Fast Life (Kimani Tru) [Paperback]

Cassandra Carter (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kimani Tru | Publication Date: July 1, 2007

Caught up in a world of easy money,

designer labels and drug-dealing boyfriends, sixteen-year-old Kyra Jones is living life on the fast track. But when her single mom is offered a job that takes Kyra away from her old Chicago neighborhood, and the drugs and gang violence that go along with it, she finally realizes that there's more to life than Gucci, Prada and ghetto-fabulous bling. Starting over in a new place, with a new boyfriend, Justin, gives Kyra hope that life can be different. But sometimes the fast life catches up to you. And for Kyra, her only hope is to stay one step ahead of trouble.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kimani; Original edition (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373830769
• ISBN-13: 978-0373830763
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cassandra Charisse Carter was born on Tuesday, February 21, 1989 in Reading,
Pennsylvania. She is the only child of Susan L. Green and Randall C. Carter, and the product of a single-parent home. She is best known for her young adult novels, "Fast Life"(July 2007) and "16 Isn't Always Sweet" (March 2008).

From the time she was a young girl, Cassandra exhibited a passion for writing. Her talent was first noticed in the elaborate illustrated stories she wrote for her mother, but was also praised in school by both her teachers and her peers. At the age of 9, Cassander and her mother moved to Ann Arbor, MI where she continued to learn different ways to express herself on paper. While studying various writing styles over the years, she's preserved an engaging, original voice that the generation of today can relate to.

Cassandra was 14 when she created the concept for "Fast Life". Inspired by a dream, she completed the fictional work the following summer when she was only 15 years old. With the encouragement of her family and help from a literary agent, she signed a contract with Kimani Tru, an imprint of Harlequin Inc. two years later. An honors graduate from Huron High School with a 3.5 GPA, Cassandra received her diploma just one month before welcoming the release of her first published title.

Ms. Carter currently resides in Ypsilanti, MI where she's been busy promoting both books. She is also currently hard at work on her third novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too Fast for her own good!, November 15, 2007

By 

LOCKSIE "ARC Book Club Inc" (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Coram, N.Y.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fast Life (Kimani Tru) (Paperback)

Kyra Jones is sixteen and in love with her drug dealing boyfriend Makai, who keeps her fitted in the finest designer gear. Kyra is happy with life as she knows it in Chicago, but she gets a big surprise one day when she comes home from school.
Kyra's single mother Geneva is offered a job in the Caribbean on Prince Paul Island and Geneva has accepted and they will be moving. Of course Kyra thinks it's the end of the world and is not pleased that she has to leave her friends and boyfriend behind.
Once on the Island Kyra feels home sick as her mother is busy with her new job. Kyra meets Justine and falls in love, but all is not what it seems...
Back in Chicago Kyra's old boyfriend has made it big in the drug trade and vows to bring Kyra back to Chicago...

Read on as Kyra's two worlds collide in one big explosion and she realizes that leaving the world of violence and drugs is just not that easy!

A good read by eighteen year old author Cassandra Carter, I love how she pointed out that sometimes it's not so easy to start over without paying a heavy price. And in this case Kyra was in way over her head.
I was disappointed with the mother Geneva's part in this story...she was sort of a grey area for me, she moves her child to a new environment and she wasn't really there for her. I couldn't really understand this mother and daughter relationship especially as Kyra was an only child.

This story has plenty of dramatic twists that will keep you turning the pages.

Locksie
ARC Book Club Inc.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Boss Up!, November 13, 2007

By 

OOSA Online Book Club "O.O.S.A. Gets It Read!" (World Wide Web, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fast Life (Kimani Tru) (Paperback)

I was piqued when I realized FAST LIFE was set in Chi-city. Cassandra Carter shares the life of a young girl, Kyra Jones, whose fashion induced lifestyle is abruptly changed as she's forced to move far away from her comfort in order for her mom to work. Unknowingly, Kyra finds that she's adapting to a new way of living and appears to be benefiting from her new surroundings. Readers watch as the once selfish, spoiled young girl blossoms into a more conscientious and astute young woman. Will pettiness, pride and foolishness force this rehabbing diva to abandon her recovery and re-stake her claim in Chi-city at a costly re-up fee?

FAST LIFE begins simple enough, designer fits, with hated on cliques, and drama that just don't quit and that cutie for a boyfriend with long money that puts you on the top of the most envied list. BUT, when baby girl steps in MARSHALL H.S. in a chinchilla and little dude has a paid for Escalade, it's time for me to officially pump my fresh ones' brakes! You're kidding me, right? While I know that we live in the bling- bling era and everyone has to find some sort of way to edge out the others, I need it real, raw and gritty! Especially when the story takes place not only in my city, but in my actual HOOD! Even with such a major infraction, I can look past that, because we all know that the allure of being that CHICK is what sells. HOWEVER when a hood tale becomes and all out romance novel, then it's official; I can no longer hold my tongue. I believe in the whole first love, and all of that happily ever after, I do; but I don't enjoy romances and I was somewhat cross to find that my hood drama had turned into some African American soap opera that used drugs, violence and fashion to fuel it on.

Evident by the pages in FAST LIFE, Miss Cassandra Carter has a flair for the dramatics and her pen game with some development will be FIERCE! With that said, I believe that maybe too many characters, experiences and events buried the timeline, allowing for main characters to be tossed along the sideline leaving readers with many unanswered questions.

I love the fact that Kimani Tru is opening the eyes of teen readers. I just fear that maybe the bling was overly emphasized without enough recognition for the penalties associated with living a high-risk lifestyle. I STRONGLY advise that parents read the story before allowing impressionable teens to.

Reviewed by: Crystal

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Nicole Boothe, author of the novel - KEMEYA, July 26, 2007

By 

A customer in NY - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fast Life (Kimani Tru) (Paperback)

Casandra Carter is a talented writer with a bright future. Her debut novel has everything - drugs, sex, intrigue and her main character, Kyra Jones is not even out of high school. I enjoyed every minute of this dicey novel about a girl from Chicago that got caught up in the...Fast Life!