| Written by Bella Gill, Pembroke, Massachusetts |
Meet Bella Gill
Bella is a junior at Pembroke High School in Pembroke, Massachusetts. She is a midfielder for the South Shore Select 2006 Girls Academy Soccer Team and is headed to the National Finals in St. Louis this summer. She is also a midfielder for the Pembroke High School Girls Varsity soccer team. Additionally, Bella is the vice-president of her class, a member of the Pembroke High School Yearbook staff and assistant coaches a U10 girls soccer team. Bella enjoys traveling with her family and friends, skiing, reading, babysitting, and working in the local office of a gastroenterologist. Bella’s favorite subjects include English, History, and Model UN. She hopes to study abroad in Europe in college.
After reading Montgomery Lake High #1: The Right Person by Stacy A. Padula, Bella was asked to share her honest opinion on the story and its characters.
- Who do you recommend this book to?
- I would recommend this book to teenagers and young adults. I think middle school and elementary age students are too young since the book discucsses a lot of partying, drugs, drinking, etc.
- What can be learned from Chris and Courtney’s story?
- Chris and Courtney’s story can teach others that if you are honest with yourself and stick to your own personal morals, you will be able to form positive relationships and be most successful in life. If you stray away from who you truly are, it will be difficult to maintain happiness.
- What did you enjoy most about The Right Person?
- I enjoyed how the book represents the challenges of high school and correctly depicts dangerous party situations where teens face peer pressure and awkward interactions. It shows how teenagers feel a pressure to be “cool” and how sometimes this attitude can cause you to lose friends who care about you. All of the teen’s problems and scenarios are easily relatable to modern high school and college students.
- What is one major theme you noticed running through the story?
- I saw the theme of friendship constantly occurring throughout the book. Whether it was new bonds or friendships lost, the teenagers have a great influence on one another’s decision making. Courtney becoming friends with Cathy forced her to move farther away from her morals and participate in some things she might never have done before. Contrasting this, Marielle and Chantal form a strong bond that is positive for both of them.
- How do you, as a teenager, personally relate to this story?
- I can personally relate to this story because as a high school student the peer pressure to party, drink , and participate in other unsafe activities is always around me. Weekends of partying are prominent in high school culture and it is difficult for teens to say no to their friends. I can also relate to the teens when it comes down to the people that they hangout with are the people who influence my decisions and opinions the most. It is necessary to form bonds with people who have similar morals and want to achieve the same types of things in life.
Synopsis
Growing up in the shadow of two NFL-destined cousins, Chris Dunkin has high hopes for his own future in football. However, a drug addiction threatens to destroy everything he has worked hard to attain. When Chris meets Courtney Angeletti–the mayor’s straightedge Christian daughter–he believes she could be the source of inspiration he needs to overcome his destructive lifestyle. Courtney, however, has other ideas.
The desire to rebel has been tugging on Courtney’s heartstrings for some time, and Chris’s “bad-boy” reputation draws her to him like a moth to a flame. After all, he is a central part of the most popular clique in her high school. Will Chris pull Courtney away from her faith or will Courtney inspire him to overcome his addiction?
Books by Stacy A. Padula 
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