She's So Money

High school senior Maya is a good girl. She works in her family's Thai restaurant after school every day and on weekends. She takes several AP courses, tutors and prays daily that she gets her acceptance to Stanford. She knows she's a straight arrow, and she likes it that way. Things begin to change, however, when she is asked to tutor Camden King, a popular hottie and super-obnoxious wealthy senior. Their first meeting does not go well, as he leaves after a cell phone call and she throws away the backpack he forgot to take with him. He even offered her lots of cash to do his homework! One weekend Maya's parents leave her and her brother in charge of the restaurant while they go to a wedding. Finally she is treated like the adult she knows she is. But she loses her cool when she encounters a set of miserable customers. They leave among threats, and she and her brother are too tired and crabby to clean up properly, vowing to do it the next day. The patrons follow through on their threats, and the Health Inspector leaves notice of violations and fines for Maya totaling $10,000! She is given only three weeks to pay the full amount. Maya knows her family doesn't have that kind of money, so she takes Camden up on his potentially lucrative offer. He also has her do homework for a few friends, but not too well, so teachers won't be suspicious. She doesn't need sleep, right? Between spending time at the restaurant and doing her and others' homework, Maya is reaching the end of her rope. Then Camden kisses Maya! It's her first, and now she's really confused. She won't make her deadline, so he proposes that she line up more tutors to join in and they will take a cut. Maya almost makes it, but of course someone figures out what's going on and threatens her. She needs more money, so they pull in students from another school. She thinks she's Camden's girlfriend now, but when she sees him with other girls, doubts creep in. In fact, Maya isn't sure of anything anymore. Cherry Cheva, a writer for "Family Guy," brings readers a cast of realistic characters who make a few bad choices that spiral out of control. While the magnitude of this cheating operation seems crazy, it's easy to see how nice girl Maya gets sucked in. SHE'S SO MONEY will have readers turning pages quickly to find out what happens next and if Maya will be able to pull herself out of this mess. --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

Though I am an avid reader, I have never been one to read, post or rely on book reviews. However, I felt compelled to share my assessment on Cherry Cheva's teen novel, "She's So Money" and bottom line, it's one of the wittiest books I have ever read, whether it be for a teenager or adult of any age in search of a clever and entertaining read. I actually stumbled across the book while vacationing with my family in Florida this past weekend. I was in search of a light-hearted book that would be a quick read and my younger cousin was deeming it as her new favorite and begging me to read it so that we could converse about it. Being a person in her late 20's, I did not ever consider reading a book targeted to an age group 15 years my junior. However, my nostalgia took over, with memories of how much I enjoyed reading in my teenage years and I decided rather than go out and purchase a book that would be seemingly entertaining based on purely a synopsis on the back and the book cover, I would take my 13 year old cousin's advice (she actually happens to be a great writer and lover of books herself). Lo and behold, I found the book to be truly funny, entertaining, refreshing, what I would think to be relevant to teenagers and most of all, with a moral lesson laced in an inspiring rather than commandeering way. I loved it!

I was looking to purchase a gift for a friend's daughter, and decided to get her this great little book based upon the reviews I found here, as well it being recommended by several other parents. Needless to say, my friend said her daughter absolutely loved it! She could not put it down!

This book is really great!!! It is incredibly well written and such a compelling story - perfect for anyone 11 to 111! I could really identify with the heroine and hope that Cherry will write more stories about her in the future!!! This is an amazing first novel and I can't wait for more!!!

Cherry is the new star author in the YA world. Her understanding of the young teens voice and her knack for great dialogue makes her one of the most refreshing voices to come around in sometime. My daughter has told all her friends at school that it's her new favorite book and I don't disagree with her. If SHE'S SO MONEY is any indication of Cherry"s talent, then she has a long successful and rewarding career ahead of her. Bravo Cherry and thank you for such a fantastic read..