Book Review: Joyride by Anna Banks

Carly lives by a simple rule: stay under the radar and don't get noticed. Her parents have been deported, and she lives with her older brother Julio in a trailer in the tourist town of Destin, Florida. Together, they're pinching pennies trying to raise the cash to pay El Libertador to smuggle their parents back into the country. If they draw attention to themselves, someone might notice things aren't what they seem, which will only bring more trouble.
Arden Moss is a good-looking, popular teen who loves pulling pranks. Before his older sister died, he would go pranking with her for fun. When Arden tries to scare his uncle Cletus into sobriety while Cletus is buying his nightly bottle of vodka, he meets Carly, a Latina girl who works almost every late shift at the convenience store. Carly pulls a shotgun on the disguised Arden, thinking Arden's sobriety check on his uncle is a robbery. The two are in several classes together, but Arden has never noticed Carly. He suddenly realizes she might be the perfect prank partner for him, and Arden starts trying to win her over at school. However, Carly has her own agenda and wants nothing to do with Arden, who happens to be the son of the county sheriff. Arden's efforts don't pay off until he helps Carly land a weekend waitressing job that pays a lot more money. As a result, Carly has a little more time to spend with Arden, and the two inevitably fall for each other.  Arden's father, the controlling, prejudiced county sheriff, catches Arden and Carly in their first kiss, and makes it clear the match won't last. Trouble is also brewing with El Libertador, which impacts Carly's relationships with both Julio and Arden.
Teen readers who liked author Anna Banks' Of Poseidon series won't be disappointed with Joyride. Carly and Arden each have their quirks and backstories that give them depth, and it is their interactions, as well as the colorful and rich uncle Cletus, that keep the story moving. The tension comes not only from the growing attraction between Carly and Arden, but also from Carly's good-girl apprehension about getting her parents back across the border and reuniting her family.  Sheriff Moss is a little overdrawn as the villain, but his character serves as a representation for the hardline faction of Americans who want to build walls to keep immigrants from crossing into the U.S. Banks avoids directly commenting on the controversy of illegal immigrants, and instead points readers in the book's closing pages to the fact that there's a national debate occurring about border crossings and the rights of immigrants.
Recommended for grades 7 and up. Buy a couple copies for your library; Teen girls will love Joyride.