Ruby knows that her life isn't perfect. Her dad left her and her mom years ago but she has moved on and made the most of her life. Then, when her dad shows up on her sixteenth birthday after years of no contact, Ruby doesn't know what to think. She depends on her friends, Beth, Maria, and Katherine, to get her through this but when things start taking a turn for the worse and she learns that her friends might be behind the trouble, Ruby doesn't know who she can turn to. Thankfully, a mysterious and charming boy shows up, but even with his support, getting through the mess that her friends and her dad have created is going to take a serious toll on Ruby and create wounds that maybe will never heal. Learning the truth is harder than than she could have ever expected.A Little Friendly Advice is a small book that packs a powerful punch. It is light-hearted at times and meaningful and thought-provoking at others. Each of the characters have so many different sides of them that the reader gets to see, that you begin to feel like you've known them before actually reading the book. ALFA is full of beautiful description and imagery and it really explores the teenage mind with truth and reality. I remember reading books that are never actually able to portray their teen characters all that well. They just aren't able to fully encompass what us teens are all about. ALFA is not like that. Siobhan Vivian is able to get inside the teenage mind and write about what she sees there which is amazing. I loved reading a book by someone who actually understands the people that she's writing to. The other thing that I liked about this book was that it ended with hope. You didn't get a specific ending or resolution forced on you, it just left off with some hints and you get to imagine what would happen next. Yes, the main issues were wrapped up beautifully but the rest was left to you. You got to decide what you wanted to happen in the end. I loved that about this book. I was really able to get into this story and relate to the characters. I am looking forward to seeing more books by Siobhan Vivian. She has really proved with this book that she is someone you should look out for. I can't wait to read more from her and I highly recommend this book.
