JERSEY TOMATOES ARE THE BEST by Maria Padian
Henry and Eva have been best friends since childhood, and they have bonded over their intense, over-involved parents. Eva’s mom, Rhonda, is classic nightmare stage mother whose idea of supporting Eva’s ballet career sometimes involves slashing the tires of a director who didn’t cast Eva as the lead. Henry’s father, Mark, works her hard practicing tennis and doesn’t hesitate to trash-talk her opponents in tournaments. But when both girls have opportunities to attend summer camps–Eva at the New York School of Dance and Henry at a tennis school in Florida–they leave their parents behind and get to do the activities they love full time, with no one looking over their shoulders. Although the girls work hard to maintain their friendship across the distance, Eva begins struggling with an eating disorder, and Henry can tell that her friend is hiding something from her. Henry must decide which is more important: her development as a tennis player and her new boyfriend in Florida or the friendship she left behind in New Jersey.
Although this book has a somewhat awkward, fluffy beginning, it ends up painting an accurate picture of tense relationships with parents, competitive sports, dating, and eating disorders. The chapters alternate between Henry’s and Eva’s perspectives and sometimes the chronology can be a little bit confusing. But if you like chick-lit about sports and friendship, it is an engaging story.
Susan the Librarian 