The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton

2 out of 5 stars.

Small town intricacies, larger than life inhabitants!<br /><br />Tiffany Templeton (Tough Tiff) doesn't fit and yet she's in exactly the right space for being her.<br />Having been sent to detention school for shoplifting we relive her past story via letters written to her Probation Officer. Her current situation is puzzling and it takes time for the past and present to combine. When it does she's on her way to becoming whole.<br />Tiffany has secrets. Many. In some ways she's the secret keeper for the whole town, even if they don't know it.<br />Tiffany's fractured, by her mother's attitude towards her, by her father's betrayal and death, by the love she had for him, by her brother Ronnie's weirdness (definitely a head case), and the larger community.<br />Mind you she's also her own worst enemy. And she's faithful to the only real friendship she has with the flamboyant David who really has usurped Tiffany's relationship with her mother.<br />This is one dysfunctional family. But then the whole town of Garbadine is dysfunctional. Tiffany's mother is diabolical in a weird sort of way. How she holds the town to ransom is unbelievable. As is how she treats people who defraud her. But then by the end we all know where Tiffany gets her stubbornness from.<br />When David decides to stage Tiffany's play exciting and strange things happen. The actors are a hoot. But then this is Garbadine. The standout characters who help on Tiffany's road to redemption are Kelly Plotz, Betty Gabrian, the sheriff and Waterbed Fred.<br />There area some truly mind stopping moments here dealing with angst, forgiveness, love and hope. I loved the last line in the book, the sudden change of view signalling hope.<br />Not an easy read because despite the craziness it just sounds all too real. Tiffany's journey is harsh, and yet wonderful.<br /><br />A Penguin Razorbill ARC via NetGalley

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I want Tiffany as one of my new friends. Can someone make that happen?<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />Full review can be found here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/review-the-small-crimes-of-tiffany-templeton/">https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...</a><br /><br />Let’s be honest with each other for just one moment. The first thing that drew me to this book was that badass cover. I knew I wanted to read this based on the cover alone. I had zero idea what it was about and frankly I didn’t care. I’m a cover snob and this cover is what I am always talking about.<br /><br />Second, the fact that this is slated as “For fans of The Serpent King…”was also another reason I knew I had to read this. TSK is one of my Top 5 All Time Favorite Books. You cannot toy with my emotions like that. You tell me this is going to rip my heart out like TSK, then I’m ditching my TBR and making this priority number 1.<br /><br />I enjoyed this one, especially the MC. Tiffany was a strong character with an even stronger voice. She was raw, gritty, real, believable, and very well fleshed out. I believed her voice, her anger, her frustrations, her emotions. I wanted to jump into the story and help fight those battles with her. Tiffany’s mother was such a piece of work, holy cow. Far too many things about her made me want to smack her with a hefty dose of reality, but that’s just more proof of Fifield’s ability to craft such substantial characters.<br /><br />Having grown up in a small town, I knew her obstacles all too well. That being said, the setting Fifield created was very well developed. Too many times I felt I was back in my small six block long hometown and it scared me a bit. The way he was able to create such a spot on world was a little mind blowing and impressive.<br /><br />I really became invested in the overall story but there were a few times I felt there were just too many story lines fighting for space. (If you read the story, you’ll know what I mean.) I felt the confession letters Tiffany wrote to her probation officer were eye-opening to the character of Tiffany herself. Every time another was revealed/read, they gave me pause. They made me stop for a moment and give more thought to what Tiffany must have been going through, the internal battles she was fighting.<br /><br />I cannot say it enough – I enjoyed this one. I was not disappointed by what I read, but as this was my first Fifield book, I feel I need to read his other books now.

