Ten Things We Did
(And Probably Shouldn't Have)
by Sarah Mlynowski
Released: June 7, 2011Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Amount: 345, US Paperback
POV: 1st Person (April)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon
OVERALL:
Plot-14/20
Characters-13/20
Creativity-15/20
Writing-16/20
Pace-5/10
Ending-4/10
=67/100 D
★★/5
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.-Goodreads.com
I'm not going to lie, I was really excited to pick up this book. Why? Well, I thought it would be a fun, romantic, care-free read. After trudging through this book, I think it is safe to say that someone, or rather many someones, acted care-free with this book. First off, the writing was not the best. The way the book skipped back into random flashbacks bored and confused me the majority of the time. Even worse than that is the fact that this book has zero plot whatsoever. This could have been so easily avoided if Mlynowski just moved up the "big realization" to the middle of the book, ya know, where the climax should actually be. This book had a lot more potential than it showed. I read a short story by Mlynowski that demonstrated a zillion times more talent than this book.
From the summary, I thought this was going to be a fan story about friendship and love. Just look at the cover! There was no romance in this book until the last page, which by that point I was already so ticked off at April and Noah that I didn't even think she deserved romance.
The characters were the worst part about this book. I did not relate to April at all. I felt no connection with her. I thought that her friendships seemed strained and that Vi seemed two-dimensional. Even the Hudson brothers seemed out of place. But still, the worst character was by far Noah. I hate him. Like I want to track him down and punch him. I know guys like Noah, so I was very emotionally charged when he was revealed to be an unattached jerk. There must be something with guys with names that start with N... Anyway, I do believe that Mlynowski did a good job at making her message clear and by showing how jerky guys can be. Girls should hear that message and take it to heart, I just with she, or her publisher, didn't give this book its false romantic appearance.
The ending was certainly crazy. Whether it was crazy in a good or a bad way, I still don't know. The ending, like the rest of the book, made me shake my head in dismay. I just feel as though April made her own decisions and knew of all of the possible repercussions. I do, however, understand how she was unaware of what scum Noah is. He ticked me off so much throughout the entire book. All in all, jerks like Noah make me hate humanity. Basically, if you want a fun book to read for like an hour, then this is the book for you. If you prefer deep, character and plot driven book, I'd steer clear of this title.
My Favorite Part: The great debate about redheads either being evil or hot. My vote is that they are hot, but I am a teeny tiny bit biased.
ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Umm...
Thanks for reading!
It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥
I'm confused the last part is it a trailer for a second book or what?
ReplyDelete