GOLDEN is everything I want in a contemporary: heartfelt, thought-provoking, charming, and real. Parker is a good girl and valedictorian of her graduating class, one to play by the rules and never step out of line. When mailing ten-year-old journals back to past graduates as part of her TA duties, she finds the journal of Julianna Farnetti, a girl who died along with her boyfriend in a tragic accident years earlier. Curiosity getting the best of her, Parker reads the journal. 
 I related with Parker more than I have with any YA heroine in a long, long time. Perhaps because I was a lot like her in HS-graduating near the top of my class, taking only carefully calculated risks. My parents were not nearly as overbearing as Parker's mother, but I understood Parker's desire to never disappoint. I won't say much about the journal because the mystery surrounding it is one I don't want to spoil. (Though if you're an detail-focused reader like me, you'll likely figure it out before the big reveal.) This is a novel about how small moments can lead to big ones, how chances can be seized as easily as missed. It also features a wonderful friendship-Parker and Kat felt like real girls, real friends, real teens. I adored this story. 
 Originally posted here.