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    The Sweetheart of Prosper County
    The Sweetheart of Prosper County
    The Sweetheart of Prosper County
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Sweetheart of Prosper County

    Written by Jill S. Alexander

    Narrated by Suzy Jackson

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Drawing on her roots and a rich tradition of Southern literature, Jill Alexander presents her debut novel, The Sweetheart of Prosper County. Austin Gray is almost 15 and she's tired of not being noticed. So she hatches a plan to become Prosper County's Sweetheart in order to ride through town during the annual parade waving and smiling to everyone. To make her dream come true, however, she'll have to join the Future Farmers of America. But what's a little hunting and fishing (and livestock raising) to a determined teenager?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateDec 11, 2009
    ISBN9781440774355
    The Sweetheart of Prosper County
    Author

    Jill S. Alexander

    Growing up in her rural East Texas hometown, JILL S. ALEXANDER went to work at age 12 bussing tables at the local truck stop. There, she met folks from all walks of life whose eccentricities color her work today. Jill has survived a tornado and being caught on fire. She hates whining but loves fancy shoes, muscle cars, and Johnny Cash – preferably all three at once. Jill taught high school English and Spanish before deciding to take a chance on writing full-time. A native of Texas, she lives in Tyler, Texas, with her husband and son. Her books include The Sweetheart of Prosper County and Paradise.

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    Reviews for The Sweetheart of Prosper County

    3.5/5

    39 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      3.5***

      Austin Gray is nearly 15 years old, and tired of just watching the parade; she wants to be one of the “hood ornaments” who ride in the parade, perched atop a shiny new pick-up truck and waving to her adoring public. She figures if she’s crowned next year’s Sweetheart, the town bully will finally have to stop targeting her. With the support of her best friend, Maribel, she decides to join the Future Farmers of America and vie for the title. The first step is to convince her mom to give her a chicken for Christmas. She gets not just any chicken, but a show bantam rooster, which she names Charles Dickens. Slowly she gains confidence and makes new friends, including a strong-silent-cowboy type. Now if she can just get her Mom to stop being over-protective, everything will be perfect.

