Lisa Reviews: Riley Graham's - "Accidents and Incidents"

Leslie is used to nothing. She is used to getting nothing from her father, who has never even been a part of her life, from her mother, who is part of her life but doesn’t seem satisfied with anything Leslie does, and not even from her boyfriend who is supposed to cherish and adore her.

Leslie isn’t in the popular group; she doesn’t even have many friends. She spends most of her time cleaning and taking care of the household, and spending time with Keith and his friends. But when she gets up, angry, and leaves the lunch table, just to come back and realize that Keith never even noticed she was gone, it bothers her.

Getting up to leave and go outside, Leslie runs into a guy smoking behind the school. Besides the fact that his name is Dennis, she doesn’t know much about him. But he seems to always be around and by himself. While he seems like a loner and a bit of an outcast, Leslie soon welcomes his friendship and the small conversations they have with one another.

Leslie, Keith, Cain (his best friend), and Meredith (Cain’s girlfriend) all go out on a date together. Leslie sees Cain and Meredith sitting close, sharing a menu, kissing, and whispering to each other. Leslie looks at herself with Keith and realizes how little she feels, sitting next to him on the bench, looking at her own menu.

She sees how Cain treats his girlfriend and questions if she has feelings for Cain. She knows it’s not right, especially since she’s still with Keith. But what would happen if she caught Keith doing something he shouldn’t; doing something that could put their relationship on the line? Would she change her mind? Would her growing friendship with Meredith play a role in her decision?

I wasn’t very sure, at first, if I wanted to read this book. I read the synopsis and discovered that the main character was having feelings for another guy (while she has a boyfriend, and he a girlfriend). I don’t usually like that kind of girl. But there were some other things in the synopsis that pulled me in anyway; the relationship Leslie has with her mother and with Dennis.

Accidents & Incidents was beautifully written and filled with heartache, friendship, and family!

Leslie isn’t like any most teenagers. Yes, she deals with some of the main problems, but her family isn’t perfect and neither is her life. Her mom is strict and never thanks Leslie for anything she does. She doesn’t know who her dad is. She becomes friends with a guy who has his own issues, including smoking, and is struggling to keep her relationship with Keith.

Keith is Leslie’s comfort zone, Cain is the romance and attention she’s dying to have, and Dennis is the true friend she’s never had. But who is she going to pick? Is she staying with Keith because she’s in a relationship with him? Is she going after Cain because he would give her the adoration she wants? Or Dennis who couldn’t be more different from her?

Why stay with Keith if he isn’t making her happy? Why go after Cain when his girlfriend, Meredith, is becoming such a close friend? And why not Dennis?

I enjoyed watching Leslie’s relationships with Keith, Cain, Dennis, her mother, and Meredith develop and change. I liked that she thought of other people’s feelings and thought of the consequences of doing things and that she might regret later. Leslie wasn’t dumb, she thought for herself, and was down to earth.

Accidents & Incidents was beautiful. It was filled with family, love, and romance. My heart was shattered in the first few pages, and slowly mended back together by the end. Such a good read!