reviews

For Keeps

“[Friend’s] use of humor, down-to-earth characters, and heartfelt relationships will have her fans cheering.”
-TeensReadToo.com

“Believable characters and smart dialogue make this story both memorable and entertaining. Fast-paced and full of little twists, Josie’s story is a sweet and savvy coming-of-age tale.”
-Kirkus Reviews

“Through Josie’s snappy narration, Friend manages to make the reader feel like a regular at the coffee shop rather than a detached observer. The pacing is excellent, and sharp transitions keep the story moving. Friend artfully cloaks several somewhat-serious coming-of-age issues in the winsome adventures of Josie and Liv.”
-VOYA

“Many readers will be able to relate to this protagonist, whose strength and maturity set a positive example. Friend skillfully portrays the challenges of adolescence while telling an engaging story with unique and genuine characters.”
-School Library Journal

Bounce

“Friend has neatly captured the mix of anger, hormones, and confusion that boil in a 13-year-old's brain. Writing about the ways families blend — with messiness, anger, love, confusion — isn't easy, but she's done it, and given us one terrific coming-of-age novel. A-”
-EntertainmentWeekly.com

“Friend offers no fairy-tale ending but presents, through hip conversations and humor, believable characters and a feel-good story with a satisfying amount of pathos.”
-School Library Journal

“[Friend] has an unmistakable gift for exploring family dynamics. . . . The tender scenes have a genuine poignancy, as when Evyn and her dad share a heart-to-heart in the middle of the night, or when Evyn’s stepmother tells her about her own mother’s death. In the end, these moving moments make for a story that’s both real and heartfelt.”
-Publishers Weekly

“Friend . . . takes readers on the roller coaster ride that is Evyn's new life. You'll feel her frustration, sadness, and fear on every page.”
-TeensReadToo.com

“This beautifully written and great coming-of-age novel is short, clean, sweet and will truly engage both middle and high school readers.”
-VOYA

Lush

“Friend adeptly takes a teen problem and turns it into a believable, sensitive, character-driven story, with realistic dialogue. Friend, who clearly understands and empathizes with young teens, is a writer to watch.”
-Booklist

“[Natasha Friend] keeps the pace lively with excellent writing and believable voices for each character.”
-Children's Literature

“The author of PERFECT . . . writes with great honesty about Sam's life, and this honesty will be appealing to younger YA readers. . . . It all works as a realistic novel that expresses truths about living with an alcoholic parent, with confusion about secrets, trust, and self-esteem.”
-Kliatt

“Witty dialogue and smooth writing. . . . Friend adroitly portrays a weighty topic with touches of humor and grace.”
-School Library Journal

“Sam comes across as a savvy as well as naive teen who tells her own story with humor, honesty and hope. Realistic family drama.”
-Kirkus Reviews

Perfect

“This first novel by Natasha Friend has been well named, Perfect. . . . Friend’s subtle use of language, her delicate touch, brought me to tears and out-loud laughter. . . . An excellent novel.”
-Midwest Book Review

“The believable and likable heroine relates many heart-warming moments. . . . Ultimately Isabelle's story will both touch and educate readers.”
-Publisher’s Weekly

“Natasha Friend's first novel is every thing a first novel should be . . . realistic, never cheesy even in its solution, funny, and just about perfect.”
-New Pages.com

“Clearly and simply written with a nice balance of humor and drama, with insight into the mind of 13-year-olds and how families suffer from trauma, this story can speak to girls coping with their own transitions into adolescence.”
-Kirkus Reviews

“[A] witty and perceptive family drama.”
-Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books