I found myself relating far too much with Penny, particularly her toxic situationship with Austin. It was far too easy for me to flash back to my own struggles as a 20something and find myself in Penny’s shoes, wanting to believe in love and finding your forever person so young. The author wrote from a place of understanding and personal experience and it shows.
Frank makes it a point to mention that this was her debut novel and I don’t think anyone can argue that it doesn’t read as such. The bones are there, but the story needs additional polishing. Even though this is the case, it’s a solid read and, like Frank, it was a bit of a catharsis for me - a way to let go of the past even further. While I’m sure others will argue that Frank should have done major edits on this book with the reissue, I personally am glad that she didn’t and chose to stay true to the mess and chaotic nature of Penny’s story. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it isn’t mean to be.
Some important content warnings before anyone dives into this book: eating disorders, open door (consensual) sexual content, and open door sexual assault/date rape (This will be particularly triggering for anyone who is a sexual assault/rape survivor so please please please proceed with caution or skip it altogether. If you want to read the book and can’t handle this specific scene, please reach out and I will tell you what pages to skip.)
IN FOR A PENNY by Caroline Frank is available now on Kindle Unlimited.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author for free and have voluntarily written this review. Since this is an indie published book, I have no included any affiliate links, but you can support Caroline by visiting her website!
