Review : Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Top Ten Clues You're Clueless
Author : Liz Czukas
Publication Date : December 9th 2014
Publisher : Harper Teem
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Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees—of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments. 

Personal Thoughts 

Earlier this year, I read and absolutely adored Liz Czukas' Ask Again Later. It was such an adorable and uplifting read that made my day. So, there was no denying that I was looking forward to reading Top Ten Clues You're Clueless. Unfortunately, I wasn't as invested in this book as the author's debut, perhaps because my expectations were a little different than what the book actually delivered.

Chloe was an endearing protagonist. She was someone who was very easy to love with her quirkiness. I especially loved how she enjoyed making lists. She was definitely my kind of girl. She could also be funny and made for some very enjoyable scenes. What I certainly loved in Top Ten Clues You're Clueless, however, were the diverse characters. I loved how Liz Czukas was able to include all these characters with different shades of personalities. Individually, they were all quite different, but together, they formed a cohesive group, despite coming from various cultural backgrounds. The characters were all very lovely, and made for an interesting cast. Watching them come together and open up to the others over the course of the book was an exciting experience.

The plot of Top Ten Clues You're Clueless consists mostly of a mystery in the form of a huge amount of missing money from the local supermarket Chloe works at with other teenagers. The whole book spans one day and I think that''s where things started to go a little down for me. It threw me off because I'm used to books taking place over a longer period of time. It also didn't help that the mystery relating to who stole the money was very predictable. It was obvious as soon as the person entered the scene. I was also left underwhelmed with the way the romance was written. Chloe has a crush on one of her co-workers Tyson and we are told this in the beginning, but there was so little development in their relationship throughout the book. Midway through, I was convinced that nothing would come out of Chloe's crush, but when something did happen at the end, I was a little surprised. This was perhaps the most disappointing part of this book. I loved the romance in Ask Again Later, so I was looking forward to it being as brilliant in this one.

Overall, I simply think I wasn't the perfect audience for Top Ten Clues You're Clueless. I think this is more of a book that will appeal to younger readers, in the middle grade age or those who enjoy the genre of middle grade.

Rating

Cover : 3/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of Top Ten Clues You're Clueless.