Quickie Book Review: "So Not Happening" ("Charmed Life," No. 1) by Jenny B. Jones

Synopsis: Bella Kirkwood is living it up in New York...until her mother's remarriage forces her to move to a small town and live on a farm with two unruly stepbrothers.  In frustration, she vents about her dire situation on a blog...only for it to be discovered by her entire new school, which causes them to despise her.  When Bella gets assigned to the school newspaper, she is told to do a story on the school's dumpster; however, while digging through the garbage, she overhears something that sounds stinkier than the trash she was wading in.  Will she get to the bottom of it? Will she even be allowed to try? Or will the new, fish-out-of water circumstances get the best of her?

Review: This may sound like strange reading material for a guy who is a quarter-century old, but keep in mind that I was raised in a house full of women, and have absolutely no qualms about reading such a book; hey, I watched Princess Diaries of my own volition, and enjoyed it every time I did! Anyway, though this book wasn't exactly spectacular, it was definitely entertaining and kept me involved until the end.  Fans of the "young adult" writings of other Christian authors, such as Beverly Lewis or Melody Carlson, will find plenty to like about So Not Happening.  The edition I bought at LifeWay was originally priced at $2.99, but was reduced to $1.47, which is an amazing deal on a new book.

Content Concerns: Some crude slang, mostly relating to either bodily functions or Bella's dad's occupation as a plastic surgeon.  Also, it is discussed that Bella's father is a bit of a womanizer, and the climactic finale is a bit violent.  However, none of it verges past "PG" territory; still, über-senstive readers should use a bit of caution.

Score: 3.5/5