Review: Drawing Amanda by Stephanie Feuer

DRAWING AMANDA is set in the under-parented, high-expectation world of a Manhattan international prep school. Fourteen-year-old budding artist Inky Kahn is still smarting from the death of his father. He thinks he’s found his big break when he bonds with the developer of a new computer game and snags a coveted drawing assignment, for which he uses his secret crush–Amanda–as a model. 

But unbeknownst to Inky, the developer has a dangerous past, and is using his computer game to lure and stalk teenage girls. And Inky has inadvertently led Amanda right into his path. Blinded by his own ambition and sulking from his father’s death, Inky hides from the truth. Will Inky, with the help of Rungs, his cybergeek pal, discover the treachery in time and save Amanda before the creep ensnares her–or anyone else?

Goodreads

Review

I loved the sound of this book when I first read the synopsis and I figured I would probably enjoy it and that I did. However I didn't feel a deep connection to the characters or to the story itself, possibly because I felt its appeal would apply to more of a younger reader. I am a huge fan of YA, don't get me wrong, but I felt this was more middle grade than anything else. Having said that, it was a thoroughly well written piece of fiction that I would definitely recommend to younger readers.
What particularly struck me was the international feel of the book – I enjoyed that the main characters came from a wide variety of backgrounds and that each one had some serious issues that they were dealing with. Add to that the fact that the story itself dealt with some pretty serious issues as well (like paedophilia) makes this a great read to recommend to school aged kids.

Amazon