Amy Fellner Dominy's OyMG (Review and Giveaway!)

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moley.

Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she's sure that if she wins the final tournament, it'll be her ticket to a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot-literally. His name is Devon and, whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she's confident enough to take on the challenge-until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship's benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity and heritage be worth a shot at her dream?

Debut author Amy Fellner Dominy mixes sweet romance, surprising secrets, and even some matzo ball soup to cook up a funny yet heartfelt story about an outspoken girl who must learn to speak out for herself.

Review:

I always love books filled with heart, and just my luck, Amy Fellner Dominy’s OyMG fit that ticket perfectly, as not only was it heartfelt but it also contained memorable characters and a story nearly like no other.

For Ellie getting accepted into the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp is the start of something fabulous, because not only will she be doing the thing she loves most- debating- but she will also be competing for a scholarship to one of the best schools in the country. Camp starts great. Ellie’s with her best friend; she is making new friends, including one dreamy Devon; Doris Yeats, the person in charge of the scholarships, seems to think she is a sure winner for the spot. However, there is one problem: Doris seems to have a problem with Jewish people. For Ellie’s this is devastating because not only is she Jewish but she has always been proud of her heritage. Now she is left to decide whether she should hide her heritage and win Doris over, or withdraw from the completion. What will she choose? Moreover, will she get the boy in the end? Only time and more pages will tell in Amy’s pitch-perfect contemporary debut!

In OyMG, there were several great aspects, but my absolute favorite would have to be the characters, Ellie and her Zeydeh (grandfather in Yiddish) in particular. Intelligent, sweet, and witty, Ellie is a girl I feel many will be able to relate to, because of her qualms with faith but everyday life as well. On the other hand, Zeydeh brought the wit and heart to the story. I loved seeing his relationship with Ellie, as I feel it will resonate well with anyone who has been close to a grandparent before.

Moving on, the plot of this was also fabulous. When I first heard of OyMG, I was interested to see how Amy would go about the topic of faith in today’s world. I wondered if it would be too preachy, or barely there. Thankfully, Amy reached a point in between, because while it was not at all preachy, it still played an important and fascinating part of the story. I always found Ellie’s actions and feelings to ring true, and I especially loved how everything turned out. The subplots dealing with Ellie’s first love as well as her friendship were also done well.

Lastly, Amy’s writing was decent as well. She did a fantastic job of bringing the story of OyMG alive, and I cannot help but applaud her for writing an important and great religion read so to say.

Full of zeal and wit, OyMG is a book that will surely capture the attention of many YA fans. Hopefully one of them will be you.

Grade: A+

OyMG will be released May 10, 2011!

Source: Publicist at Walker/Bloomsbury books- thanks Kate!

Thanks to Kate, I also have one copy of OyMG to giveaway.

Official Contest Rules:

* Must be 13 years or older to enter.
* Must fill out form.
* Must have a US mailing address.
* This giveaway will close on May 23, 2011 at 12:00 PM EST.