REVIEW #133: The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding

Title: The Reece Malcolm List

Author: Amy Spalding

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release Date: February 5, 2013

Pages: 352, Hardcover
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:

Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?

What an unusual and charming read and The Reece Malcolm List was! It completely swept me away and I honestly didn't want this book to end. 

First off, I loved Devan's voice. She had this matter-of-fact delivery that was completely honest and open. She wasn't afraid to poke fun at herself and she saw the world with a sense of humor and appreciation. Her attitude toward life was infectious and it made this sometimes serious read feel a bit lighter and and more hopeful. 

Really, I just loved Devan. She was a strong and capable young woman. She had a keen awareness of herself and others. She knew what she was good at and what she wasn't. She just came across as very real and relatable. And somebody I'd want to be friends with. I loved loved loved that she had her music. And that she was really good. It is so refreshing to have a MC be so confident in her abilities. And her love for music and singing came through to readers. I really enjoy a strong presence of music in books. 

I also loved the list that Devan was compiling on her mother. It was a smartly crafted addition to the story and added a lot of character. It was even quite humorous at times, with many of the entries being less than serious or not-so-defining facts about Reece but was all Devan had to go on. 

Reece Malcolm was a complete puzzle to me. I couldn't understand how a mother could act in such a way and at first I had to keep reading to figure her out. She never offered an apology to Devan for being absent her whole life but rather acted as if nothing was amiss. I kept waiting for this big confrontation and it never really came, not like how I expected. But what did happen fit 100% with the story and the characters. And I guess I'm happy with it. I really enjoyed the growth of their relationship.

My only comment is that I thought something massive was brewing based on the last line in the synopsis "Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?" Suffice it to say, this is a little dramatic considering what event this is referring to. That's all.

This book really stands out amongst other contemporaries. It has a lot of the same themes but tells them very differently and with a sort of flare and appeal that was bewitching. The secondary characters were great. The romance as well. And the show choir bit drew me in. I absolutely adored this book.

And I saw this gif and thought it appropriately described how I feel about The Reece Malcolm List: