After reading Vickie’s Victory last week, I immediately dove into the second book in the Malt Shop Milestones Series with Berta’s Bounceback. It is a coming-of-age type story, listed as a Young Adult Fiction book, though I think anyone will enjoy reading it. Berta’s Bounceback evokes fond nostalgia, reminding us not to let our confidence rest on the opinions of others, and to do the right thing even when we are worried about the outcome.
Nadine C. Keels is an auto-read author for me, and I’ve enjoyed diving into her Young Adult realm. It has been interesting to see how much depth she can pack into a smaller package, yet she still conveys some profound thoughts through each book so far.
About Nadine C. Keels
Nadine. A French name, meaning, “hope.”
With her lifelong passion for life-enriching fiction, Nadine C. Keels enjoys reading and writing everything from short stories to novels. Her fiction works include Love Unfeigned and The Movement of Crowns Series, and select pieces of her lyrical poetry can be found on her spoken word album, Hope. Lyricized. As the founder of Prismatic Prospects, her communication company, Nadine has served as editor for a number of titles, and through her writing, from her books to her blog posts, she aims to help spark hope, inspiration, and genius in as many as she is privileged to reach.
You can find more information about Nadine C. Keels on her website https://prismaticprospects.wordpress.com
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Review of Berta’s Bounceback
Berta’s Bounceback had me in the feels. Berta is ordinary. She doesn’t have a head for school like her friend Vickie or a beautiful singing voice like her friend Ari. What she does have is the capacity to bring people together and make them feel seen; not a gift to be overlooked, even if it often is today.
“If her confidence in herself were to hinge on her boyfriend, needing him to think she was the only attractive or interesting girl alive, who could truly call that self-confidence?”
It was nostalgic in that Berta is learning who she is, and where her confidence should be found; a hint, it’s not in what other people assign her worth to be. It’s in her sweet moments with Howard as they navigate the awkwardness of first dates and plan a future together, to the in-between times when Berta realizes that it’s OKAY to be normal. In fact, being normal is actually lovely.
“Sometimes you’ve got to get by yourself, look yourself in the mirror, and know who you are.”
Nadine C. Keels does a great job in Berta’s Bounceback of illustrating how society places expectations on women to be someone “important” and to have a career, especially during the period (Post-WWII) when Berta’s Bounceback takes place. Many women truly wanted and looked forward to the time when they could have a husband and kids; their “important” career was to raise a family. Berta’s Bounceback takes place right around the time that everything was changing for women. New doors were opening up, and many women were torn between two worlds in a sense.
It was also interesting to gain an accurate perspective from Berta, who is Black, on the changes that were occurring during that time frame. There aren’t many books that touch on that, let alone a YA book. I also always appreciate how Nadine C. Keels uses the author notes in the back of the book to provide more in-depth information on some of the elements she discusses in her books.
I know I’m not doing Berta’s Bounceback justice. There was a great deal of depth to Berta’s thought processes in this story, a wealth of fascinating history, and a story that has some valuable lessons for all ages to remember. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am eagerly anticipating the next installment of Malt Shop Milestones.
About Berta’s Bounceback
Title: Berta’s Bounceback
Author: Nadine C. Keels
Series: Malt Shop Milestones Series Book 2
Genre: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Romance
Young lives. First loves. And a classic American period enlivened by jukeboxes and chocolate malts.
Sixteen-year-old Berta is usually an upbeat girl, matching the energy of her thriving Black community of West Hill. But this year is proving not to be Berta’s easiest. She’s had to say goodbye to one of her best friends, who’s moved almost halfway across the country. Classes at school are getting harder, making Berta fear that her grades might slip below average.
What’s more, she’s having niggling doubts about her romantic life. There’s a newly arrived family drawing everyone’s curiosity in West Hill, and it looks like the pretty, talented teenage girl from that family has drawn the interest of one person in particular: Howard. Berta’s boyfriend.
Given how worrisome all of this is, what might it take to lift Berta’s morale back to its normal height?
Enjoy this nostalgic nod to the bygone era of “malt shop” books—from an angle featuring more of America’s color.
[…] “This young adult romance delivers the right combination of entertainment, wit, romance, and history from the perspective of a Black teenager in post-WW2 America.” ~Reading Is My SuperPower “Berta’s Bounceback had me in the feels… There was a great deal of depth to Berta’s thought processes in this story, a wealth of fascinating history, and a story that has some valuable lessons for all ages to remember.” ~Travelers Wife 4 Life […]
Thanks so much for the review! Gives me a little boost as I’m working on Book Three. 😊
Anytime Nadine! Looking forward to which character’s story you go with next 🙂