Book Review: Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

UK Cover

At First Sight: Payton Gritas used to be an organization master that loved nothing more than the smell of a new day planner, but everything changed when she found out her dad has MS (multiple sclerosis) - a degenerative desease that will eventually rob him of his mobility - and that her older brothers have known for months but they were all keeping her in the dark.

So now she's mad at everyone in her family, she has quit basketball and her grades are slipping. So she gets sent to the school's counselor who tells her she needs a focus object which will, eventually, help her deal with what's going on at home.

Given her lack of options, Payton settles on the back of Sean Griswold's head as her focus object - since she spends a good time of each day staring at it anyway, as he has sat in front of her forever. Sean's head works surprisingly well, specially after Payton's friend Jac starts to encourage Payton to get to know Sean better, and she discovers that she likes him a lot.

But real life is still there, and Payton needs to deal with it.

Second Glance: I was a bit put off by the US cover of Sean Griswold's Head, but I kept hearing great things about the book so I decided to give it a shot. And I was happy to see it was a lovely book. 

I liked Payton over all, though she could be very dramatic and a little self-absorbed, but I thought it came more from the tough time she was going through and because she was scared, than because she was a selfish person. Jac was a bit much for me at times, she tried to be a good friend but sometimes she got pushy and didn't know when to back down, but her heart was in the right place.

Now, I really loved Sean. My inner fifteen year old has a big crush on him. He's nice and sweet and loves bikes. But really, he has to be one of the nicest characters I've ever read. 

The other secondary characters - including the rest of Payton's family- were good too, they didn't just stand in the background. 

I did feel like Payton's anger went on for too long, but at the same time I understood her and I also understood her parents. 

Bottom Line: I really enjoyed getting to known Sean a long with Payton, and found this to be a lovely book. I was already a fan of Lindsey Leavitt's Princess for Hire series, but now I'm just a fan of everything she writes.  

Favorite Quote:

Sean Cut His Hair
     • No more neck hair!
     • It’s kind of spiky—makes him look older.
    • And somehow, his head looks smaller. Maybe all that “bigness” was the work of voluminizing shampoo.
      • His scar is SO clear. How did I not notice it before?