Review: Robin in the Hood

Robin has had her entire life pulled out from under her. Not only is her father looking at jail time for embezzlement, but he's also just had a heart attack and all their money is gone. The loss of her step mother is more relief than anything, but Robin is about to learn the truth about her father's past as well as her own when she falls in with a group of misfits hiding out in the wilds. 

While I was not a fan of the title of this book because it was a bit cliche for my tastes, I did enjoy the twist on the classic story. Switching from a male Robin, to a teenage female version was a fun way to change up this well known folk story. Robin starts out as a pampered teen wasting away at boarding school while her father barely seems aware of her existence. That all changes when her fathers suffers a heart attack and becomes suspected of embezzlement. When their assets are frozen and Robin is faced with foster care she makes the only choice she can ... run. 

Robin was a fun character to read. She is a bit erratic and high strung, but she is a teenage girl, so it fit pretty well. I enjoyed watching her try to adjust to life in a trailer park where all the residents seem to be skirting the law for one reason or another. She is forced to learn to trust and rely on others while actually helping someone other than herself. Despite Robin's prissiness, she wasn't overdramatic like I feared she might be. Her transformation from debutante to bank robber was well done. 

Creek was another good character. At first he appears to be a bad boy, and while that is undoubtedly attractive to Robin, she quickly learns that there is much more to Creek than she originally expected. Creek doesn't go through as much development as Robin because he has already been living this life, but he does change in regards to his willingness to open up and include Robin in his life. There relationship overall takes its time developing but there are certainly moments that are more intense as they explore their desires. Having said that, the romance was clean and I would be comfortable recommending it to my nieces. 

There is some language, however. For the most part it wasn't terribly heavy, but at times I did find it unnecessary. The F word is used several times and it seemed very out of character for Robin and I think it would have been better without it. Aside from that, this was a fun read that I think would be a good addition to many YA bookshelves. 


Robin in the Hood is available now from Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and Goodreads.

Connect with Diane Reed at www.banditsranch.com or message her on facebook or twitter (@DianeJReed).