After a lifetime of New Age “adventures” with her weirdo hippie mom, fifteen-year-old Maddie is realizing a lifelong dream and visiting New York City. Armed with her 130-item to-do list, Maddie hits the streets of New York with her friend Anna and Anna’s brother, Thomas. Maddie drags her friends around on an epic quest for the ultimate art-show outfit, oblivious to the fact that they don’t share her passion for vintage clothing. Three days into the trip, a most unwelcome surprise--the arrival of Maddie’s mother--threatens to derail the entire adventure. As her mother’s obsession with dietary trends and fortune-tellers takes center stage, and everyone’s tempers get thin, Maddie has to face some ugly facts about how she’s been treating her friends.
"There is complexity in the characters that encourages the reader to reflect on Maddie's critical attitude. This is evident when Maddie takes control of Anna's trip without considering her friend's wishes...While the novel is a sequel to Farmed Out, readers unfamiliar with the previous story will have no problem starting with The Big Apple Effect and will be left hoping for a sequel after a possible love interest and developments in Maddie's art career are introduced late in the novel."
"Thanks to the book's convincing teen dialogue and believable characters, readers will identify with Maddie's palpable excitement at her taste of freedom...A quick paced, lighthearted yet insightful romp about a girl and her emotional, quirky, New Age mom...Deftly tackles important issues such as the boundaries of friendship, dangers of self-pity, the value of self-awareness, and the healing power of forgiveness."