[Jade]

Now, I don't have the time right now to write my 1,000 word review of this story, but let's just say that it. Was. AWESOME! So, so AWESOME! Gosh! All the things that I love! You did that thing that I absolutely love when you do it! Gosh, this one was so great! And can you believe this? For the longest time, I refused to read it because I thought the main character was a dog. Then I remembered that the main character of SWINDLE was not, in fact, a dog, so I read this book. All in one day, of course. Eee! I'm so excited to write my review!

 

Be blessed,

Jade

[Jade]

— The sanction thing was super cute

— Not ZeeBee calling Leon a jack***!!!

 

Ugh, I’m so excited! I’m internally squealing! This book was so awesome! It’s like my love for reading was just reignited, okay, let me start with the parts I loved (everything!)

 

So, looking at the length, a lot of the action was reserved for the end–not much was actually happening until the last couple chapters. Which would probably be bad if the entire book didn’t feel so perfectly paced! Everything flowed so smoothly and the transitions were wonderful! It was clean as butter, all of it, so I didn’t even notice how much action was at the end! It’s like a J-curve (exponential graph) and it was like the perfect rollercoaster.

 

So, I thought the book was just “good, kinda great” up until the end where it quickly became a “great, awesome” book! So it went from a 4.5 to a 5 at the end. Great!

 

ZeeBee’s character. She was kind of annoying in the most endearing way possible. I think I would like to be her friend. I love her nationalism (Canada!) because that’s like how I am for the U.S.//I agree that the Canada/US thing was super cute/cool! I really, really liked her. And how stubborn she was, up until she realized that she was wrong and Keenan was a good guy! That was so awesome how they became besties again. She was a wonderfully well-written character. And her connection to her dog? To Barney the First? So awesome! I really like her nickname, her past, her everything. She reminds me of Felicity (THE HYPNOTISTS) but a lot better. She was also kinder, kinda. I understand being bitter about feeling left out. She was just such a real character and it’s like this storyline was made for her! Oh, also, you really hit the nail on the head with how a girl thinks. ZeeBee is so me.

 

Keenan. Loved him from the start! His past? His family situation? How kind he is? And how he stands up for what is right? He seemed very golden retriever. Such a great guy! All his quirks and his narration? I didn’t get bored, not once in this story. (It was a great idea to have switching perspectives.) His chapters were so yes and had me really excited. 

 

You had a couple subplots going on and they worked very well together. They painted this image. And the plot twists really got me! I guessed one (the fortune finder) but never Bryce! Dang, it was awesome.

 

Ronnie and Joey! Too relatable. And too funny! Love those boys and how they turned out good in the end! I really like how they invited ZeeBee in the end too!

 

Also, the thing that you don’t always do but I love when you do: they actually do something big and action/adventury in the end! The twist that Barney the First wasn’t just murdered because nobody liked him, but because they were looking for the gangster treasure!? I hopped up out my seat! Oh, that got me so excited! I love when it becomes something bigger than it seemed! The reveals were so awesome and realistic, too! Really had me on the edge with everything and it was so, so awesome.

 

Like, the map thing? PERFECT! Your foreshadowing from the beginning? PERFECT! This was so well done!

 

I don’t really know what else to say other than this was awesome and I wish there was more. Oh, also, Keenan finding a home in Centerlight. That was so great. This book was kind of long and I really, really enjoyed that. FAKER was too short. This was great.

 

You sure there’ll never be a NOTORIOUS 2? But no, I understand. Thanks so much for writing this! An A+ for me!

 

Be blessed,

 

Jade

 

Hi, Jade, thanks for the rave review. NOTORIOUS was a hoot to write, mostly because of the Canada/USA thing, which I got very used to from the time I started at NYU and traveled between Toronto and NYC a whole lot.

BTW - I do NOT curse or call names. A jackass is the legitimate name for a male donkey.                               --G--

[E.W.]

NOTORIOUS was AMAZING!

I read it last week!

It's a good book!

The Canada/US thing was cool!

 

-- Ethan