If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I try not to sit on a Nadine C. Keels book. Her newest release, Vicky’s Victory, I put off a bit longer than usual because I wanted to have time to savor it. It did not disappoint! Vicky’s Victory is the first young adult book I’ve read by her, and I’m already looking forward to the second book in the Malt Shop Milestones series, Berta’s Bounceback, which just released.
You may remember my embarrassingly gushy review of Reviving the Commander, which started my love affair with Nadine C. Keels’ writing style. She has a way of writing that pulls you into the story like a long-lost friend.
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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
Vicky’s Victory – A Book Review
As I mentioned before, Nadine C. Keels has a way of writing that truly pulls you into the story and her characters’ lives. This is readily apparent in just the first few pages of Vicky’s Victory. I stared Vicky’s Victory, and finished it in one sitting, even though I wanted to savor it. Nadine C. Keels just makes it so doggon difficult to put a book down. See the quotes below as evidence:
“Not everything in life will fit exactly into the first ideas we had. But that’s part of the beauty of living. Finding out more than we imagined at first.”
In Vicky’s Victory, we meet Vicky and a few of her close friends (whom I’m hoping we get stories of in the rest of the Malt Shop Milestones series!), as they navigate school, life, and the stigmas of the time. The post-World War II era stigmas particularly affecting women and their predetermined roles in life. Nadine C. Keels handled the “old-fashioned” ideas remarkably well. Giving nods to both traditional women’s roles, while still saying it was okay to follow God’s leading to do more for you and your family.
I loved visiting the soda fountain shop, which felt like a local neighborhood hangout, and I wish it were still around today. The nods to jukebox dancing and how songs, their lyrics, are a language all their own in the sweetest of ways. The light romance, that was a secondary plot, made me smile at its sweetness, and quite possibly crave a GOOD peanut butter and jelly sandwich (if you know you know).
One of my favorite aspects of this story, though, was Vicky’s dedication and thought process in wanting to capture more of history on paper, so we don’t forget the stories happening around us with everyday friends. It is something we truly are losing on a daily basis.
“…make sure stuff gets written down. Keep records of who we are. So people will know and remember.”
Can’t wait to read more in this series! A good choice for any girl struggling to know where to go in life.
About Vicy’s Victory by Nadine C. Keels
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age
Young lives. First loves. And a classic American period enlivened by jukeboxes and chocolate malts.
Vicky, a bookish sixteen-year-old, wouldn’t call herself popular. But around her thriving Black community of West Hill, and especially at school, she’s pretty well-known: as “The Brain of West Hill High.” In addition to keeping her grades up this year, she’s looking to make an impact writing for the school newspaper. A step toward her goal of becoming a journalist one day.
On a different note, Vicky is ready to get a new, real taste of romance. She dreams of spending time with an interesting guy who’ll be a match for her head as well as her heart. A guy who’ll applaud her career ambitions.
But finding someone like that might be too much to hope for in high school. Maybe?
Enjoy this nostalgic nod to the bygone era of “malt shop” books—from an angle featuring more of America’s color.
[…] “Nadine C. Keels infuses the retro genre of Malt Shop fiction with a long-overdue representation of the well-lived lives of Black Americans…” ~Novels Alive “I’m so delighted that Keels is writing a series of these books where Black characters are prominent and not constricted by stereotypes… Vicky’s Victory by Nadine C. Keels gives us a delightful taste of a vintage genre that may not be familiar to most of us…” ~Reading Is My SuperPower “Such great characters! Whether the main character or the side characters, they were all written so well that I liked everyone and wanted to read more about them. It’s a nice break to have a wholesome YA story.” ~All the Right Reads “This book is definitely a YA/coming-of-age type novel, but it is one of the best YA novels I’ve read as far as promoting healthy relationships… If you enjoy stories with a homey, vintage feel, I’d recommend reading this book!” ~Pens Pages & Pulses “Nadine C. Keels has a way of writing that truly pulls you into the story and her characters’ lives… [She] just makes it so doggon difficult to put a book down.” ~Travelers Wife 4 Life […]
Aww, a double-duper “Thank You” for the review! I’m honored and so glad that you enjoyed Vicky’s story.
Anytime 🙂 I really enjoyed Vickie’s Story:)