Cynthia Baxter

Kate McKay is back in the quaint little village of Wolfert's Roost, where she grew up, to help care for her grandmother. She decides to make her dream of opening an ice cream shop a reality, but things don't turn out the way she thought they would when her childhood frenemy, Ashley, starts selling frozen treats in the bakery directly across the street. But before Ashley can kill Kate's new business, someone kills Ashley. To make matters worse for Kate the murder occurred after a crowd of people saw the two having a heated argument. Kate is determined to clear her name.

I love the cover! I loved the setting. Lots of good stuff happening here - descriptive writing, three-dimensional characters, great mystery, delicious ice cream flavours! Including recipes is always a nice touch. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in this new series!

… (meer)

Before I found this YA novel from the early '90s Saved by the Bell era, the only other books I'd ever read by Cynthia Blair were from the Pratt Twins series, which is full of zany and sometimes dangerous sisterly capers. Going Solo, on the other hand, has its little share of comedy but isn't a zany read.

Sure, it's a now retro kind of corny, full of clichés and repetitive word choice and phrasing. And even given how much can happen in six weeks of an adolescent summer, I couldn't buy into the magnitude of the characters' sudden social dilemmas.

"What do you mean you're about to lose your best friend? You two just met on the day the music program started. How are you such 'best friends' already?"
"Music is getting in the way of your relationship with this guy, huh? Y'all've had a pair of music practices over the course of the few pages since you met him. That's it. You don't have a 'relationship' to get in the way of."

But of course, I don't read these books for superior writing or what have you but purely for old-fashioned entertainment. Anything more is a bonus, and hey, this story isn't all corn. It's got a couple of little twists and some stuff that can grab you on a gut level.

Maybe a third or halfway in, this became one of my top nostalgic trips I've taken with this author's teen fiction.… (meer)