The Wrong Side of Right - Jenn Marie Thorne

The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication Date: March 17, 2015
Source/Format: Publisher (Thanks!) || ARC
[I received this novel from the publisher. This in no way affects my opinions or the contents of my review.]

Kate Quinn’s mom died last year, leaving Kate parentless and reeling. So when the unexpected shows up in her living room, Kate must confront another reality she never thought possible—or thought of at all. Kate does have a father. He’s a powerful politician. And he’s running for U.S. President. Suddenly, Kate’s moving in with a family she never knew she had, joining a campaign in support of a man she hardly knows, and falling for a rebellious boy who may not have the purest motives. This is Kate’s new life. But who is Kate? When what she truly believes flies in the face of the campaign’s talking points, she must decide. Does she turn to the family she barely knows, the boy she knows but doesn’t necessarily trust, or face a third, even scarier option?

If you combine elements of All-American Girl (Meg Cabot) and the film What a Girl Wants (starring Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth), the end result would be this novel. And that's a good thing!

The Wrong Side of Right is the debut novel from author Jenn Marie Thorne. It's about Kate Quinn, a girl who discovers the father she thought lost to her actually exists.. and happens to be running for president. The novel trails Kate as she joins her father and his family on the campaign trail, chronicling what she goes through along the way. 

Let me get this out of the way now, before I go into details, but The Wrong Side of Right is easily one of the best contemporary YA debuts I've read this year. 

The Wrong Side of Right would not have had the same impact on me, were it not for Kate. Kate Quinn is an extraordinary young lady, a typical teenager who is struggling to figure out who she is and what she stands for. She's smart and quietly confident.  While her story might not necessarily contain a lot of action externally, the struggle she faces on the inside is well-done. Readers are invited to experience everything from Kate's perspective, and that really worked for me because I liked her!

I also enjoyed the other characters: Kate's father Mark Cooper, to his wife Meg and the twins, to the people running the Cooper presidential campaign, Kate's best friend Penny and her family, and of course, Andy Lawrence, the president's son. Thorne really took the time to flesh them out and make them memorable. In particular, the Coopers were my favorite characters apart from Kate. They're a great family, in spite of their dysfunctions, and I loved how their dynamic was portrayed.

Thorne delicately balances the various plot threads in The Wrong Side of Right: Kate's relationship with her father and his family, her experience on the presidential campaign trail, and even a subtle romance. None of these aspects felt like they lacked time on the page, and I completely admire Thorne's efforts to ensure we get a well-rounded tale. In fact, any story that immerses me with such intensity in its telling is certainly worth a read!

By the time I finished The Wrong Side of Right, I just had the biggest smile on my face. Sure, things aren't perfect, and there's definitely a lot left for Kate, her father and her family to sort out. But Thorne gives us an ending that fits just right with her story. If you're looking for a charming contemporary YA, The Wrong Side of Right is a pretty damn good choice.