In her third novel, Jessi Kirby (In Honor) weaves together mystery, romance and a coming-of-age story narrated by 17-year-old Parker Frost.
Parker is valedictorian. She's never been kissed, and she has never broken any rules. Her best friend Kat has been pushing her to do more her whole life, but something she says this time finally clicks: "When's the last time you took a chance? Or didn't do what someone else expected of you? Or did something you really wanted to, even though you probably shouldn't have?... Well, it's time. It's time to do something worth remembering." What Kat doesn't know is that Parker is in charge of mailing journals back to the seniors who created them 10 years ago. One of those journals belongs to Julianna Farnetti, who was in a tragic accident with her boyfriend their senior year. Julianna's family left town, so Parker decides to borrow the journal for a little while. This leads to the unraveling of a mystery and the forming of relationships Parker wasn't expecting.
Kirby has written another beautifully crafted contemporary novel that explores the way someone is remembered versus how they really were. Complex characters come together to solve a mystery, and the quote from poet Mary Oliver with which English teacher Mr. Kinney introduces the journal project sums up the themes of Golden perfectly: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" --Shanyn Day, blogger at Chick Loves Lit