Book: Cashing In by Susan Colebank
Release date: November 12, 2009
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
From: Publisher
Summary: There are some problems even winning the lottery can’t fix.
With as many hours as Reggie Shaw puts in at the Cashmart, it’s no wonder that her grades and her friendships are slipping. Worst of all, Reggie’s mother’s inability to keep a job means that Reggie is pulling the weight of two people. Then, Reggie’s mom wins big in the lottery. Suddenly the money—and the popularity—comes pouring in. But when Reggie finds out that her mother has been borrowing more money than she actually won, she must face up to the fact that happiness can’t be bought—it only comes with hard work.
*****
Cashing In was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. It was a fun chick-lit story that didn’t take long to read. What I didn’t expect was that it had some real meaning to it which made it even better. I really enjoyed it and hated when I had to stop reading to do something else.
Ever since Regina Shaw’s dad died 3 years ago her life has been hectic. She goes to school sometimes but most of the time she spends her days working at Cashmart to earn money to leave Waterview. That all changes the day her mom wins 1.6 million dollars. At first everything about her new life looks perfect but looks can be deceiving.
Reggie was a pretty good main character. I had no real problems with her except her lack of a backbone. She never stood up for herself and she just let herself be pushed around. Other than that she was your typical teenage girl worrying about friends, boys, school, and work. Well, I guess she wasn’t really a typical teenage girl but you know what I mean.
Then there were all the rest of the characters. There were quite a few and I really loved most of them. Pete, Sarah, and Gabe were the best and they were such great friends to Reggie. They were great protagonists against Bridget, the evil cousin. =]
I guess the plot was a little predictable but there were some shocking subplots thrown in that added to the book which made it bearable for me. It at least kept me reading until the end. It’s really hard to find a good chick-lit story that isn’t predictable but this one was definitely at the top of that list.
Overall, Cashing In is one of those books I recommend reading when you’re looking for something fun with a happy ending. I really loved it and I think most teen girls will too!
Writing: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Ending: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
Originality: 8/10
Overall: 39/50=C+
Cover: 7/10=C
Hm, I have some trouble with weak girls. But I’m definitely taking your word that this one isn’t an average, predictable chick-lit, so I might try it out sometime when I’m in the mood for a light read. Thanks for the great review! 🙂
This sounds good even though a have a little problem with weak girls. I think I will add this to my TBR pile because you say that it is not a typical chick-lit story. I read a lot of chick-lit and I start to feel that all the stories have the same pattern. 😀
This sounds adorable – it seems weird to me that Reggie had no backbone, just based on the summary. sounds worth checking out! 🙂
Interesting! I think I’ll give this one a chance and now it’s going on my to-read list 😉
I don’t read a lot of chick-lit books nowadays but this one sounds neat. How in the world someone could burn through that much money is beyond me though!
It’s nice when you find a bit more substance to a book you were thinking would be all fluff. I thought that was how I would react to Twenty Boy Summer and ended up LOVING it.
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