About the Book

Book:  Victoria Grace: The Jerkface

Author: S.E. Clancy

Genre:  Young Adult Contemporary

Release Date: June 15, 2020

Ever since Tori Weston and MamaBear were abandoned by her dad, finances have been tighter than a new pair of skinny jeans. As if keeping her grades up for scholarships and working every spare moment weren’t enough, Tori gets suckered into visiting a retirement home and paired with ancient resident Marigold Williams. After learning she’s the only one to visit Marigold in decades, Tori becomes a regular at Willow Springs. Besides, someone has to help with her history homework.

Corbin Dallas barges into Tori’s life with a prosthetic leg and a dimple, working his way into her hectic schedule. Though she tries to deny it, there’s something beyond his Texan drawl that gets Tori hoping she’s more than his sidekick. Together, they race to find Marigold’s missing family before she fades away. Tori ditches her soul-sucking job, along with her dreams of having a paint-peeled clunker to call her own, in order to help her friend one last time.

Click here to get your copy!

Guest Review from Kelsey Barela

I cannot express how much I enjoyed reading this book! The characters were extremely relatable and likeable; the way the friendships and relationships grew over the course of the book kept me glued to the pages. I was really supposed to be doing schoolwork but I just kept saying “One more chapter and I will start”. Well, about ten chapters later I really had to force myself away from this book to do my assignment; it was that good. Tori’s sarcastic nature was hilarious and her banter with her “MamaBear” reminded me of my family. Marigold’s friendship with Tori allowed for her to grow and mature, seeing passed her own wants to focus on doing good for others. Corbin was also good for Tori’s growth as a person and seeing how their friendship developed was natural and so much fun to read. Their friendship was flowed easily, along with Tori’s friendship with Marigold. There is so much I could say about this book but I think the review would be far too long if I expressed everything I loved about this book. It made me want to read all day and forget everything else so that I could see what happened to the characters I had grown so care about so much.

There are a couple things that did not bother me but I feel others should be told as everyone is different. There is talk of physical attraction in this book; nothing explicit, just characters’ eyes lingering on certain areas. Tori’s friend, Madison, does have some displays of physical affection with her boyfriend, such as his nose near her neck or hand on her stomach. These were small elements but present so I felt that I should give warnings in case someone is particularly sensitive to this subject. Tori also refers to her absent father as her “sperm donor” (p. 98). This was a bit surprising but was did not take from the story for me but I recognize that this may cross a line for others. The faith thread was a bit weak in my opinion but, again, it did not detract from the story. With all of this said, I did love this book so much! These things did not make me dislike the story at all; I am only stating them for those whose conscience is different than mine on these matters and I wanted to do my due diligence to those that it may bother. Again, this was a great book and I look forward to rereading it!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

S.E. Clancy (aka Sarah) is a bit of a sci-fi nerd, geek, and self-proclaimed dork. There isn’t much she won’t try at least once…unless it involves mayonnaise, because that stuff is just gross. You can learn more about her at seclancy.com.

More from S.E.

Victoria Grace the Jerkface started as a short story after I’d listened to my favorite song by Nat King Cole: The Christmas Song. I’d overheard a teenager say, “I don’t even know what a chestnut is.” I typed that into a note on my phone because it struck a chord. Within days, a photographer named Tom Hussey issued a series called “Reflections” that featured elderly people gazing into mirrors and seeing their younger selves. That same night, one of my children asked for a project to earn school credits. Like flint to tinder, the idea of this teenager who didn’t know what a chestnut was having to visit an older person left in a care home began to grow.

To add in a bit of my mom and myself to the story, I had my main character Tori (Victoria Grace) love her mom’s meatloaf. It’s a recipe that my mom used from her grandma, an amazing woman we called Grandma Ted.

Ted’s Meatloaf

• 1 pound thawed ground beef or turkey
• 1 packet of dry onion soup mix
• 1 – 2 heels of bread torn into dime-sized pieces (1 for turkey, 2 for beef)
• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a single bowl. Works best if you use your hands, but mix really well if you use a spoon to incorporate all of the ingredients.

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Do not use parchment paper—no one wants a soggy bottom. Plop the entire mixture into the pan and place into the middle of the oven. Cook for an hour.

This recipe doubles easily, just change the cooking time to 1 ½ – 1 ¾ hours and check the internal temp with a thermostat.

Blog Stops

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 15

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 16

Books, Life, and Christ, June 16

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 18

Texas Book-aholic, June 19

Inklings and notions, June 20

Robin’s Nest, June 20

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 21

Nancy E Wood , June 21

For Him and My Family, June 22

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 23

deb’s Book Review, June 24

Batya’s Bits, June 25

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 26

CarpeDiem, June 26

Pause for Tales, June 27

Artistic Nobody, June 28 (Guest Review from Kelsey Barela)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, S.E. is giving away the grand prize package of signed book, origami bookmark, marigold seeds, & $10 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/fc81/victoria-grace-the-jerkface-celebration-tour-giveaway