Review: Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)

Title: Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 7, 2011

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have. If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them. 

Ten Things we Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) is super fun. I suspected as much based on the title and synopsis, but I was surprised to find that the story is also quite sweet. April’s adventures – including the adoption of an adorable kitten named Donut, frequent parties, sex, and purchasing a flamingo-pink hot tub named Hula – are as ridiculous as they are hilarious. Fortunately, the craziness of April’s lifestyle is grounded by her normality, realistic struggles with interpersonal relationships, and family issues.
 

Ten Things we Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) contains some very touching, emotional moments relating to April’s scattered family and abandonment issues. It never approaches tearjerker territory, thanks in large part to the humour and sense of teenage debauchery that infuses each sentence, but the depth and development of its characters keeps the book from being merely a fluffy, funny attention-diverter. I also liked the cutely creative narrative quirks Sarah Mlynowski integrated into the book, such as random mini-flashbacks and aptly-named chapter titles summarizing the ten things April and her friends did (and, you know, shouldn’t have).
 

The romance is fairly predictable. It’s definitely cute, I liked the “mystery” surrounding one half (third?) of the love triangle, but there seems to be too little build-up for what happens at the very end of the novel. Nevertheless, Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) is endlessly entertaining, with an endearingly teenage narrator, a refreshing lack of stereotypical side characters, and quirky-cute writing.
 

Rating: 4/5
 

Cover Thoughts: The models' expressions are cute, but I'm kind of indifferent to the cover as a whole; my biggest pet peeve with contemporary young adult covers is that there's nothing especially unique or eye-catching that draws my attention, which is sort of the case here.
 

If you liked Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have), you may enjoy reading:
 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
 

The Summer I turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Review: Tell Me a Secret

Title: Tell Me a Secret
Author: Holly Cupala
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: June 22, 2010

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own. Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own. In this powerful debut novel, stunning new talent Holly Cupala illuminates the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her own future.

Tell Me a Secret is emotional and intriguing from its very first chapter. Holly Cupala perfectly captures her main character's teenage response to her situation. Rand’s emotions and choices are also thoughtfully depicted, and her narrative manages to be imbued with both the uncertainty of youth and a quiet, growing maturity.

That said, Miranda (Rand) is a difficult main character to connect with, as she’s too preoccupied with living up to the legacy of her dead sister - while simultaneously striving to prove to her parents that she is the ‘good girl’ - to form her own coherent identity. The decisions she makes relating to her personal life are far from smart, and she often seems much too willing to pretend problems don’t exist. At the same time, explanative flashbacks and her dysfunctional family make it impossible not to sympathize with her to a certain extent. Rand also inevitably matures throughout the novel, as her circumstances force her to come to terms with aspects of her life that she’s been avoiding.

My most significant issue with Tell Me a Secret is that I found it difficult to really like any of the characters, with the exception of Rand’s boss, Shelley. Rand’s best friend Delaney is a transparent mean-girl, and while boyfriend Kamran’s callous reaction to Rand’s pregnancy is semi-understandable, it does nothing to endear him to readers. The parental figures are, for the most part, deplorable in their inability to deal productively with the daughter they have left. It’s not necessarily that the characters are unrealistic, but that their collective lack of redeeming qualities makes it difficult to be fully invested in the story.

It’s a testament to Cupala’s simple-yet-poignant writing and pacing that I was compelled to continue reading despite these character issues. There were, in fact, a lot of things I liked about Tell Me a Secret. The story kept my attention the entire time, especially during its revelation-propelled latter half. The ending is suitably bittersweet and feels natural given the events of the novel. I especially loved the art references and how they’re integrated into Miranda’s character.

Though ostensibly about teen pregnancy, Tell Me a Secret is equally concerned with self-discovery and dealing with the fallout of a loved one’s death. Despite its largely unsympathetic cast, Holly Cupala’s debut novel is sensitive, riveting, and well-written.

