No Use For a Name – Spoiler Free Book Review – Coffee Cocktails & Books 📖

Title: No Use For a Name
Author: Penelope Wright
Publisher: Reputation Books
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Sent for review by author
Pages: 256
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Synopsis

What’s in a name?

Fifteen-year-old “Baby” Anderson has never thought much about her nickname, until she goes for her driver’s per1mit and discovers that her parents flat-out forgot to name her. As if being in high school wasn’t enough of an identity crisis.

As the fifth kid of her trashy, abusive mother and her barely-there father, home has never been a sanctuary. Cheerleading, the hot football player Derek Mattola, and her crazy cousin Kaia, are Baby’s escape from the harsh reality that is her messed-up life. She vows to keep her toxic family a secret, but as she tries on new identities and navigates the social ups and downs of her sophomore year, her two worlds collide.

Turns out, it’s not that easy to keep your identity private, especially if you don’t have one.

Review

This book reads like a Lifetime Movie, and I mean that as a compliment. The story isn’t warm or fluffy, like other contemporary books, but it also isn’t too dark or unapproachable. While dark topics are discussed, it never changes the tone of the book. This is a great book to pick up when you want to read something quickly or if you’re taking part in a read-a-thon.

Baby is an interesting MC as she is flawed. While her situation is not relatable, Baby still reads like a relatable teenager in a crappy situation. The characters in the book are not explored too in depth, but that actually works for this story. You learn about the characters as the other characters learn about them, which helps the pacing of this story stay steady.

I’ve actually never read a book about a MC who was “nameless”, but I was pleasantly surprised by the plot in general. I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go, but it just follows the MC as navigates high school and deals with the struggles in her life. There were a couple of reveals in this story that work for the plot. They were not groundbreaking, shocking twists, but they were not annoying or overly predictable as well.

Final Thoughts

As said above, this was a great quick read with an interesting premise. The characters were approachable and the plot read quickly (not just because of the length). This was a great book for those that want a quick read to offset a book hangover. I definitely recommend it!