Blog #3 by Connie Gaertner  253 words     Title:  Main character, Krista, and her struggles

As the new employee at Watson’s Flowers, seventeen-year-old Krista knows she needs to concentrate on her job rather than a beach party she’s missing, the party of the handsome rebel Jeff Wellington, a somewhat new student at her school. In the following days, Krista decides to ignore the warning signs and goes on boating and beach adventures with Jeff.

At work, she’s also getting to know the mysterious Mario, a college student who tests Krista’s feelings for Jeff. Before long, she realizes Mario has his own issues as well. As the summer progresses, she finally realizes that Jeff is controlling and isn’t right for her, but she also realizes Mario isn’t either. She decides it’s only the first act of her life, and she’s ready to take control and follow her intuition.     

Krista is a strong leading character. Even when she has doubts and fears about her life, her personality is endearing. She’s interested in two guys, but she isn’t obnoxious about it. She doesn’t whine or complain; she’s smart and takes responsibility for her actions. It makes it easy to want the best for her. And even though dramatic things happen around her, she herself isn’t overly dramatic, which is refreshing for a young adult character. Her voice and point of view make her appealing because even though she’s a teenager – and the audience recognizes that because of her environment and relationships – she handles a lot of things like an adult. It gives her some depth and keeps her from appearing ditzy. 

Keywords: first job, new employee, beach adventures, teen responsibility, teen romance