If Amber does not touch your heart, ice runs in your veins.Īmber Appleton has lived in school bus #161, the 'Hello Yellow,' that her mother drives part-time, ever since her Mom's latest boyfriend kicked them out of his apartment. Matthew Quick’s imagination makes one hell of a badass teenage girl.Remember the name, Amber Appleton, self-proclaimed 'princess of hope' and leader of Franks Freaks. It’s a beautiful story filled with humour and teenage realism. I’ve always maintained that I try to stay away from books that make me cry (I’m not one that finds crying cathartic) but I have to say, I just loved this book. Thank goodness I wasn’t reading in public, because the end made me ‘ugly cry’. Warning: read this book with some Kleenex by your side. It is an inspirational story about how powerful it is to be able to touch the lives of others and have them, in turn, touch yours. The book tugs at all the heartstrings, from loss to hope to community. The rays of hope that keep her up and close to ‘JC’ are gone and nothing means anything to her anymore. The world turns upside down when Amber’s mother is raped and killed. pessimism showdown with a Neitzsche-quoting sourpuss (and wins every time), she teaches English to a group of Korean women through the power of soul music, she helps to save her Marketing teacher’s job, and she write dog-themed Haiku’s for Private Jackson, the war veteran who hates people and never ventures out. She visits a retirement home every Wednesday, where she has an optimism vs. Despite living in utter poverty, Amber is the shining ray of hope in many lives. Her best friends include an autistic math genius, a black kid, Jared and his brother who never grew, a Vietnam war vet, a Korean priest, and Bobby Big Boy (aka.

She lives on a Hello Yellow with her mother, who drives school buses when she’s sober. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it I mean, how can an author who writes adult fiction so well really get into the mindset of a teenage girl and pull off a successful YA story? Well, Matthew Quick did it…and rocked it.Īmber Appleton is not your average teenager. My coworkers (thanks Liza and Charidy!) recommended Sorta Like A Rockstar, saying that it was their first Matthew Quick read and they absolutely loved it. After reading Silver Linings Playbook, I couldn’t stop gushing about it.

Matthew Quick is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.

Sorta like a rockstar book