About the Book

Book: Victoria Grace: The Jerkface
Author: S.E. Clancy
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Release Date: June 15, 2020

Ever since Tori Weston and MamaBear were abandoned by her dad, finances have been tighter than a new pair of skinny jeans. As if keeping her grades up for scholarships and working every spare moment weren’t enough, Tori gets suckered into visiting a retirement home and paired with ancient resident Marigold Williams. After learning she’s the only one to visit Marigold in decades, Tori becomes a regular at Willow Springs. Besides, someone has to help with her history homework.

Corbin Dallas barges into Tori’s life with a prosthetic leg and a dimple, working his way into her hectic schedule. Though she tries to deny it, there’s something beyond his Texan drawl that gets Tori hoping she’s more than his sidekick. Together, they race to find Marigold’s missing family before she fades away. Tori ditches her soul-sucking job, along with her dreams of having a paint-peeled clunker to call her own, in order to help her friend one last time.

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My Thoughts:

As you can possibly tell from the title, this was a clever, a bit snarky, yet a refreshing tale of a a 17 year old girl and her life as it is. She lives with her MamaBear, who is a cop and hasn't seen her dad in years. Even though home life is not completely ideal it is happy. I enjoyed seeing her and her mom's interactions and I love it when parents and their kids can have close and meaningful relationships.

Not only does Tory have her mom, but she has a best friend who is a bit spoiled by her father, and Tory has a crush on a guy that is never going to happen. As we walk along with her through her life: trying to save money for a car while working a crummy job, trying to get a full scholorship, a couple of new friendships step into her life.

One is a very old lady she is visiting at a nursing home for extra credit, but the knowledge and friendship Marigold offers Tory is priceless. And she meets a fellow student recently from Texas who has a handicap. Corbin has one leg after an accident and he and Tory hit it off with a fun and different friendship.

This was a fun and realistic look at a teen's life and all one might be going through and the lessons she learns. I enjoyed it immensely.

I received a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

S.E. Clancy (aka Sarah) is a bit of a sci-fi nerd, geek, and self-proclaimed dork. There isn’t much she won’t try at least once…unless it involves mayonnaise, because that stuff is just gross. You can learn more about her at seclancy.com.

More from S.E.

Victoria Grace the Jerkface started as a short story after I’d listened to my favorite song by Nat King Cole: The Christmas Song. I’d overheard a teenager say, “I don’t even know what a chestnut is.” I typed that into a note on my phone because it struck a chord. Within days, a photographer named Tom Hussey issued a series called “Reflections” that featured elderly people gazing into mirrors and seeing their younger selves. That same night, one of my children asked for a project to earn school credits. Like flint to tinder, the idea of this teenager who didn’t know what a chestnut was having to visit an older person left in a care home began to grow.

To add in a bit of my mom and myself to the story, I had my main character Tori (Victoria Grace) love her mom’s meatloaf. It’s a recipe that my mom used from her grandma, an amazing woman we called Grandma Ted.

Ted’s Meatloaf

1 pound thawed ground beef or turkey
1 packet of dry onion soup mix
1 – 2 heels of bread torn into dime-sized pieces (1 for turkey, 2 for beef)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a single bowl. Works best if you use your hands, but mix really well if you use a spoon to incorporate all of the ingredients.
Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Do not use parchment paper—no one wants a soggy bottom. Plop the entire mixture into the pan and place into the middle of the oven. Cook for an hour.

This recipe doubles easily, just change the cooking time to 1 ½ – 1 ¾ hours and check the internal temp with a thermostat.