Tuesday, August 7, 2012

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


Released: June 7th, 2011
Published by: HarperTeen
Series: Stand Alone
Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Source: Bought
Edition: Kindle
Page Amount: 368
Age Group: Young Adult

Summary

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.

Review

I bought this on my Kindle for 99 cents awhile back. To be honest, I kind of forgot about it until I was going through my Kindle recently and found it again. I decided it would be the perfect summer read. I had read really good reviews going into this book, so I thought it would be a good one to pick up.

First of all, the title. I mean, who can’t love that title? I think it’s adorable and perfect for the novel.

Even though this book is totally unrealistic, and something like this would be very unlikely to happen in real life, I could totally imagine myself in April’s shoes. All of the characters in this novel are very realistic. I fell in love with Hudson very fast, and detested Noah almost immediately. Vi and Marissa are people that I would want to be best friends with. April is very much the person I wish I was - independent, wild, strong, carefree, and outgoing.

I love the different settings involved in this book - Westport, Paris, and Cleveland. But really… April, why in the world wouldn’t you move to Paris? I mean… it’s Paris!

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was the ending. I felt as though it was extremely rushed, as though Sarah Mlynowski wanted to hurry up and finish the novel. I didn’t have enough closure with this book as I would have liked.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was the perfect summer read and exactly what I was in the mood to read. I definitely suggest you pick up Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have)

Cover Comments

I love this cover! I think it’s absolutely adorable, and perfect for this novel (which is absolutely adorable as well). I think it fit’s the story and title perfectly. I think it’s the perfect cover for a fun chick lit book like this one.