Ava is reinventing herself. She moves to the Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence, begins making glamorous new friends, auditions for the school musical and (gasp) wears pink - all the while trying to hide her new self from her non-comformist parents and edgy girlfriend Chloe. She misses out on a role in the school musical, joins the misfits of Stage Crew, and things are complicated further, before the collision of her distinctly different lives, to disastrous results.
Pink is engaging in its realism. Quite honestly, I loved this book; Lili Wilkinson is undeniably in touch with the youth she writes for. Pink was hilariously funny, and the way in which the characters spoke sounded as if it were straight from the schoolyard; Wikipedia references and silly in-jokes were abundant, the characters were easy to identify with and everything Ava dealt with was entirely relatable.
Ava's voice is honest and compelling - her struggles with her personal identity and sexuality are relevant and dealt with with much sincerity. The distinct theme of this novel is 'it's okay if you're not sure' - not an issue that's common in YA literature at the moment, but which is masterfully handled in Pink. Both thought-provoking and fun, Pink is a must-read for teenage girls, and is now on my list of favourite books of all time.
Recommended age: 14+ (Upper YA)
Star rating: Nine out of ten
In a word: PINK! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
You'll like it if you liked: Notes From The Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
