Where do I start? Not even the quirkiest antics out of Celia could dampen my enthusiasm for the letters between Elizabeth, Christina, her mother and even some of those from the obnoxious (imaginary) associations, of teenagers, best friends and what have you. But I’ll be frank, for a sixteen year old, Elizabeth sure did sound young, and between her and Christina, I much preferred the latter whose own stories felt more full and more rounded. I suppose I’d built this up in my head way too much. Yup, it was entertaining, humorous even, but never anything more than that for me. Coupled with the fact that in the back of my mind I was wondering why everyone was so lax with Celia, whom, if the title is to be taken at face value, I was suppose to feel sorry for. But I will give Ashbury #1 this: there are realizations made; there’s some growing up and ‘growing out of’ that take place too. It’s this very last bit that I waited on and was glad to see happen. Well that and there were a couple of sweet romances too.It’s quirky and different. In fact, I’ve got the rest lined up to be read (soon.)3/5
