Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teen experiments with personal, social risks in bold novel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
When SMASH IT! begins, high school student Olivia is auditioning for a role in the school theater production, a rap version of Othello, obsessing over her childhood best friends Eli (whom she has a crush on) and Dre (who has a crush on her), and contemplating losing her virginity. She gets the part. Her romantic entanglements get increasingly complicated as she deals with jealousy, romantic rivalry, and interpreting all the good and bad advice from friends.
Is It Any Good?
This is a relatable read for mature readers only. Author Francina Simone does an excellent job in Smash It! capturing just how intense and dramatic teen life can get. These high school students balance sustaining old relationships as they change, negotiating new ones, and dealing with their hormones. Olivia, the first-person narrator, is funny, smart, and irreverent. The other characters, teens and adults alike, are quirky and believable. The weakness of the book is its focus on sex. The question of whom Olivia will lose her virginity with overwhelms every other topic.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about consent for sex in Smash It! What do you think about how and when different characters approach the discussion?
In Smash It! kids belong to different cliques, like "band kids" and "theater kids." What are the groups in your school? Do you belong to any?
Have you ever made a list of goals for your school year? How did pursuing those goals affect you, whether you achieved them or not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Arts , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Inkyard Press
- Publication date : September 22, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 16 - 18
- Number of pages : 360
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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