At 15, Veronica is overweight, obsessed with vintage clothing (hence the title, Vintage Veronica), and slightly insecure. She jumps at the chance to work in the Employees Only! section of a consignment shop for the summer, especially since her mom wanted her to take a job at an animal shelter. Veronica also embraces the opportunity to make friends (or so she thinks) with some of her coworkers. Unfortunately, the one who just might be a true friend and first love is also the one the "mean girls" have set as their target.
Erica S. Perl has created authentic characters with her debut novel. According to her biography, she shares Veronica's love for vintage clothing; that love definitely comes through in the book. But there's more to the book than clothing; there's also the tentative relationships Veronica forms. Even as I recognized her mistakes, I understood why Veronica would be cautious at times while too trusting at others. Vintage Veronica was a very enjoyable read.
- Date of review: July 15, 2010
- Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
- Publications date: March 9, 2010
