Tuesday, January 7, 2014

With A Little Help From My Friends - A Review of GOING ROGUE by Robin Benway

(Goodreads Blurb)

Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing and ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Story...

If you haven't read Also Known As, this review will be spoilerish.  Maggie Silver is finally living the life of a normal teenager, and it's making her stir crazy.  After spending her whole life living as a spy/safecracker for The Collective, Maggie has become bored and restless without the pressure and tension of a case to work on.  But, as they always say, be careful what you wish for.  When The Collective accuses Maggie's parents of stealing evidence from a 20 year old assignment, Maggie's life suddenly becomes a lot more interesting.

After spending the first part of their relationship lying to Jesse, her amazing boyfriend, Maggie has decided that the best way to keep him and her best friend Roux safe is to just not tell them any information.  If they don't know anything, then they can't be hurt, right?  But Maggie doesn't count on having to miss an important dinner with Jesse and his mother because she is trapped in a crawl space while trying to steal the evidence that could clear her parents.  And worse yet, she cannot tell him where she was or what she was doing without endangering him.  And now Jesse is wondering if he is really ready to be in a relationship with a spy.

This story takes us on a journey through New York and on to underground Paris.  No one knows who to trust anymore and everyone seems to be keeping secrets.  Will Maggie be able to prove to The Collective that her parents are innocent?  Will she be able to prove to Jesse that what they have is worth it?  And Will she be able to keep everyone around her safe from the corrupt Collective members that are intent on keeping their sins a secret?

What Worked...

I loved book 1, Also Known As, but this Going Rogue just took things to a whole new level.  The energy and excitement was present from the beginning.  We watch as Jesse and Maggie grow and make difficult adult decisions.  They are in love, but they learn that real love means putting what's best for the other person in front of what you want.

This is Maggie's first assignment without having her parents and The Collective as back-up.  We watch as Maggie matures and learns to rely on her instincts and her heart.

Roux is still crazy and still Roux.  And she puts the pressure on Maggie and helps Maggie learn some important truths about friendship.

What Didn't...

I loved every word of this story.  I loved meeting new ex-members of The Collective.  I loved watching Jesse bring the swoon.  I loved it all and can't wait for more.  

5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

I'm the author of "Audrey, Wait!" and "The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June." My new book "Also Known As" will be released on February 26, 2013. I live in Los Angeles with my extremely stubborn shih tzu, Hudson. I've gotten a lot better at cooking. I still love coffee. We should be friends.

Author's Website
Author's Twitter
Going Rogue: An Also Known As novel on Amazon

The Beatles - With A Little Help From My Friends
This song should really be the theme song for this series.  Maggie keeps trying to do everything on her own, but she is slowly learning the meaning of friendship and is expanding her friends list in every book.

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