Grace is having a tough year.
First, her best friend leaves moves away from school with no warning and goes no contact. Then she’s put in a group with the class losers for the group science project, and her final grade depends on doing well in the project. Failure is not an option–if she doesn’t pass Year 10 science, she won’t be able to follow her dream and become a nurse.
Home isn’t any easier. She’s the second daughter of a solo mother with no qualifications, so who works all hours as a waitress to make enough money to keep her family fed. There is no money left over for luxuries, like new clothes. And her mother is too tired to pay much attention. She prefers to watch and rewatch her favourite Elvis movies.
So when Cooper Daly shows he’s interested in Grace, she is more than interested. No matter that he’s her best friend’s boyfriend. Mikayla is gone, and has ghosted them both, and Grace has always had a crush on Cooper. And he’s rich. And generous, buying her clothes and other gifts.
Yes, that was a red flag for me.
As a result, I found the first half of the novel frustrating. The characters couldn’t see the obvious (well, what I thought was obvious). Adult-me could see endless red flags that Grace, her friends, her sister, and even her mother ignored. The only person who saw anything wrong was Jack, the autistic boy in Grace’s science class. The second half was much better, as Grace starts thinking for herself more, and realises that she needs to take responsibility for her life rather than letting other people tell her what to do.
But I can’t blame Grace for her decisions early in the novel.
She’s sixteen, and her decisions and actions aren’t out of line with normal teenage behaviour. And while her life hasn’t been necessarily easy, she’s been raised by a mother who is still grieving the loss of her son, and who still believes in the happy-ever-after of Elvis movies. As such, Grace is all too believable as the damaged child of damaged parents, all of whom are doing their best but not always doing enough.
Memphis Grace is a young adult novel that deals with some tough themes—bullying, teenage sex, date rape, peer pressure, and disability—in a sensitive and realistic manner. Recommended for mature teen readers.
Thanks to Rhiza Press for providing a free ebook for review.
About Catriona McKeown
Catriona McKeown lives on the Fraser Coast in Queensland, Australia, with her husband of 25+ years and three daughters.
She is passionate about issues of social justice and often writes with such ideals in mind. Her current studies are in Inclusive Education; she is passionate about education that allows every child to reach their full potential and has a particular heart for gifted teens as well as those with autism.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and a Graduate Certificate in Inclusive Education. Catriona hails from country Victoria, lived a short stint in Western Australia, and has now settled on Queensland as her home state.
Find Catriona McKeown online at:
About Memphis Grace
Graceland was named after the King of Pop’s mansion by her Elvis- obsessed mum. But she’s not rich, not famous and definitely not noticeable.
She’s always just been Mikaela’s best friend.
That is, until Mikaela leaves school without explanation and Graceland finds herself noticed by Cooper Dally. Popular boy and Mikaela’s EX-BOYFRIEND. Now she’s the centre of attention: big parties, new dresses and girlfriend to Cooper. Graceland is finally changing her stars.
But Cooper has expectations Graceland can’t meet. And when the truth behind Mikaela’s leaving comes out, Graceland realises Cooper might not be the guy she thought he was. Worse, it could cost Graceland more than she’s willing to give to be noticed.
