The Perfect Blindside is a young adult novel featuring a touch of romance, a lot of adventure, and no shortage of angst.
Jake's an Olympic gold medalist who's moved to Nowhereville. He's none too happy about it, and can't help but be interested in Sophie, who seems to be the only girl in school who's not overcome with his brand of awesome. The two of them clash and find themselves unlikely allies, but not without hurt feelings, he-said-she-thought drama, and at least one secret tunnel.
The book's written with an alternating point-of-view style, which allows Jake and Sophie to share their stories. It also gives you the feeling of knowing more...and less...than you might want to.
Sometimes, reading teen fiction gives me an insight into the young people in my life. The things I worry about and think about are more than a little different now than they were when I was a teen.
It's good to have a reminder of that, and also to see that even "good" kids can be jerks. These characters are real, with their faults and their strengths, not so different from the teens and preteens in my life.
The plot holds up, and even if you figure it out, you'll enjoy the trip to the end.
The themes cover fame and stereotyping as well as drugs and corruption. There is, perhaps, room to have a discussion about misuse of authority, and not just from the obvious authorities in our lives.
Overall, a book I enjoyed and recommend.