Since the death of her mother Hailey has tried to be the perfect daughter for her father. She gets good grades, doesn't get into trouble and does everything by the rules. What she's most looking forward to is spending the last summer with her father before she leaves for college. But when he suddenly cancels their plans all her pent up frustration is unleashed as she takes out her anger on some school property. The one time Hailey does something bad and she gets caught. Overnight she ends up losing her boyfriend, the trust of her best friend and shunned by peers who used to look up to her. Yet she still wont reveal who else was with her that night.

Hailey means well--because she's trying to protect someone she ends up taking the blame for what happened and deals with the consequences. One of her punishments is to work with the janitorial crew where she meets Drew. I would describe Hailey as a "in the box" kind of person and Drew draws her out. He shows her his world and it opens her eyes. I was initially wary of Kelsie. I thought she might be the backstabbing best friend and move in to take Hailey's place once she lost her popularity. She seems to be hiding something from Hailey and not telling the whole truth but in the end it all worked out the best for both of them.

Eileen Cook's books are always fun and entertaining and this one was no exception. It'll have you laughing, smiling and rooting for Hailey right till the very end.

After the death of her mother, Hailey has done her best to be a great daughter for her father. Hailey is an outstanding student with good grades and always followed the rules. She also gained popularity while dating her boyfriend, Tristan, who is the son of Oscar winning celebrities. Although she is an excellent student with a bright future ahead of her, Hailey does her best to please everyone else except herself.

Hailey wants nothing more than to spend the last summer of high school with her father before she leaves for college; however, her father cancels plans with her through e-mail one night. This leaves Hailey feeling as though all she had done to make her father proud was meaningless and that she would never come first. Hailey's anger gets the best of her and she takes it out on school property with the help of a boy named Joel, Tristan's best friend. In the heat of the moment, Joel kisses Hailey and reveals his true feelings for her. The school security guard catches them in the act, however, only recognizes Hailey.

For the very first time that Hailey does something rebellious, she gets caught. Dean Winston demands Hailey to reveal who her accomplice was in front of the entire school, however, she refuses to name Joel. Dean Winston decides to punish the entire school by making them unable to leave campus until Hailey reveals who her accomplice was. Hailey loses her boyfriend, the trust of her best friend and is shunned by peers who always looked up to her and befriended her, yet she still refuses to reveal who was with her that night.

The Education of Hailey Kendrick is a fun and entertaining novel which will have you smiling, laughing and rooting for Hailey right until the very end. Hailey is character who you will instantly fall in love with. Although Hailey seems to have the perfect life at the start, she does have some flaws and needs help to discover what she truly desires most for herself. Throughout the novel I found myself wishing I could be there to help her through it all. From the very beginning, I enjoyed the flow of the story. Eileen Cook incorporated humor and created a genuine main character, complete with many relatable emotions.

I admire that Eileen Cook created a story-line based on real issues such as friendship, family, responsibility and loyalty. I believe there are many lessons to be learned in this novel. One lesson can be described through the journey Hailey took to discover who she really is, and doing so all on her own. This takes a lot of courage and perseverance. Although Hailey comes from wealth and she is popular, Hailey never took anything she had for granted and remained loyal to those around her for the most part.

I believe Eileen Cook is a fantastic writer whose work I look forward to reading more of. I recommend The Education of Hailey Kendrick to anyone who enjoys Young Adult fiction.


4/5 - An Enjoyable Read, Well Written, Recommended

I've been a fan of all of Eileen Cook's books and this one did not disappoint. It has all the good stuff that I've come to know as regular ingredients in a Cook novel: great characters, real issues and laugh out loud moments that are so rare in other books. Hailey Kendrick is a strong, smart and loyal character - the kind you'd totally want as a best friend, but it seems that in being what everyone wants her to be, she's missed out on figuring out what she wants to be. With the help of a new friend, the kind of guy she never would have expected to hang out with, Hailey begins to figure out her life and realizes that real living means taking real risks. Another great title from Cook that reminded me a bit of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - another great boarding school book. I can't wait to see what's next from this author.