The Day Before

December 15, 2018
The CW's Riverdale gets a prequel.It's the day before Riverdale's annual 4th of July Summerfest Carnival, and four teens are making the most of their summer. Sweetheart Betty Cooper is launching her writing career with an internship at HelloGiggles in Los Angeles and is assigned to write up a profile on Veronica Lodge, a young and extremely influential New York socialite who has been interning with Vogue and happens to have her own connection to the sleepy town of Riverdale. A rift has formed between best friends Jughead Jones and Archie Andrews. Jughead is working at the local drive-in theater and trying to keep an eye on his dad, a member of the Southside Serpents biker gang. Archie has fallen in love with both his music and his music teacher, Ms. Geraldine Grundy. Everyone has secrets, and some of Riverdale's darkest are about to be unveiled. It starts with a gunshot heard around town and the disappearance of Riverdale High's beloved football star, Jason Blossom. Ostow's (Mean Girls, 2017, etc.) characterization stays true to the show, from Jughead's wry cynicism to Betty's growing internal darkness. The Lodges are Latinx, and diversity in the rest of the ensemble is assumed based on the show's casting. The story alternates points of view, and multimedia text messages, emails, miscellaneous documents, etc., provide insight into various minor characters.Not a must-read, even for Riverdale fans, but sufficiently entertaining. (Fiction. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-Leading up to the murder of Jason Blossom, four teens are trying to figure out life and follow their paths. Jughead is trying to cope with his mom leaving by keeping things together, work his job at the drive-in, and write. He's trying to ignore the fact his dad seems to be running with his old gang and his closest friend, Archie, has disappeared over the summer. Archie has discovered music...and his music teacher. All that he can think about it is Ms. Grundy and how she makes him feel. Betty is in LA, working for Hello, Giggles, an online magazine and trying to follow her dreams. While she's focusing on life away from her mother, her sister is trying to reach out to her. Veronica has no idea her dad's house of cards is about to collapse around them and her circle of friends are about to do the same. Between these stories, text messages, emails, and documents that tell the story of things happening behind the scenes. Events that will lead to the fateful death on the day after this story ends. Events that happen before the first episode of Riverdale, the TV show based on the Archie Comics. Recommend to fans of the show, as they won't need any character development that is missing from the story. Told in alternating voices and in different formats, this is written to appeal to reluctant readers. VERDICT Purchase where Riverdale has a following.-Natalie Struecker, Cedar Rapids Public Library, IA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.