“There were two ostriches, a water buffalo, and a flock of wild turkeys between me and the registration desk.”

From Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar, and Michelle Schusterman’s The Pros of Cons.

Callie, Vanessa, and Phoebe are three strangers that have descended on a probably-overbooked Florida convention center for three uniquely different conventions.  Callie is here for the taxidermy championships convention acting as her unattached father’s assistant all while just hoping that he’ll notice her as his daughter, Vanessa is attending her first comic/nerd/fandom convention as a fan-fiction writer and is most excited about meeting her girlfriend/fanfic co-author in person for the first time, and Phoebe is a percussionist attending with other members of her poorer-than-all-the-other-schools percussion ensemble.  When a bag mix-up in the lobby and heartbreaking expectations forces the three girls to meet, an unexpected series of events is set in motion for results that throw three separate conventions into mild calamity.  Each girl is struggling with family and friend issues, competition troubles, and life-shattering embarrassment… all while just trying to survive their respective conventions.  During one weekend at a convention center, the three girls experience a big dose of the harsh reality that is involved in growing up.  As their worlds come crashing down together, the three strangers-turned-friends join together to enact some plans that involve revenge, forgiveness, and just the right amount of craziness.

This joint effort from the three authors is an interesting read with Cherry writing Callie’s chapters, Ribar writing Vanessa, and Schusterman covering Phoebe; each girl offers a unique perspective to the other narrator voices which helps to keep the story moving and from becoming too confusing.  One annoying aspect of the book is that certain authors/characters really push an agenda in their portion of the story, but thankfully, the occurrences do dwindle down by the middle and end of the book.  The most enjoyable part of The Pros of Cons is watching the stories intertwine for an overall interesting story.