I loved <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/25814284.The_Flood_Girls" title="The Flood Girls by Richard Fifield" rel="noopener">The Flood Girls</a> when it came out a few years ago and <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/14199891.Richard_Fifield" title="Richard Fifield" rel="noopener">Richard Fifield</a> is such a delight online, so I was really excited to check out <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/46309959.The_Small_Crimes_of_Tiffany_Templeton" title="The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton by Richard Fifield" rel="noopener">The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton</a>. All I can say is that I was definitely entertained.<br /><br />The story itself is interesting and the characters are what really bring it to life. I especially enjoyed the group of senior citizens, led by Betty Gabrian. Richard was great at bringing a small town to life: the good, bad, and ugly. Tiffany had a strong voice and presence, but I was wondering where things would go for her in the future. She seemed too big for her town. David was quite a character, but he also seemed full of contradictions. It bothered me when he was rude to Tiffany, even though he would make it up to her in his own way. Tiffany's mom Vy was also a piece of work, with her weight obsession and no-nonsense attitude when it came to parenting. Her brother Ronnie was really something else altogether. You almost have to see it to believe it when it comes to his shenanigans!<br /><br />While the story was enjoyable to read, I felt like there was too much going on in one novel. Some storylines could have been worked with and fleshed out more if others weren't in play so much. I really liked Tiffany's confession letters to her probation officer (Kelli). Those gave me the deepest look into her personality. However, I felt like some parts of the story got dropped to make way for other parts. I also got confused between all the older women, as they would switch back and forth between their real names and the characters they were portraying in the play. There were too many of them to keep straight in my head.<br /><br />Overall, this was a creative and humorous novel; very quirky. I look forward to seeing what Richard comes up with next.<br /><br />Movie casting ideas:<br />Tiffany: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2625275/" rel="nofollow noopener">Rory Jackson</a><br />David: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3299784/" rel="nofollow noopener">Christian Martyn</a><br />Vy: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0688132/" rel="nofollow noopener">Amy Poehler</a><br />Betty: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001771/" rel="nofollow noopener">Stella Stevens</a><br />Bitsy: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6916321/" rel="nofollow noopener">Ferdia Walsh-Peelo</a><br />Ronnie: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1573253/" rel="nofollow noopener">Alexander Ludwig</a><br />Kelli: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3381295/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" rel="nofollow noopener">Alexandra Shipp</a>

I had hoped for a little more with this book, however, I was pleased. Tiffany spies on people and so having spied she is a keeper of secrets. At the start of the story, Tiffany is being sent home from detention school. Not because she is done, but the detention center was shut down. Her mother has a caustic tongue. Her brother is a waste of space and her father is deceased. I really enjoyed the growth of Tiffany. I loved Kelli, the probation officer. I thought several characters were just wacky enough to be lovely.

I am going to be honest: This book sucked. <br /><br />Lets start with Tiffany because, oh boy, this is gonna be a long one. She was very plain and that was probably the reason I was able to vibe with her. She's not annoying, or particularly unique or special. She's fine. However, she literally had no character development. One could argue, that because she gave back the stuff she stole it means she grew as a character but I beg to differ. In my opinion, the actions had no motives behind them and all her 'growth' took place off page at juvenile detention. She was also impossible to connect with. <br /><br />Tiffany's mom's character was a big problem for me. She was, especially at the beginning, low-key abusive and had a minor eating disorder. It was, if at all, addressed heavy handed-ly in a one off sentence or two. Her character also made no sense, but I'll talk about that later. <br /><br />Tiffany's best friend, David, was literally every single gay stereotype imaginable. Disgusting. More on that later as well. Their friendship was also sort of toxic. Tiffany's boyfriend literally made no sense. They interacted like four times throughout the novel, and had absolutely zero chemistry. The insta love was off the charts. <br /><br />The plot is virtually non existent. It centers around the play they are putting on but Tiffany just kind of watches David do all the work and does nothing. She technically wrote the script but the writing was all done previous to the novel. There is no emotion, there is no grief, there is no anything. I don't mind when plots are centered around a character learning to grief, or about depression or something, and not a big, clear cut event, I just gave a book like that five stars. But this book had no character journey to take the place of said clear cut event. There is also an abundance of small subplots that are mentioned once, then all tied up nicely within the very last 30 pages. Its messy and impossible for the reader to keep track of all of them and to care.<br /><br />The story is set in a small town Montana and it must have a population of 15 because that is the only way the whole story could make sense. Tiffany's mother rules the town and controls the only gas station, and every single citizen is terrified of her which is never really explained well. The story also takes place over almost a year and just skips around. <br /><br />The writing was plain and basic. It was not descriptive and I can not describe a single thing in this book after reading it. The arguable best part of this book was the letters to Tiffany's probation officer. They provide an insight into the previous soul less and plain Tiffany. But they have no impact on the plot at all and are just there so that the reader knows her backstory. <br /><br />Some things about this book really left a bad taste in my mouth. Like I said previously, David is a walking stereotype, such as gay best friend, fashion expert, interior designer, likes musicals, and more. I mean, at a point Tiffany even says that 'all gay men are neat freaks, its a fact'. Also, Tiffany refuses to change Indians to Native Americans in her play script. Their is an over abundance of girl hate and weirdly, feminism is used as a mocking term and she calls herself a feminist after she loses her boyfriend and best friend by being a horrible person. It was really weird. There was also a lot of fat phobia and ableism. <br /><br />Overall, how did this book even get published?

