Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Release Date: October 12, 2010
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository
Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.
So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to? – Goodreads
Review:
Even after his death, Vera Dietz keeps the secrets of her ex-best friend, Charlie Kahn. But it’s not without a bit of resentment. Before his death, Charlie had turned his back on her, ditching her for others, and fulfilling Vera’s worst expectations of him.
Told mostly through Vera’s POV, with the occasional words from her dad, the Pagoda, and the Dead Kid, we get a glimpse into the friendship between the duo, the growing feelings, and, ultimately, the downfall. In the present, we see Vera’s attempts of moving on, her relationship with her father, and the guilt she carries.
It was very easy to empathize with Vera; romantic feelings for Charlie aside, she lost her best friend from childhood twice: the first time when he ditched her and the second when he died. Understandably, Vera isn’t quite sure how to come to terms with it, but she attempts to hold it together. She’s strong, witty, and even the details of her pizza delivery technician job were fun to read about.
As the mystery behind Charlie’s death unraveled, the book kept a quick pace. Though I obviously knew the outcome of it, the details weren’t revealed until the end. It was very bittersweet, and while there was a sort of resolution, a few things still remained open-ended which I liked. It was clear, however, that Vera was going to be okay and she would be able to move forward.
