Thank You to Gallery, Threshold, and Pocket Books for providing me with an advance copy of Robyn Harding's novel, The Party, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - Kim and Jeff Sanders are doing everything possible to raise their children right. Despite their Silicon Valley wealth, they throw a simple sleepover for their daughter Hannah's Sweet Sixteen. Hannah has invited over a few friends and the girls are going to have pizza and watch PG-13 movies in the basement. Hannah's parents have been very clear with the rules = No drinking, no drugs, and no boys.

Hannah's parents trust the girls and go to bed. They are awoken in the middle of the night to learn that one of the teenagers in their care has fallen through a glass coffee table, and is seriously hurt. This accident will change the Sander's family forever.

LIKE- The Party is a page-turner. Harding does a fabulous job at teasing out information that kept me turning the page. For example, early in the story we learn that Jeff's younger colleague has turned him on to microdosing LSD, a new trend in Silicon Valley that is supposed to foster alertness and creativity. This is something that Jeff has done a handful of times and although he does not have a drug problem and this has nothing to do with the accident that occurred at the birthday party, this decision will continue to haunt him. The Party is filled with little decisions, seemingly innocuous decisions, that will have a negative impact. It's about the fine line between perceptions and the truth. It will make you consider your own decisions. It's quite maddening!

Harding's characters are rich and memorable. A large chunk of The Party deals with popularity and bullying, both with teenagers and adults. It's cynical, but also rings true. A theme of The Party is kindness, which seems to be in short supply with many of the characters.

The Party is reminiscent of one of my favorite films, American Beauty, with regard to tone and themes.

DISLIKE- I'm torn about the ending. Although I felt it was a realistic scenario, it didn't sit well that an accident turned into a punishment/reward scenario. The very last scene was a shock. It made me want to shake the character involved. Was nothing learned?

RECOMMEND- Yes! The Party is fast-paced and thought-provoking. This is my first time reading Harding and I will definitely check-out her other novels.

Last Spring, I attended the AWP conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The conference included an enormous book fair with over 800 exhibitors. It was both a paradise and completely overwhelming. I brought a large messenger bag, and all three days, I filled it with purchases. It was so heavy, I thought the bag was going to rip! I was most excited for the Tin House Books booth. Tin House is one of my favorite publishers, and now that I live in Portland, I can confirm that it is the very best thing in the city.

Darcey Steinke's novel, Sister Golden Hair, is from my AWP 2016 haul. I walked up to the Tin House booth and bought every Tin House book that I didn't previously own. Tin House rarely publishes a clunker, so without reading the back covers, I just stacked them up and brought them to the counter. The guy at the booth was gobsmacked, he had never sold so many books to a single buyer. My Tin House love runs deep. I've been traveling and moving, so this is the first chance I've had to dive into my AWP books. It's like Christmas in October!

PLOT - Sister Golden Hair is a coming of age story set in the 1970's in Roanoke, Virginia. Jesse is twelve when her father, a former Christian minister, leaves his church and moves his family to Bent Tree, a dingy apartment complex in Virginia. Her parents both struggle with their new situation, trying to figure out an identity that is different from minister and wife. Her younger brother quickly makes friends in their neighborhood, as Jesse struggles to figure out her place in this new town.

LIKE- The chapters in Sister Golden Hair are named after characters than play a significant role in Jesse's adolescence. For example, the first chapter is Sandy, named after an adult neighbor who Jesse befriends. Free-spiritied Sandy is completely different from Jesse's parents, an even stronger contrast since this is the first person she really engages with since leaving their Christian church. I liked how naming the chapters structured the novel, because once I figured out the pattern, I could see the significance of these characters shaping Jesse.

Jesse is awkward, painfully so. Her inner thoughts and outward actions are often cringe-worthy. I don't think they would be so hard to read, if Steinke hadn't written so truthfully. Teenage years are awkward and uncomfortable, Steinke captures that through Jesse. The worst of it, is when Jesse is attempting to befriend a popular girl, Sheila. The relationship between Jesse and Sheila, reminded me of the teenage girls in American Beauty. The more we learn about Sheila, the more we realize that popularity doesn't make her immune from insecurities and odd behavior. She is desperate to be a Playboy Bunny and practices in a homemade costumes, roping Jesse into her role playing. When Sheila has had enough, rather than asking Jesse to go home, she locks Jesse in her bedroom closet, something that Jesse doesn't protest. Cringe-worthy.

Steinke rips away the exterior and shows that adolescence is equal opportunity awkward for everyone, even the kid that seems popular. No one is immune. Without exception, all of the kids in this novel are awkward and the adults definitely don't have their lives figured out. Things are messy and complicated. Readers be warned, reading Sister Golden Hair will dredge up some of those uncomfortable memories from your own childhood. Steinke has managed to write a time travel novel!

DISLIKE- Nothing. Steinke is gifted at writing characters and emotions. Sister Golden Hair is not plot heavy, but more of a cruise through Jesse's teen years ,and a look at the influences that can shape a person.

RECOMMEND- Yes. Sister Golden Hair is a journey back to adolescence, pimples and all. Steinke is a masterful storyteller and in Jesse, she has created a memorable protagonist. On an unrelated/related note, since the current season of American Horror Story is set in Roanoke, it's nice to have an alternate Roanoke story that's not completely terrifying!