I am kind of obsessed with books about small towns. Living in Utah, I’ve driven through so many small towns, where there is seemingly only a gas station and little else in the town. What would it be like to be a teenager in a place like that? Well, I hope they have a Tiffany Templeton. Tiffany lives in a trailer park in Gabardine, Montana. Her mom, Vy, is the owner of that single gas station and therefore the most powerful person in Gabardine. The book begins when Tiffany has just been released from juvenile detention, and her crimes are revealed throughout the book in letters she writes to her probation officer. But Tiffany also did some writing while she was away - she has written a play. Directed by her friend David who is Max Fisheresque (a la Rushmore), staring the ladies of the nursing home. <br /><br />I love this book so much, as I loved his first book, the Flood Girls. Seriously, buy it, read it, escape the last stretch of election season and enjoy this delightful book.

This book was received as an ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group - Razorbill in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.<br /><br />This book for me was not what I was expecting at all. Usually when you hear the words small crimes, you feel like it would be a story of overcoming obstacles and regaining your life back but for Tiffany Templeton, whenever she made an opportunity for growth, someone stopped her or got in her way. All through the book, it focused on punishing Tiffany for her reputation rather than giving her an opportunity to come back and start fresh. The trend is now for the YA category is focus more on a realistic fiction approach rather than fantasy/dreamlike approach. Our teen book club will have discussions for a while on this book.<br /><br />We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Initially, I found this hard to warm to. I couldn’t work out why Tiffany was regarded so negatively, and I found it difficult to really develop much interest in events following on from her release from juvenile detention. Slowly, however, as we peeled back the layers of this small town and learned more about Tiffany I came to have a healthy respect for her.<br />I think the first thing I have to say is that the town of Gabardine really does - on first impressions - seem like the kind of place you’d want to leave and never return to. It’s dying on its feet and the characters who’ve found themselves living there are rather small in their outlook. Nobody seems to have anything marking them out in any way, but that small-town closed mentality actually came to make sense. As we learn more about the people around Tiffany it almost feels like we’re being encouraged to pay homage to the fighting spirit of people who know there’s little point to what they’re doing, but do it anyway.<br />Tiffany is a girl who you warm to. There’s a softness under this brash exterior, and she has a curiosity about her that suggests she’s smart enough to escape this place - but if she stays it’ll be out of love for those around her. Finding out about her ‘small crimes’ and what each actually represents was a fascinating process. While her brother and mother had a certain grotesque element to them, by the end there was a definite shift in Tiffany’s thoughts about them. <br />In some ways this reminded me of something by Steinbeck, but with more modern issues. It might not be to everyone’s tastes but I found myself quite charmed by it.

So many readers have said that they bought or wanted to read a book solely based on the cover and I always was convinced they were 'crazy' until now, until I saw this book.<br /><br />I<br />Want<br />To<br />Read<br />This<br />Now <br />Solely<br />Because<br />Of <br />Its<br />Cover<br /><br />I'm so gay for this cover.