Inconvenient by Margie Gelbwasser

Reading level: Young Adult


Published: November 8,2010

Publisher: Flux

ISBN-13: 978-0738721484

My Rating

In fifteen-year-old Alyssa Bondar's Russian-Jewish culture, having a few drinks is as traditional as blinchiki and piroshki. So when her mom's midday cocktails turn into an all-day happy hour, it seems like Alyssa's the only one who notices—or cares. Her dad is steeped in the nightly news—and denial—and her best friend Lana is too busy trashing their shared Russian heritage so she can be popular.




Alyssa would rather focus on cross-country meets and her first kiss with her running partner, Keith, but someone has to clean up her mom's mess. But who will be there to catch Alyssa when her mom's next fall off the wagon threatens to drag her down, too?(Goodreads)

When I first read the premise for Inconvenient I couldn't wait to read it, but what I didn't know was how much I was going to love it! I am still left in awe by this book. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. The author immediately pulls you into Alyssa's world. Once an easy and care-free world slowly turns into a dark and lonely one. The author created such a incredible character cast, each character was so well written and so real. It's very easy to relate to the characters whether it's Alyssa, a young girl that just wants her life to be like it use to be. Or Lana, a teenager with the desire to fit in.

The transformations throughout the book are pretty dramatic, every character has one. But the one most obvious and dramatic is Alyssa's. She was taken from her teenage life and was forced to walk down a road that no 15 year should have had to deal with. She reacted with how any real teenager would react...angry. She never sugarcoated a moment when telling us how painful it was to see her mother battle with her addiction and how angry she was at her mother for allowing it to happen.

Inconvenient is a beautifully written book, that will have you hooked from the very first page. It is gripping and brutally honest. It is not only a book about a teenager dealing with an alcoholic mother. It is a book about best friends, first loves and self-growth. This is a brilliant book that needs to be added to your 'To be read' piles!


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