Thursday, February 19, 2015

Book Review: Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) By Sarah Mlynowski

THE DETAILS:
Pages: 368
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Release Date: 07/06/11
Publisher: Harper Teen
I bought this online. 
(Mine has a different cover though)

THE BLURB:
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.
In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.
MY REVIEW:
I was really looking forward to reading 'Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) By Sarah Mlynowski. I really enjoyed reading books from her 'Bras and Broomsticks' middle school series, when I was younger and I thought this would be a cute, light & fluffy kind of read too. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would have liked to. It's not that it wasn't a good book; I just don't think it was for me.

This book was a fairly quick read. I read it during the holidays and it was stormy outside, so I'm not sure how I would have gone with it if I was working and had to put it down and pick it up later. This wasn't really the kind of book that you get addicted to because you want to know what will happen next. The plot was a little all over the place and while there was one story-line, there were a lot of other little disjointed things that happened along the way.

I didn't really like the main characters as much as I think I should have. I just kept thinking they were really immature and really irresponsible. I know that it was for the purpose of the story, but I didn't feel like I could identify with the characters at all. The story was a little scandalous, so I can imagining fans of 'Gossip Girl' and 'The Hills' enjoying this book. I liked that the characters weren't overly judgmental of each other. This was the one mature thing. I honestly probably would have been a little more judgmental in some of those scenes...

This book tackles the issue of abandonment and divorced parents. I really liked the way these parts of the book were written and the way that flash backs and correspondence regarding the family were dispersed throughout the story. This was probably what kept me interested in the novel. This book also shows us why we have rules and that responsibility is a big deal.

Overall, 3.5/5 stars. This novel did bring a smile to my face a few times, but I don't think it was really suited to me. I would recommend this book to someone enjoys teen shows like 90210 and is looking for a quick read.


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Natalie

1 comment:

Witchcrafted Life said...

You know, and this isn't something I say everyday, but I think the title of this book would make for a great blog post! Who doesn't have a list of ten (or a hundred) things they did that they probably shouldn't have? Goodness knows (more so in my teen years), that there are plenty of things I could file under that header myself. :)

♥ Jessica