Rating: 3.5/5

Cover Thoughts: Prior to reading the book, I thought it was intriguing and reflected the title well. In retrospect, I think it’s a bit misleading since the romance elements of Tell Me a Secret are a relatively minor aspect of the story.

Review: It's Not Summer Without You

Title: It's Not Summer Without You
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: April 27, 2010
Other Titles in Series: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Bk. 1), We'll Always Have Summer (Bk. 2)

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

It’s Not Summer Without You is even more captivating than the first book in Jenny Han’s summer trilogy (and that’s saying a lot, because I pretty much inhaled The Summer I Turned Pretty). I read it in one sitting, savoring each word and getting caught up in Belly’s boy drama.

The occasional flashbacks in It’s Not Summer Without You are even more crucial to the story than in the first book. Rather than revealing the characters’ shared history of summers, as they did before, the flashbacks expand on crucial moments of the past year. A few succinct chapters are told from Jeremiah’s point-of-view; these are a great addition to Belly’s narrative, as they set up future events and clarify his feelings, making him an even more sympathetic character. Conrad, of course, continues to be inscrutable, the quietly compelling opposite of his brother.

Like the first book, It’s Not Summer Without You mixes in some mature subject matter – the death of loved ones and family issues – with its romantic drama. Han’s writing conveys a lot of subtleties and character nuances despite, or perhaps because of, being fairly simplistic. The way she words Belly’s feelings manages to be poignant without shifting into an overly poetic or flowery style, and I really loved that understated eloquence.

One minor point that another review pointed out is that Belly offhandedly mentions that she can’t whistle in this installment, even though her whistle is something she’s proud of in the first book. This is a tiny inconsistency – hardly worth mentioning – but it pulled me out of the story a bit. That aside, Belly’s flaws and occasional immaturity are beautiful. Really. She’s such a teenager, but also so funny, heartfelt, and earnest in everything she does that she remains likable throughout. Her best friend Taylor is as annoying as she was in the first book, but her personality doesn’t seem contrived: I can imagine a person like her existing in real life, so their strained friendship is realistic even if it kind of got on my nerves.

The last chapter offers the same sort of abrupt cliff-hanger that concluded The Summer I Turned Pretty. I don’t really favor that kind of ending, but it certainly left me pining for the third and final book. It’s Not Summer Without You is full of boys, tequila, sand, and decisions, both good and bad. Even more so than the first book, it eloquently conveys all the turmoil, tragedy, and elation of growing up.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: The Summer I turned Pretty

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: April 6, 2010

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

The perfect hot-sun-cool-water-sand-between-your-toes beach read, The Summer I Turned Pretty features a romance- and character-driven story with some surprisingly emotional moments. I thought it would be a light, fluffy read - and it is, for the most part - but I was surprised at how quickly Jenny Han's quietly compelling writing drew me in.

Belly – whose nickname is ridiculous, even if there is a cute story attached to it – is an ‘every girl’ type of narrator. Her frustration at forever being the overlooked kid sister is juxtaposed with the uncertainty of growing out of that role. It's easy to relate to her feelings, though she sometimes seems a little selfish, a little too preoccupied with the boys in her lives. Nevertheless, Han perfectly captures the growing up stage between adolescence and adulthood, which as Belly discovers, isn't always 'pretty'.

The flashbacks to past summers are a bit jarring at first, but become more well-timed as the book progresses. The reader really gets a sense for how these characters’ relationships have been shaped by their time at Cousins Beach; Belly’s history and back-and-forth exchanges with Jeremiah and Conrad are very real-seeming, and the boys themselves are both likable in different ways. All the characters are nuanced and well-developed, teenagers and adults alike. Sibling, best friend, and mother-daughter relationships are also touched on in a way that adds to the depth of the main romantic plot(s).

Overall, The Summer I Turned Pretty is a simple but surprisingly poignant coming-of-age story best enjoyed against a backdrop of ocean water and sunny skies.

Rating: 3.5/5