Money is more than the thing you use to pay your bills, mortgage, or food. Money can change people. Sometimes it’s for the worse, and sometimes it’s for the better. The Fortunes of Indigo Skye tells the story about what happens to an ordinary girl when she receives 2.5 million dollars, and what effects the money has on her new life. But this novel isn’t just some silly story about “money can’t buy happiness”. There’s a lot more to it. The story is filled with romance, comedy, heated arguments, and much more. The novel The Fortunes of Indigo Skye, written by Deb Caletti, is a fabulous book, and I would recommend it to any reader who enjoys his or her books with drama.

The book begins with Indigo Skye, a senior in high school, talking about her loving family, her caring friends, her job she loves, and her economic situation. In spite of not having much money, Indigo is very pleased with her life, and would ask for nothing more. During her job as a waitress at a restaurant, Indigo and her co-workers start to notice a middle-aged man who comes into the restaurant daily. One day, Indigo decides to talk to the man; she treats him with kindness and gives him good advice by helping him figure out the problems in his life. Indigo expects no rewards for her little act of kindness, but one day she receives an unexpected tip from the man. The man left Indigo an envelope containing 2.5 million dollars, and a note explaining that the money is a reward for her kindness. Indigo is shocked; she has never had to deal with so much money before. She goes shopping because that’s what she thought most rich people would do, as her shopping trip goes on, all the money starts to get to her head. Will too much money get the best of her? You will have to read the novel to find out!

The main theme of the novel is portrayed in different ways throughout the novel. In the beginning of the book, Indigo is quite satisfied with the life she had been living because she is with the people she loves. Because of her lack of money, her bedroom was in a garage, and her toilet seat was broken, but she was still happy with her life. She used to say she wouldn’t change her life for anything. Overall, the message the novel portrays is that to be happy in life, you don’t need materialistic things.

I have my personal likes and dislikes about this book. I like how the book is written in first person; this really helped me understand and connect with what Indigo was going through. Also, I like how the novel has a little bit of everything to which readers my age can relate. It has drama, romance, conflicts, and parallels with real life. I also love the author’s way of writing. Deb Calleti really shows how good of a writer she is by vividly portraying the feelings and thoughts of a teenager. I have only one main dislike about this book, which is that it is somewhat predictable. From my experience with other stories, there were some parts where I could predict exactly what was going to happen next. In spite of that flaw, the positive qualities of the book make the story enjoyable.

This book has a lot of connections to the world we live in. The plot of the book displays how everyone in this world wants more and more things. Especially today, companies keep coming out with new “cool” products, and everyone wants them. People think they need to spend their money on pointless things to be happy. But in reality, they don’t need all those materials things to be happy. All you really need is the love and support from your family and friends. This story also relates to my life. Even though I sometimes want all the fancy, materialistic things in life, I don’t get all of them. Still, I am happy with the life I have. I have friends who are there for me, and a family who loves me.
To conclude, The Fortunes of Indigo Skye is a fabulous book. From reading this novel, I learned that money doesn’t buy happiness even though many people think it does. Deb Caletti really captures this theme in her writing. I would give this novel 4 out of 5 stars for its compelling plot. I would recommend it to pre-teens who are looking for a light read which they can relate to. All in all, you should read this outstanding novel and find out for yourself what happens to Indigo Skye!