**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net** 

Paper Or plastic is a story about a teenage girl that gets caught shoplifting with her friend and as a punishment, she has to work at the SmartMart, a very uncool store in town, to repay her crime. The whole shoplifting incident happened very early on in the story so some of the details were a blur. But even so, I thought that Paper or Plastic was a very cute and fun fluffy contemporary. Great for a light read.

I thought Vivi Barnes did a wonderful job with her characters. Especially considering the fact that initially Alexis and her friends seemed like real brats, it was a big accomplishment to make me like Alexis as much as I did. I am so happy to report that my initial impression of her was incorrect. Of course my impression of some of her “friends” and of her mom wasn’t incorrect at all, but sometimes those “bad” characters can add to a story too. I mean, hey, at least they pull some strong emotions out of you.

What I appreciated most about Alexis was that she was able to put up with her mom. I know that seems like a silly thing to like the most about her, but even I wanted to choke her mom out a few times.

It was impressive the amount of life that Vivi Barnes was able to breathe into such a large cast of secondary characters. Some I absolutely loved and just want to hug- I’m talking about you Grandma!!, some very the friends that even though they are annoying, you still love them and some I less than liked. And then there was Noah. Noah, who even though he made me roll my eyes a few times, was super adorable and was a hoot with Alexis. All of the characters came together to form a fun and kooky cast. Character driven readers will really enjoy Paper or Plastic, just like I did.

 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs