‘Catchpenny’ by Sarah Wathen was hard to put down. I found it intriguing and the writing style well-crafted. The main character is Meg, or, as main guy Tristan calls her by her full name, Mekaela. Basically an outcast on the fringes of high school society, and even that of Shirley County, where she lives, Mekaela knows a better life awaits her. Her mom has always told her so, and she has worked hard to live up to her academic potential to make a life for herself outside the confines of her small town. All that is still in the cards for her, but early on in senior year comes the added interest of Tristan Jameson, star quarterback, baseball player, and all-around popular jock, who decides to ask her out to their senior year homecoming dance.

Having recently broken up with his long-time girlfriend, Mekaela is initially skeptical of Tristan’s desire to take her to the dance. The fact that she is known around school and town as being particularly easy and pretty carefree with her body doesn’t help matters any. Her reputation is completely opposite that of Tristan, who is pretty much the golden boy who can do no wrong – especially in his mother’s eyes.

As a reader, I can honestly say that I was much more skeptical than Mekaela probably was of Tristan asking her out. Maybe I’ve seen too many teen movies (‘Never Been Kissed’ my main thought in this instance) that had me quite wary of her accepting his invitation and having him proceed to make a fool of her in some fashion. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of predictability I thought was to come. This isn’t to say that there wasn’t plenty of drama and aggravation to go around for the characters. Mekaela doesn’t have the best reputation, and Tristan’s proposal to have her accompany him to homecoming is met with ridicule, sneers, and mean comments behind their backs.

The sense of realism that accompanies a reading of ‘Catchpenny’ is easily evident to readers. The story stirs emotions ranging from uncertainty to lust to fear of loss, on to love, anger, jealousy, and a host of others. ‘Catchpenny’ will make readers consider how throwing your instincts by the wayside can sometimes be the best and most uninhibited course of action. If Tristan hadn’t chanced asking Mekaela out, and if she hadn’t said yes, their lives would likely be much different. Sometimes the best changes can come from the reluctance to make change at all, even if one eventually ends up doing so. And so it is for Tristan and Mekaela – he breaking up with his long-time girlfriend and taking a chance on new love, and she taking a chance on real love, rather than continuing to give up her “virtue” without the benefit of a steady relationship.

You can find ‘Catchpenny’ by Sarah Wathen here.