Mixed Messages by Jahnna N. Malcolm

Title: Mixed Messages
Author: Jahnna N. Malcolm
Pages: 208
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: December 28, 2004

To whom it may concern, Jade has had it for Zephyr forever. But you can only crush on a guy for so long. And with graduation just around the corner, it's now or never. Jade writes Zephyr a love letter. Only Zephyr never gets the letter. Adam get's the letter. It's a huge disaster and total embarrassment. . .

Then again, maybe not.

The whole time Jade's been in high school, she's had a crush on ultra-cool musician Zephyr...she even learned how to play the guitar to make him notice her! Now, she's a heart-stopping singer/songwriter. But when she finally tells her friends about her crush, they dare her to send him a love letter---declaring her 'undying' love for him. Only it doesn't go to Zephyr, it goes to Adam. Jade's confused about who she really likes...or loves? She's going to have to make a decision or she'll lose them both.

Malcolm did a great job with this book. For the first few pages, it might seem like cliché, unoriginal, but Malcolm breathes life into it with witty dialogue, fresh new characters, and a knot of complications and lies. It builds up into a completely unexpected ending that readers may or may not like. Readers will have a hard time deciding between Adam and Zephyr. Adam brings adventure and spontaneousness into Jade's life, while Zephyr rocks her socks off with his passionate music. Who will she decide?

Although the characters in the novel were not described as vividly as they could have been, Malcolm was still able to individualize them as a person. The plot was light and funny, without making it sickeningly sweet, and the dynamics between the characters are completely believable and tanglible. It will let nearly any teen relate to them.

The Bottom Line: I enjoyed this hilariously funny read! Jahnna was able to mold a could-have-been cliché plot into a light, heart-warming read. Snow White loves this book :-) You'll know what I mean if you read the book :-) A :-)

---Report Card---
Originality: 9/10
Ending: 9.5/10
Characters: 9.5/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 9.5/10
Theme: 9/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 7/10
Total Score: 93.5/100 (A)