Teenreads.com -- NOW PICTURE THIS by Robin Jones Gunn

NOW PICTURE THIS
Sierra Jensen Collection: Volume Three, Book Nine
Robin Jones Gunn
Multnomah Publishers
Fiction
ISBN: 9781590525906
158 pages

Family has always been a big priority for Sierra Jensen. But when dozens of her extended family members come to stay at her house for Thanksgiving, Sierra finds herself wishing for some peace and quiet. In NOW PICTURE THIS, the ninth book in Robin Jones Gunn’s Sierra Jensen series, there is one big reason why Sierra wants this: a long letter from Paul has just arrived from Scotland, and she would like nothing more than to spend her days and nights pouring over it.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem possible. Sierra’s house is filled with fighting children, screaming toddlers and a Thanksgiving Day fire that sends everyone into shock --- and makes them even more thankful. As things start to calm down, she begins spending more and more time writing to Paul. Instead of talking with rarely-seen family members, she sneaks off to work on letters to him, look at his picture, plan his Christmas and birthday gifts, and fantasize about her future with him. It soon becomes clear to everyone but Sierra that her crush has turned into an all-out obsession.

On the bright side, Sierra’s former best friend Amy has decided to give their relationship another chance. Although they certainly don’t see eye to eye on everything, Sierra is glad to have Amy back in her life. While hanging out with her friends, Sierra lets it slip that she has a boyfriend. Although this was never specified in their letters, once she says it out loud, Sierra fully believes that she and Paul are a couple. And despite never having spent more than a couple of days together, Sierra finds herself missing him and decides to make some big changes in order to be with him --- for example, going to college in Scotland.

As it becomes more and more apparent that her obsession is taking her away from reality, Sierra’s family tries to show her what is actually going on. However, she isn’t the only one obsessing over relationships. Sierra’s adopted older sister Tawni has attempted to contact her birth mother but hasn’t gotten a response yet. As she waits to hear back, Tawni considers some drastic moves of her own to be a part of her mother’s life. Will the Jensen girls come back to reality before they make huge mistakes?

NOW PICTURE THIS is an excellent book for young teens to read. At an age when many girls develop unrealistic crushes, it clearly shows how this can happen and what the consequences can be. The novel is very cleverly written, portraying Sierra and Paul’s relationship entirely from Sierra’s perceptions of it and finally giving the reality of the situation to the reader. Fans of the series will be glad to see lots of plot and character developments, as well as many openings for future tension and excitement.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

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