First Impressions: I really had no idea what to expect when I picked up my copy of Wanted. The book synopsis is kind of vague and the cover art is nondescript. I've never read any other books written by this author, but I loved how the publisher stated that Wanted is "A modern-day Bonnie and Clyde with a Robin Hood twist..", which means that I needed to read it because who doesn't like a good contemporary Robin Hood story? I know I do! Plus, this is a story about a female bookie which is original and interesting, at least to me.
First 50 Pages: This book begins on the slower side, giving the reader plenty of time to be absorbed into the setting and the characters. With contemporary novels, I don't mind if they begin a little slow. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting a heavy read when I picked up Wanted because from the synopsis, it sounded like it would be a fun, heist-ish book, maybe with some romance thrown in. That wasn't what I got at all. Instead, this book explores some difficult topics, such as race. The author can be very gritty at times, as well as a little blunt. I have to admire her for that! She kind of reminds me of Ellen Hopkins or maybe Mandy Hubbard.
Characters & Plot: Wanted was full of surprises, including heavy emotions. This book explores themes such as racism, gang violence, and Mexican immigration to the United States. The topics that were explored in this book seemed very true to live and reminded me a lot of the problems that are going on in places like Arizona. It was pretty obvious to me that the author did her homework or drew from life experiences when she was writing this story, because everything seemed believable and realistic.
Michal is our main character and she is a bookie, not to mention very tough and rough around the edges. She has her tough girl image to uphold and lives to her own set of rules and regulations. All of that begins to change and her emotional walls begin to crumble when a boy named Josh moves to town. Michal has an important rule when it comes to gambling, to never actually play herself. Josh convinces her to break her rule, and when she does, the book becomes very interesting.
Okay, I hate the main character's name (Michal, really?) but her personality was so layered and wonderfully entertaining. Her inner thoughts and emotions were expressive and there were moments in the story where I really felt for her. I'm still not sure how I feel about Josh because it took me a while to warm up to his character and it bothered me a little bit when Josh tried to change Michal to someone that she was not. There is some romance between the two characters as well, but it isn't the main plot focus. It was fun to watch these two characters grow and evolve.
Final Thoughts: This was a clever book with a unique plot line that I found difficult to put back down once I began to read. Although I don't really agree with the ways that Michal and Josh decided to solve their problems, they stood up for what they felt was right. All in all, I definitely enjoyed Wanted much more than I expected to and would give it a good recommendation to check it out.
