instructed to answer the question, no one will ever see the answer save themselves, seal up the journal in an envelope and return it to him on graduation day. In ten years time, he'll mail them back their journals:

"And ten years from now, the lives you've imagined for yourselves will come back to you--in your own words."

Parker has been tasked with locating the seniors from ten years prior and mailing them back their mini-time capsules. But when she comes across the journal of Julianna Farnetti, a local legend, Parker finds herself flummoxed. You see ten years earlier, just days before Julianna was set to graduate, she and her longtime boyfriend Shane Cruz drove off a rainy road into frigid Lake Summit, their bodies never to be found. Parker, always the good girl, knows the right thing to do is turn the journal over to Mr. Kinney, so that it can be returned to Julianna's family. But instead, Parker does something completely out of character. She opens Julianna's journal and begins to read the last hopes and dreams of a young woman unaware that her life will soon be over.

Golden is a classic coming of age story, which can be defined as a story in which "the main character undergoes adventures and/or inner turmoil in his/her growth and development as a human being." In Golden, we not only witness the growth and development of MC Parker Frost, but also that of Julianna Farnetti via her senior journal. And as Parker delves deeper into the life of Julianna, we discover that these two girls, one alive and one long dead, are leading lives that closely mimic each other. Both girls long to reinvent themselves. And both fear a life filled with regret.

Jessi Kirby has done an amazing job as far as characterization. Not only did I feel like I knew Parker inside out, but the character of Julianna, who is relayed to us through her journal, is also beautifully rendered. I loved both of these girls, who were both different and alike in so many ways. I also really enjoyed getting to know Parker's best friend Kat, who may seem more light-hearted but still had depth as a character.

As the book's summary states, there is a mystery written into Golden after Parker discovers and begins reading Julianna's journal. I won't go into greater detail but it adds another awesome layer to this beautiful story. I was completely caught up in this element of the story, and had absolutely no idea what the outcome would be. And the outcome ROCKED, in my opinion.

For those of you looking for romance, I'm here to report you will NOT be disappointed. We are treated to not one, but two swoony, heart pounding love stories in Golden, found in both Parker and Julianna's storylines. Of the two Julianna's was far and away my favorite. If you are a fan of romance that focuses on the concepts of fate, destiny, serendipity and true love then prepare to be swept off your feet. Here is just a little sample:

It's such a tiny thing, a glance. That half second when eyes meet, lock, and before you can look away, there's something. A spark, a flash, I don't know what to call it. But it happened tonight...
The usual mix of people from school and workers from the mountain filled all three floors of his house, but I saw someone new right away, standing alone in the middle of them all. He was tall, with wavy brown hair and eyes that stopped mine and held them there in the middle of a sea of familiar faces and shifting glances. And it was there. A pull, like gravity.

Guys, I TOTALLY have been there, been in a moment like that. Felt that connection that Julianna is speaking of. I LOVE when a book can take you back and let you relive those kind of moments again:)

As you can see from the above excerpt, Kirby is an engaging writer. Not only does her use of language flow easily, I was really impressed with the emotional punch of her words as well. I really enjoyed her smooth and "readable" writing style, and it's a big reason why I will definitely be going back to read her earlier works.

Finally it would be SO VERY WRONG not to talk about the amazing poetry found within the pages of Golden. As you have read in the summary, Parker Frost is a distant relation to famous poet Robert Frost. Don't know his work? My favorite Robert Frost poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay, was introduced to me through another brilliant book: S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down today,
Nothing gold can stay.

(And now you know where the title of this book comes from:)

But Frost's most famous work would be The Road Not Taken, written in 1916. And it is the subject of this poem in particular that you will see echoed throughout Golden. You can find the poem in it's entirety HERE, but it is the final stanza that is most striking and relevant to Parker and Julianna's story.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The idea of taking chances and making choices is repeated again and again in Golden. Frost's poetry is found interspersed throughout the book as well. What I love about poetry, and Frost's in particular, is the shared experience. Whether it's about love, falling in or falling out, or whether it's about making decisions, both big and small, we can all relate, because we've all been there.

And that feeling of relating and connection is what I felt as I was reading Golden. I could totally relate to the struggles the characters are going though, having once been there myself. I loved witnessing how Parker and Julianna answer that Mary Oliver question, Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? And I love that reading this made me want to go dust off all my old poetry books! I think that Jessi Kirby has skillfully managed to capture those crucial moments in a young adult's life, when each choice they make, however big or small, has the power to change their future. As far as coming of age stories go, I don't think you can find a finer example than Golden. Pre-order this one, kids. I think you are going to LOVE it:)

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Öykünün biraz daha geri planda kalıp olayin devamını görmek isterdim tam güzel yere gelmişken kitap bitti 🙄

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copy of Golden was provided to me by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/Edelweiss for review purposes.

"Tell me, what do you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life."

Parker Frost has always lived her life with the future in mind. She has always studied hard and received good grades in hopes that she can attend Stanford after graduation and become a doctor. There has never been an alternate path for her, no detours or side streets to take, she has only had the one goal. When she stumbles upon an old notebook that sheds light on the town mystery, she thinks she knows the answers but she couldn't be further from the truth. When this revelation comes to light, Parker starts to wonder what she would do with her one wild and precious life and begins to question if the path she's on is really the answer.

Life can be so very distracting at times. You can find yourself so caught up in everything when there comes a day you stop and look around and have to truly wonder how you got to that point. Worse, is when you realize you've been on the wrong path the entire time. Parker is a strong and vivid character that was incredibly easy to empathize with.

The town mystery felt at first like a separate part of the story entirely except you realize that Parker's life choices begin reforming as the pieces of the mystery begin coming together, both intertwined. She begins realizing the immensity of making your own life choices because this is your one wild and precious life. You don't have another.

This was a beautifully written coming-of-age novel about a girl who decides to take chances when she never has before. Golden is an inspiring novel of hope, of not being scared to take the leap, and realizing that not everything is golden.

[Kendare Blake]

Stay golden, Ponyboy. Stay golden. Must read this.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED. Everything about it was perfection. Seriously.