Fringe Benefits by Valerie Frankel
Release Date: September 2, 2008
Publisher: Berkley Trade, Penguin Group (USA), Berkley Jam
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 272
Other titles in the series: Fringe Girl, Fringe Girl in Love, and American Fringe
Adora Benet will be spending the summer alone. She initially thought her two best friends, Eli and Liza, and her boyfriend, Noel would be in town for the summer. That was until Eli announced that she would be heading to New York for the youth’s orchestra, Liza is going to Bermuda to spend the summer with her parents and Noel is going to be hiking the Appalachian Trail with his estranged father. It couldn’t get much worse... but it does.
Her mom and dad have cut her off, financially and insist that she will be getting a job this summer. But what Adora thinks is going to be the summer from hell, ends up being a summer to remember!
I have to say that I haven’t read any other books in this series! And I hate to do it, but my library didn’t have the other titles, either did bookswim and I didn’t have the extra cash to buy the first three books. So, I did something that I’ve never done before... I read a book out of order! But I have to say, I didn’t feel lost at any time and I really enjoyed it! I might just have to find a way to get the first three books, because I would love to read them! Fringe Benefits was funny and entertaining. It had interesting and memorable characters, and a fast paced story line. Frankel’s writing was enjoyable and easy to read. She made me feel like these characters were real people! Adora’s problems aren’t unlike what many teens face and she finds her way through adversity, resulting in the ultimate understanding what makes her, her!