Libby Madrigal has one big goal to accomplish before the end of her Freshman year of high school and that’s to get a “serious kiss.” The kind a girl will remember all her life.  

Though that’s the title, this little book is so much more. It’s a tale of a teenager coming of age in a dysfunctional family the likes of which we all know a member of in our own. Instantly, I was transported back to my own teenage years, my total disregard for the wisdom of my parents and their decisions and the later understanding that yes, they  just might know more than I do, and it would all turn out all right.

The cover of the book is delightful enough to cause many hands to pick up this book; but the content will keep the book in the reader’s hands. Not just a book for young adults, adults also will enjoy the story and recognize themselves as this family struggles to understand life and deal with the tragedy of alcoholism and its effects on a family. Hogan manages to cover family estrangement, marital strife, teen life, bankruptcy, acceptance, and more in a short  256 pages.  

KISS brings laugh-out-loud situations to life and its heroine is reminiscent of Janet Evanovich’s much-loved wacky heroine Stephanie Plum. I’d like to see more of Libby and characters like her who bring understanding to the areas of real life we all would rather not face. With humor, realism, wisdom and insight, author Mary Hogan has managed to entertain and comfort at the same time.

Bravo to Hogan.