      This is a lovely YA novel dealing with universal themes – bullying, self-image, friendship, independence, loss, love, responsibility, peer pressure, self-confidence, and happiness. I like that Alexander doesn’t sugarcoat the issues that Austin faces, and that she has her heroine make some mistakes along the way. Still, Austin is a great heroine, and this is a sweetheart of a book.
    • 3/5
      This is one of those books that is almost there. I loved the setting of small town Texas. It was unique, interesting and unexpected. I like the main characters and really felt their struggles and issues. But...much of the book felt flat. Secondary characters, the plot, the conflict. There was very little rising action and most definitely a weak ending. Which makes me sad because this book was about another 20 pages away from being a new favorite.
      PS - Even YAers get to at least KISS at the end!! You can't expect me to read a pink book and not get at least a kiss.
    • 4/5
      This debut novel is full of teen angst and Texas charm. Austin is fourteen, and has been bullied her whole life in her small town. She is the only child of a young widow who runs a hardware store. In the year portrayed in this book, things drastically change for Austin. She decides to change what she believes has always attracted the bully by becoming popular and being named the Sweetheart of Prosper County. You get the sense from the beginning that Austin is stronger than the bully. There are quite a few unique, interesting characters that support Austin through this year (and many of them always have, but Austin was blind to this previously). She finds more than one place to fit in – Alexander makes her popular in the FFA group (the best way to become Sweetheart), but she also does not give up her other friends. I also like that the way her dad dies isn’t necessarily a secret, but it unfolds naturally through the course of the book. It is well-written, and the whole book sings with character and personality. And the bully is dealt with in several ways – all effective and individual.
    • 4/5
      Fifteen year old Austin lives in Big Wells, Texas. She wants to be the Sweetheart of the no-Jesus Christmas Parade and be a hood ornament on the lead car. There’s a problem, though. She’s not as pretty or well-endowed as the current Sweetheart, Sundi Knutt. Actually, she’s pretty flat, no curves. Also, she’s sort of an outsider. Plus, she hasn’t won any ribbons at the Prosper County Fair…a requirement for Sweetheart.So, Austin hatches a plan. She decides she’s going to raise a rooster and compete in the fair. She knows her best friend Maribel will support her. She joins the FFA, Future Farmers of America, gets a gorgeous Bantam Rooster and names him Charles Dickens. One problem solved.Other problems in her life? A major one is Dean Ottmer who razzes her every chance he gets. Austin doesn’t go with the flow. She gets upset. Another one is her mother. Ever since Austin’s father died a few Christmases ago, her mother, Jennie, is over protective and quiet. They don't talk about her father; they don’t celebrate Christmas or her birthday anymore. Other than that, everything’s fine.Jill Alexander’s debut novel, The Sweetheart of Prosper County is cute. The people are cute. The town is cute. The action is cute. Even the rooster is cute. Even the bad guys are cute. It's just too cute for my taste. Alexander, who lives in Texas, gives us a bird’s eye view of life in small-town rural Texas. The book follows Austin from one Christmas parade to the next. She ponders things as they arise: Sundi’s confidence, the meaning of Maribel’s quinceanera, her mother’s silence regarding her father. While The Sweetheart of Prosper County is a nicely written book, the story is too pat. One inconsistency which bothered me was that Austin didn't know anybody in the FFA but the minute she got Charles Dickens, the entire FFA became her friends. Does that really happen in farm country? This book that’ll make you smile. So, if you’ve got a free afternoon and feel like reading a feel-good book, I’d suggest The Sweetheart of Prosper County. Yee-haw!!!!!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this sweet and heartwarming book story; Austin is a great character who definitely tugs at the reader's heartstrings. Her quest to find acceptance through her town's annual Christmas parade leads her on a journey of discovery that ultimately helps move her life forward in wonderful and unexpected ways. I thought the relationship between Austin and her mother was compelling, especially given the loss of her father in a freak accident years ago; Austin's attempts to become more popular help bring her mother through the final stages of the grieving process. The themes of friendship, bullying, and even first love are sensitively handled by Alexander. My only complaint is that the book felt a bit light; it was short and sweet but could have been further fleshed out to make a longer deeper book that would have revealed more about Austin to the reader. Great read; highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      15-year-old Austin Gray is tired of being a nobody, of always being made fun of by her classmate, Dean Ottmer. She decides that the only way for her to be elevated above the taunts is to become a “sweetheart” in their Texas town’s annual Christmas parade, actually taking part and being looked up to.With the help of some new and old friends, Austin sets about obtaining the qualities she needs to be sweetheart material: she raises a rooster named Charles Dickens, tries her hand at hunting, and befriends junior members of the Future Farmers of America, who include the former FFA sweetheart and a sweet, cute budding cowboy. Part of Austin’s journey to become sweetheart, however, means convincing her overprotective mother, who is still mourning the death of Austin’s dad many years ago, to let her grow a little.I’m always on the lookout for books featuring farm, rural, small-town, or Southern fresh-faced girls, but THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY blows the competition right out of the water. The people of this quirky small town in Prosper County are funny, charming, and absolutely unforgettable.The characters steal the show for this super sweet book. Austin is a relatable protagonist, with her desires to not be made fun of, to step out of the crowd and be a winner for once. Her actions may cause us to cringe, remembering the bad decisions we made as an uncertain teen, but ultimately Austin pulls through and becomes a character to fall in love with.The plot is equal parts gut-achingly funny and poignant, the plot of THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY is sure to satisfy. Along with a group of interesting and well-developed friends, Austin navigates the slightly absurd process of achieving a sweetheart nomination. The result is a fun, fast-paced story that loses none of its sweetness or credibility.All in all, I adored THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY. Austin makes a fantastically believable and lovable protagonist, and the plot and supporting characters live up to the main character’s strength as well. This is a fantastic pick if you love funny, small-town Southern charm reminiscent of Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s Dairy Queen series. Check it out!
    • 4/5
      When almost fourteen year old Austin Gray was in the third grade, her father died in an auto accident. Her overprotective mother doesn’t talk about him, but his death hangs between the two of them.Now that she’s in high school, Austin is having trouble with the high school bully. Austin says: "I just couldn’t get out from under Dean Ottmer’s smothering insults and constant harassment. I didn’t need for him to like me; I just needed for him to shut up. Chestless, Stork, AustiNK. What other people say is not supposed to matter, but the truth is, it does."While Austin’s at the annual Christmas parade, she decides that being a “hood ornament” (riding on a car in the parade) will be the answer to all of her problems. She determines that the best way to do this is to become the FFA Sweetheart. She signs up for FFA and asks for a chicken for Christmas, so she can win a ribbon at the County Fair. Along the way, she gains some confidence, helps her mother come to terms with her grief and discovers the value of true friendship.The Sweetheart of Prosper County is a delightful coming-of-age story by Jill S. Alexander. Austin is a fantastic character – she has her insecurities and wants to fit in, yet she doesn’t want to hurt her mother. She’s a good, but not perfect kid – she stretches the truth with her mother a few times. In other words, she’s real. A lot of people will be able to relate to Austin and the problems she has dealing with the bully. I also thought the bully, Dean, was a great character. I think we all knew someone like him in high school – obnoxious but popular, and no one can understand why. The story is good, too and I liked the way Austin and her mother worked out their problems. The Sweetheart of Prosper County is classified as YA, but I think it will appeal to readers of all ages.