Middle School Library - Book Reviews

South Beach Sizzle is about a 17 year old girl named Lula Cruz, and her summer before she goes off to college. Lula and her mother live in New York City, and her father lives down in Florida. The college she has chosen is very near her dad’s house, and since she rarely sees him, she decides to go down there and stay with him until school starts. Of course, Lula’s best friend Jeff comes with her, for moral support and to find a job as a famous chef. Jeff was staying with his uncle there, but after the first night, Lula and Jeff decide to rent an apartment. There, the owner gives them both jobs at the apartment restaurant, and it pays for the rent plus a little extra. The restaurant needs a boost, so the team enters a Best House Band competition, for publicity. Lula keeps running into Enrique, a mysterious lover, and they are falling hard for each other. But when Lula finds out that Enrique’s band at a neighboring restaurant is also in the competition, she doesn’t know who to trust. Jeff says that he is using her, but her new best friend Daisy tells her to ‘go for him’. Can Lula trust Enrique anymore? Does Jeff feel alone with Lula being with Enrique all the time? Can she choose true friendship over summer-love? Or will her life end up crashing in chaos when summers over?

I loved this book because it had a lot of what I’d call teen-adventure in it. It made laugh at time, and hold your breath at times, and sometimes, it made you want to cry. This book was really well-written, and easily understood by the readers. When you have the golden opportunity, check out South Beach Sizzle. Oh come on, even the title sounds cool.

Submitted by: Hannah DeYoung