I admire how Garrett can weave all of these smaller subplots and character moments within the larger story.Īnd what of the #MeToo-inspired plot? I’m going to talk about the ending and then work my way backwards, and I’ll keep it vague to avoid spoilers.

She saddles Josie with Alice, and we get a ringside seat to very real-feeling sister drama-Josie feels like Alice has copied her aspirations to go to Spelman College, and while we don’t get access to Alice’s perspective the way we do Josie’s, eventually we do learn more about how Alice feels about their bond and what has changed with Alice away. From this foundation, Garrett yanks us and Josie out of her comfort zone and into the world of the press junket. I love the family dynamic that Garrett shows us: two loving but strict parents, older sisters who have a kid and are just starting in university, respectfully, a home to 3 generations.

She is a smart and talented writer, and she’s dedicated too. Josie’s voice comes alive in this book and makes it so compelling. Josie has to decide: is she the one to write this story? Does she want to put that out in the world? Can she live with herself if she doesn’t? And what will this mean, for her barely-began career as a journalist and for her barely-explored feelings for Marius? So at first, Josie struggles with this assignment-and then she finds out that she might have the opportunity to start a #MeToo moment against the powerful director of Marius’ next film. This is all a little much for her anxiety, not to mention the fact that she finds Marius … um … attractive. Like Marius, Josie is Black, but unlike him, she didn’t grow in France and isn’t used to the social atmosphere of a press tour. Josie is over the moon that she gets to accompany Marius and others on a press tour across the U.S. She’s still in high school, but she has published articles for actual magazines, and now she has won a contest to do a cover profile of up-and-coming actor Marius Canet. From beginning to end, Garrett catapults us into an adventure of racism, sexism, and the price of fame, all from the point of view of a teenager with social anxiety and a way with words. I pre-ordered this based on how much I enjoyed Camryn Garrett’s first novel, Full Disclosure, and Off the Record didn’t disappoint.

Off the Record by Camryn Garrett