Diva by Alexa Finn (Realistic Fiction)

Diva is about a girl named Caitlin who had dreams to become an opera singer. Caitlin has had a tough past, she used to be very heavy and was sent to weight loss camp and continues to struggle with eating and always worrying about her weight and what others are thinking about her, and she has some ex-boyfriend issues. Her ex-boyfriend Nick turned out to be very abusive, but now she has a chance at a fresh start with switching schools. She dreams to go to Miami High School of the Arts and she now has her chance. She just has to convince her mother to let her go, her mother still acts like she is in high school, always dating around and dressing way below her age.

I really enjoyed reading this book for a few reasons. One being that it was a quick read, something you can just read for a little while before bed and drift off. Even when it dealt with some heavier topics like abuse it stayed pretty light. Also, it dove into some topic that many teenage girls deal with daily. Some examples of these topics are worrying about weight and trying to fit in. At her old school, Caitlin had a few friends but they were fake all the time, they were your stereotypical highschool cheerleaders and never seemed to have Caitlin’s best interest in mind. Lucky for Caitlin, when she switches schools she is able to find some real friends that stand by her side through it all. Another thing I liked about this book was the small side stories that are sprinkled in throughout. One being how Nick is changing. In the beginning of the book, Caitlin is obviously terrified of seeing him even out in public, but through their small meetings and brief conversations you can see that he is trying to change for the better and genuinely feels bad about what he has done. Overall, this book was a great quick summer read.

Reviewed by Grace S., 10^th Grade