Kissing Frogs - Alisha Sevigny

I'm so excited to be a stop on the Kissing Frogs tour! Partly because I got to read it waaaay before any of you poor saps, but also because I love talking about books.

At first glance, Kissing Frogs is a cute, light-hearted romance. A teen is 'forced' to go on a conservation study trip with a different group of kids while her own gaggle of friends heads to Florida for a party-filled vacation. So not fair, right? 

What's worse? Her old nemesis is there too - the boy who teased her in her past life when she was a clumsy nerd. She has worked hard to shed her past and who she used to be, and there he is to bring it all back. Oh and, instead of partying with her boyfriend she has to clean the poop out of the aquariums of ickily gross frogs. 

Can you guess what will happen?

What's not apparent before you read Kissing Frogs is the depth of character and the gentle reminders of the value of integrity, independence and being true to yourself. Sevigny delivers realistic characters. Her main character, Jessica, has a fantastic voice (and I don't mean singing) with laugh-out-loud one liners and on point sarcasm. She develops through the story as she learns who she is, who she wants to be and figures out how to get there. She takes the readers along in a gentle, here's-the-clues-figure-it-out-yourself way instead of the crash over the noggin other books often use to hammer home a message. 

Sevigny's description of the setting and landscape was beautiful, leaving me wanting to learn more about Panama and the animals that live there. 

As a mom, some of the um, adventures? the kids get into made my toes curl - surely teens wouldn't do THAT in a foreign country, right? But I doubt those without dependents would find fault with their  escapades. I'm just an old mother hen, now. While the outcome of the story is somewhat predictable, the way the characters get there, is not. Their week in panama is full of twists and turns and surprises that kept me intrigued.

As a mom, this is one I'll keep for my daughters' bookshelves, so they can hear Jessica's experience. I'd recommend this book to anyone who needs a breath of fresh air and a happy, feel good book.

N

PS Don't forget the giveaway!!! Canadian residents are eligible to win a free eCopy of Kissing Frogs. To do so, comment here or leave a message about Kissing Frogs on Twitter @NSampson17 !