Sophie and her father, likewise, are keeping his drinking from her mother and the formidable Aunties. Her Blondes know all about her father, now released from prison after a wrongful conviction, but Sophie has to keep quiet about all the secrets they have told her. Sophie’s life, however, still has too many secrets.

She wants to be a normal 15-year-old, seeking information about passion and sex in Rosemary Rogers’ Sweet Savage Love and other romance novels, enjoying the preparations for Auntie Luba’s and Mike’s Slovakian /Macedonian wedding extravaganza, and agonizing over her huge – and possibly reciprocated – crush on Luke Pearson. Sophie Kandinsky, the heroine of Me and the Blondes, is now in Grade 10, secure with her three blonde friends. 'Toten captures perfectly the easy camaraderie of girls who trust each other enough to play Truth or Dare and challenge each other to develop into good people.' ' writes with insight and compassion about the complex moral universe of adolescence.' After seven years, Sophie’s beloved Papa is finally out of prison.

But in the end, the best and biggest news is also the worst. And her eccentric Aunties are still peppering Sophie with their eccentric advice on life, love, and how to land the elusive Luke Pearson. There will be no more cascading lies and secrets from her, but the Blondes-now that’s another story. As it turns out, the Blondes were as dazzled by her as she was by them, and Sophie enters grade ten at Northern Heights smack in the centre of the power grid. potentially perfect for Sophie Kandinsky. The enthralling sequel to Me and the Blondes, shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award

Better Than Blonde by Teresa Toten