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Review #3549391
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Un-Rated items suck, don't you think? So here my two cents for your synopsis and some nice stars for it! *Bigsmile* *Thumbsup*

You have a very detailed draft here that already gives away a lot of your story what might be of disadvantage for anyone later wanting to read it when you post it. But that's maybe just me. *Wink*

However the great amount of detail also gives ample opportunity to meet the players of the game and it's quite an eclectic little group, Waverly shining over all others and her upcoming conflict about who she wants to be and what she has become instead. This can be a straining time for any teen, but one that must be pulled through in order to become a relatively normal adult.

She has had a childhood that not many kids have and has learned a lot of the world during the traveling with her father. Question: Where was the mother and why didn't she insist on Waverly getting a "regular" education? My mom is very much into exploring the world as well but she would've scalped dad if he'd taken me to all trips he made during his work life (I may accompany him to some when they came together with school holidays, the one to Turkey was the best!) instead of me going to school as I did. However I... we are Germans. Maybe it's more flexible in the States.

The traveling also explains why Waverly has difficulty with dealing with people her age. She was mainly around either adults or people older than her. They fed her, staffed her, schooled her. That way children adjust to the adult world and also mature quicker because from being around them.

Her parents' worry about her unusual growing up and so her potential inability to meet and hook up (NOT in the date sense) with people her age might cause her great trouble when attending college, a full-adminitered and planned through environment, later. However I'm wondering why they put her to "regular" school only so late. I'd suspect that it'd take a child/young adult with Waverly's past at least twice as long to really "adjust" and "fit in" to the "normal" world.

Waverly's fear about her new learning environment is most understandable. It's something she never experienced before and doesn't know what to do about and how to react to the others. Personally I've already heard of the notorious caste system of American schools and honestly even from that little I'm already glad to not have attended school over there. How must it only be for Waverly to be confronted with all those cliches, prejudices and relative superficiality?

During her travels she has learned to decipher it from true, genuine intentions, but I guess it won't do her any good in this concreted social environment. Her reaction of closing off only is understandable as well as her only "thawing up" slowly to her new peers. Her maturity showed pretty strong when she deciphers the reasons why Dean's interested in her and why Shelby is befriending her.

The salt in the soup (a German saying, dunno if it's the same in English) is in any case Jake. He's the prototype of a "poor" guy who worked himself into the "upper caste". Of course he wants to keep his background hidden to not become the subject of ridicule and humiliation and embarrassment. He's not ashamed of his past and actually not too glad about having to hide his roots, but he knows it's the only way to reach his goals.

The whole caste structure of school is pretty much making him sick as his reactions to his peers, especially Waverly, whom he totally "misinterprets", shows. He doesn't see that he has found his female counterpart in her. The only difference is Waverly's family's wealth. It again shows a lot about her that she rather considers it an obstacle in her struggle to be normal and fit in than an advantage. I have a similar background as her, but never showed it to my peers or others as well. I wanted that people liked me because I'm me and not because of the money my parents have.

But back to Jake *coughs* *Blush*

He's a high moral as him being torn between Waverly and the loyality to his best friend shows. Also I think he only opened up to Dean, because he knows him since childhood and because Dean didn't judge him for his background. However I'm wondering again here how Dean and Jake became friends at all since both are from such different social and economic backgrounds. Also the end of your synopsis showed how fleeting and fragile even a seeming lifelong friendship can be when Dean turns against Jake because of Waverly.

Okay, there were a few technical glitches, misspellings and such. I'll list them chronologically. *Smile*

1) ... her families wealth has always been a sore subject for her... => ... her family's wealth...
2) ... fuels her parents decision to send her to JMHS. => parents'
3) ... everyone will have preconceived notions of here => her
4) Jake doesn't want pitty => pity
5) Waverly tires desperately to show Jake who she is... => tries

Also I've noticed a few formulations that read odd to me like

1) Her whole life has been spent traveling with her photographer father...
2) Waverly's parents have decided that her Senior year should be spent at the prestigious JMHS ...

Those facts clearly refer to Waverly so why not writing them that way like

1) She's spent her whole (previous) life traveling with her photographer father...
2) Waverly's parents have decided that she should spend her Senior year at the prestigious JMHS...

Do you see the difference? Now those facts about Waverly fit better with her POV in the rest of the synopsis.

Overall this was a nice hook and the promise of an interesting read... although I'm way beyond "school stories" by now. *Wink* Well done! *Bigsmile*

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   *CheckG* You responded to this review 07/15/2011 @ 6:19pm EDT
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