Friday, April 5, 2013

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Also Known As
by Robin Benway
Read: March 30 - 31, 2013
Published: February 26, 2013 by Bloomsbury Juvenile US
Source: Library
Category: Contemporary YA, Spies


Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover. (From Goodreads)






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Do you ever need a palate-cleansing book? You’ve read a few intense, emotional stories and want a new one that is guaranteed to make you laugh and smile and swoon a little? That is exactly what Also Known As was for me. After reading three books in a row that gutted me, I wanted one that was exciting and engaging without being heartbreaking or stressful. Thankfully, that's exactly what I got with this YA contemporary featuring teen spies and NYC private schools. 


Maggie’s parents are spies. They work for an organization called the Collective, exposing human traffickers, deposing dictators and secretly solving other problems for the good of mankind. Maggie is an expert safecracker and has been traveling around the world and working with her parents for her whole life. It’s all she knows, and she loves it. But that also means she doesn't have any friends her age, and recently she's started to realize how lonely she is. Then Maggie gets a new case that changes everything. Her family is sent to New York, where Maggie has to attend a real high school for the first time and befriend Jesse Oliver. Jesse's father's newspaper is going to publish a damaging article about the Collective, and Maggie has to find a way to stop him.

Although Maggie can crack any safe she encounters, she quickly discovers that high school has an entirely different set of rules. Not only is she trying to solve this case before it destroys her family and her organization; she’s trying to navigate school and fit in. She also knows that she’s not supposed to get attached to the people she meets. But that’s tough when she’s never had real friends before, and when she discovers that Jesse is more to her than just an assignment. 


Also Known As was a lot of fun to read. Although the plot was silly, and far fetched in parts, I laughed out loud in several places, and in all I really enjoyed the story. The book was fast paced and Maggie is likable. Incredibly for a YA book, Maggie has a positive and realistic relationship with her parents. Like all parents, they had to learn how much to guide and how much to let Maggie step out on her own. One of the best parts of this book is the growth of their relationship with Maggie. I also loved Maggie's friendship with her mentor Angelo, and her new school friend Roux, who is quite a character. Jesse Oliver (whom I keep wanting to call Jamie Oliver) is swoony and sweet, and it was fun to watch Maggie fall for him. I did get really worried when Maggie started to realize that she actually likes these people she was trying to con. But I was pleased that the author was able to work out the conclusion without making the Confrontation and Aftermath the center focus of the book. 


I did have a few issues with this story. Maggie’s voice is chatty and young and her romance with Jesse stays clean as well. However, she is thrust into a NYC private school and through her friendship with Roux contends with all of that associated drama – excessive drinking, partying, cheating, social wars. There is also a fair bit of cursing in the book (the light kind). I just thought it was odd and slightly distracting that the author took some elements of her book in one direction, and others she kept very clean. Maggie and Jesse also got to the 'declaration of love' part rather quickly, though I liked the way their relationship developed otherwise. If I were going to recommend a teen spy/thief book, I'd still pick The Heist Society series first. Even so, I am glad that I read this one. It was fun and served its purpose well.  

Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone
Love Triangle Factor: None


14 comments:

  1. Yes, that's exactly what this book was, a "pallet-cleansing book"! I thought the declaration of love came a bit quick, too, but otherwise it was cute. Loved Roux. And Maggie, of course. Loved the voice she was given, that the tone of the book was rather conversational. I need to get to my copy of Audrey, Wait now. And I haven't read The Heist Society series, but Jen keeps telling me it's great. :)

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    1. I like what you said about Maggie's voice being 'conversational" that's exactly it! Great description. I loved Roux as well. I need to read Audrey, Wait! as well. Everyone raves about it. Heist Society is so much fun. Very different tone and voice (third person) but one of my favorite series.

