Book Review: Pompidou Posse by Sarah Lotz

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Review by Suze

Vicki and Sage have set a garden shed on fire and to avoid the consequences they flee the country and go to Paris. There's only one problem, they don't have any money. They're both seventeen years old and are art school dropouts. Vicki and Sage are optimistic, they're in Paris, they're having a good time and everything will be all right. The longer they stay the harder it will become to make enough money to survive. Going home isn't an option and they're in the city of endless possibilities having fun. They're in Paris where nothing can go wrong, right?

When I started reading Pompidou Posse I didn't expect to read such a raw story. I though this would be a story about two very cool teenagers who were going to have a great time in Paris. They would have lots of luck and everything would go their way eventually. I couldn't have been more wrong. Vicki and Sage have to survive in a city where making money is tough. Pompidou Posse is rough, it's honest and it broke my heart. It's a book I won't easily forget, this story will stay with me for the rest of my life.

It's obvious that both Vicki and Sage are very young and don't always make the right decisions. They're having fights, are gullible sometimes and they aren't always a good judge of character. Their stay in Paris is a succession of problems, of difficult situations to deal with. The girls are resourceful, but they also don't really care about consequences. They're fun and different. I immediately liked them. Vicki has rich parents and Sage knows almost everything about her, but Sage has a lot of secrets. That makes their friendship unbalanced from the start. It was really interesting to see the development. I felt for them and with them from beginning to end. The finale is fitting, but unexpected and I cried a bucket load of tears. Pompidou Posse is a must-read, it's impressive, moving and beautifully written.