Amy’s Choice by Marcia Strykowski

Published: November 3^rd 2014

Amy Henderson’s freshman year starts with a new best friend, Cat, and a newfound confidence. But she misses her crush, Craig, who has gone to live with his aunt in Boston. Craig has promised to write, and Amy checks the mail on a daily basis, but to no avail. There are plenty of distractions, however. Cat’s brother, Ricky, seems interested in Amy, but is she interested in him? And a new friendship with Finn, the lighthouse keeper, who Amy discovers is a talented artist, keeps Amy and Cat busy as they arrange for him to exhibit his work. But things get complicated when Craig returns from Boston and Finn is accused of arson. There are more questions than answers for Amy as life becomes as turbulent as the cold and stormy ocean of her coastal Maine town. Ideal for preteens, this novel is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Call Me Amy and touches upon issues of friendship, boyfriend troubles, and the power of believing in oneself.

Amy’s Choice is the sequel to Call Me Amy. I really enjoyed Call Me Amy, but it wasn’t a book I could see myself ‘re-reading.’ However, when I received a copy of Amy’s Choice for review, I found myself traveling back to Call Me Amy to prepare for the sequel. I am really glad I gave it a second read. I enjoyed it so much more the second time around. I think my first read was in a stage of life where I couldn’t really appreciate the story for what it was. Now, I can honestly say I loved it.

I enjoyed the newfound maturity of Amy’s Choice. Amy has grown and evolved into a wonderful young woman, which makes for the perfect protagonist. She is a character the reader is genuinely interested in and is always rooting for.

The issues and obstacles Amy must face are very mature and heavy. I like that the story touches on everything from friendship, self-acceptance to trusting your own initiation. It is a great ‘coming-of-age’ story that I am sure many young reader will relate to. It is easy to find parallels between Amy and myself; I think that is why I enjoyed her narration so much.

The book is filled with fun 70’s pop culture references. Life is very different in this generation and it is nice to have a bit of a travel back in time.

The prose flows seamlessly and sometimes you have to pinch yourself to remember that you’re in 2014, not in the 70’s in the world of Amy!

Great read.

Connect With Marcia: http://www.marciastrykowski.com

twitter: http://twitter.com/MarciaStry