Swoon At Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter

21 Sep, 2010 by in book review, swoon at your own risk, sydney salter, YA contemporary 2 comments

Paperback, 356 pages
Published April 5th 2010
by Graphia
ISBN0152066497
4.5 stars

Boy crazy no more?
You’d think Polly Martin would have all the answers when it comes to love—after all, her grandmother is the famous syndicated advice columnist Miss Swoon. But after a junior year full of dating disasters, Polly has sworn off boys. Now she’s just trying to survive her summer job at Wild Waves Western-themed water park (under the supervision of ex #3, Sawyer Holmes) and focus on herself for once. So Polly is happy when she finds out Grandma is moving in for the summer—think of all the great advice she’ll get.

But Miss Swoon turns out to be a man-crazy sexagenarian! How can Polly stop herself from falling for Xander Cooper, the suddenly hot skateboarder who keeps showing up at Wild Waves, when Grandma is picking up guys at the bookstore and flirting with the dishwasher repairman? And why, despite her best intentions, does Polly keep letting boys get in the way of her relationship with her best friend, Jane?

No advice column in the world can prepare Polly for what happens when Jane persuades her to go on a group camping trip with three too many ex-boyfriends and the tempting Xander. Polly is forced to face her feelings and figure out if she can be in love—and still be herself.

Every once in a while I come across a book that just clicks for me. This was one of those books. Sydney Salter is a local Utah author I met at Authorpalooza on Saturday and picked up a signed copy of her book. I sat down to read it and less than 24 hours later was done with a smile on my face. Swoon At Your Own Risk is a light, fun read that in my opinion is perfect for teens. Polly, the main heroine is looking for a little bit of distraction from her not-so-perfect life and tries out quite a few relationships back to back. Things get a little confusing when she is forced to work with her ex-boyfriend Sawyer at the local water park. Add a few more ex’es in the mix along with her neighbor Xander and you have one interesting summer.

As Polly becomes the main topic of her co-worker gossipy blog, she has to try to figure out who she is and what she really wants. Will she be plastic Polly with a fake smile and lots of jokes, or the real person who is hurting? Meanwhile Polly’s Mom is working at the local burger joint and her dad has forgotten she exists. Along comes Xander, someone Polly has known since elementary school, but boy has he changed….gotta say I love Xander. He is the yin to her yang, and brings her right to where she needs to be. Who wouldn’t want a friend who writes prose, plays ball with your little sister and folds you paper cranes? My favorite scenes with the two of them…cliff diving and a party where he shoes up with another girl to make Polly jealous. Swoon At Your Own Risk will keep you chuckling, yet it still addresses issues that so many teens today face: finding yourself, healing after a parent’ divorce, and being a true friend. Truly it was such a fun read, that I will definitely read Sydney Salter’s other books.

2 Responses to “Swoon At Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter”

  1. Jessica

    I met Sandy Salter at the authorpalooza as well, and look forward to reading this book. She was so nice and fun to talk to!
    Thanks for the review…made me want to go out and buy a copy even more!
    Put it on Paper

    Reply

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