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  2. I completely know what you're saying about a pallet-cleaner. This does sound like a fun read to reset after so much emotion. I have always liked spy stories too! And I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to hear of a story with a great family dynamic. I'm glad you found what you needed with this one! :)

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    1. Maggie's relationship with her parents is really makes this book stand out IMO. I don't think it would be nearly as meaningful without that part. I hope you love this one too! I agree, spy and heist stories are so much fun. I wish I had a useful spy skill like safe cracking!

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  3. I LOVE pallet-cleansing books and I have to pull them out every now and then when I read heavier or longer or darker books. They're so necessary for me because I LIKE the darker and heavier books. But about Benway, the only book of hers that I've read so far is Audrey, Wait! and as you know I'm absolutely crazy about that book. Like, I LOVE IT. I did find a copy of The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June at a discount store and plan to read that one sometime soon.

    But this one. I saw that this one began to circulate WIDELY and of course, to me, that means that I needed to wait on it for awhile. I LOVE that everyone has loved it to pieces, so when I pick it up, I probably will too. I can't say that I've really read many spy books or heist books (including the others that you've mentioned) but I look forward to reading this one sometime soon. My library has a copy that I can check out on my Kindle.

    I think as far as some of the things in the book, they are also present in Audrey, Wait! - the great family and such, but also the other extreme of the cursing. All in all, I still found it to be a great book and I expect that this one will be as well. Love the pallet-cleansers.

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    1. I am exactly the SAME. I bet you can guess which book I read this one after. I was almost in tears when I started this, and I had to make sure from Jen R. that this one wouldn't hurt me. But you're right, I DO like those heavier books as well. Just not too many in a row.

      I'm really want to read Audrey, Wait! now and see how it compares. This one doesn't have the music themes, but it is so much fun and sounds like it's a similar style. I'm glad that this author puts great family relationships in her book. I'm very curious about why she couples the cursing and other teen activities with a heroine who reads young and a very clean romance. I always find it strange when authors make those kinds of choices. I wish I could ask her.

      I hope you do read the Heist Society one of these days. <3

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  4. I love that term - pallet-cleanser - and know exactly what you mean about them! Audrey, Wait! was like that for me as well, which is why I'm holding off on reading this one until I'm in the perfect mood. I'm so glad that you've enjoyed it for the most part, though, and am looking forward to picking it up myself. Great review, Lauren!(:

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    1. I cannot wait to read Audrey, Wait! All my friends adored it. I hope you like this one as well. Sounds like they are similar styles.

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  5. I just got a copy of this so I'm glad I read your review, I'll keep this book to read after something that's really heavy and emotional!

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    1. YAY! Glad you got a copy. Good idea for when you need a for sure happy read.

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  6. I agree with you that this book is different from the Heist Society -- I think HS are more plot-driven stories, while this one was much more character-driven. But I LOVE the spy themes so much :)

    You can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. That's a good way to look at it, though I definitely connected to HS more. I actually really love the third person perspective. This one was a lot of fun too. Spy/thief books are definitely favorites of mine.

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  7. I love spy and heist stories and Robin Benway will ALWAYS have a place in my heart because of Audrey, Wait!, so this book sounds cute, and perfect for what you described: a palette cleanser:)

    I love that the parents aren't your typical YA parents and each review I read mentions Roux (THAT NAME!) so I'm thinking it is a secondary I would probably love:)

    I get what you are saying about there being some distractions, it almost sounds like it couldn't figure out if it should be for the younger or older YA set. That kind of thing bothers me when I am reading too.

    I think that my copy of Audrey, Wait! is coming home soon and when it does I am packing it up and sending it you! I want you to try that one out because I think you'll really enjoy it:)

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    1. That is exactly what I meant. It was hard to tell if she was writing for an older or younger audience. I wish she'd picked one and stuck to it. Although it is a small thing, I am always thrown off when authors do this. It is a pet peeve of mine.

      I cannot wait for Audrey, Wait! It sounds like a lot of fun! I will make sure to read it when I need another pallet-cleanser.

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