Depth of Field by Chantel GuertinSeries: Pippa Greene #2
Published by: ECW Press on August 12, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 200
Source: NetGalley
Book Details
Rating: ★★
Two weeks in New York City should be the time of Pippa’s life: she’s attending the prestigious Tisch Photography Camp, her boyfriend, Dylan McCutter (two months and counting!) is coming with her, and their parents are 500 miles away. Talk about lights, camera, (swoony, unchaperoned) action! But what should be 14 unforgettable days of bliss turns into chaos when her one and only nemesis, Ben Baxter, proves to be surprisingly more complex than she could’ve ever imagined, and her Tisch mentor, a renowned photographer, seems to have a lot more to do with her parents’ past than anyone wants her to know. Is Pippa out of her depth?
Picking up where she left off in The Rule of Thirds, Pippa Greene returns in Depth of Field, in a story full of the same heart, comedic touches, and romance that made readers fall in love with Chantel Guertin’s charming YA series.
Ben: I hate you so much
I went into Depth of Field with all the wrong assumptions. For the most part I like the first book, Rule of Thirds. The one thing I didn’t like was Ben. I hated his personality and I hated his actions. He stole peoples’ electronics and he stole Pippa’s photos, submitted them into the competition, and won! I hated him SO.MUCH. But mostly, I hated how he got away with all of that; there were zero consequences and Pippa never spoke up.
I assumed that Depth of Field would address these concerns, but it didn’t. It only made them worse. Not only does Ben STILL not have to pay for his actions, but Pippa basically forgives him. They actually kind of become friends. Maybe I’m a cold-hearted, grudge-holding bitch, but I didn’t forgive Ben. It had been like 8 months since I read the first book and I still hated him! I still wanted him to pay and suffer the consequences. I didn’t care about his “excuse” (which was pretty weak). I just hated him, and then I hated Pippa because she didn’t hate him.
View Spoiler »Pippa wasn’t that awesome at photography
And finally, I wanted Pippa to at least rock the photography part of the book, but she didn’t. I feel like she was a bit of a noob at the camp. All she ever talks about is “the rule of thirds”; it’s like the only thing she knows, so she assumes that’s all she NEEDS to know.
The first few pics aren’t terrible—I’ve employed the rule of thirds, my practiced technique, for the lineup of show-goers outside the building.
“I employed the rule of thirds,” I say, pointing out how I positioned the couch in the frame so that it runs up the right third of the photo.
She nods. “Sure, but your depth of field is all off.”
“Oh,” I say, but what I really mean is, “Huh?”
Does she really not know what that is?
I was just disappointed because I hated Ben and I thought the least Pippa could do was rock the pants off this photography camp.. but she didn’t. On the VERY FIRST DAY of class, the teacher says:
“Two of you won’t even make it to the end of the two weeks. Will likely get drunk tonight and forget all about the reason you’re at the show.”
I can’t imagine anyone coming first or second in their regional Vantage Point competition and making it here only to drop out or get drunk the first night.
But, naturally, Pippa goes out and gets HAMMERED that night, barely making it to class the next day. I mean, seriously?
Overall
Depth of Field was a VERY quick read. I read it in a single evening in just a couple hours. I think there is some potential to enjoy this book if you don’t hate Ben as fiercely as I do, but if you’re like me and wanted Ben to burn in the fiery depths of hell then prepare to be massively disappointed.
The Verdict
Sorry you didn’t like this but from the sounds of it, I don’t think it’ll be for me either! I did enjoy the first book, I thought it was short and sweet and when I heard about this sequel, I was kinda surprised (because the Rule of Thirds could easily have done as a standalone) but also looking forward to more tales with Pippa! But ugh, I hated Ben so much too! Like what he did was so despicable and he doesn’t belong at Tisch! I hate that he doesn’t get what he deserves in this book either.
Anyway great review! I think I’ll be skipping this because I really did not like Ben either and Pippa sounds a bit annoying.
Yeah I enjoyed the first book too (except the ending where Ben got away with everything). I just hoped this second book would take a very different, anti-Ben approach and it didn’t. 🙁