Thursday, March 1, 2012

Review: Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters
by Meredith Zeitlin

Publication Date: March 1st, 2012
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9780399254239

Where to Buy:
B&N | Amazon | The Book Depository

Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.

Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Kelsey’s hilarious commentary throughout her disastrous freshman year will have you laughing out loud—while being thankful that you’re not in her shoes, of course…(Goodreads)
In Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters, we follow new Freshman Kelsey Finkelstein through her first year of high school. All Kelsey wants is to make her mark and to have a really great first year. Unfortunately for Kelsey, things do not work out exactly as she has planned them to.

I really love Kelsey’s character. She kept me in stitches with all the mishaps that happen on her first year of high school. I can totally sympathize with her on some of the things that happened; as I definitely remember my freshman year all too well. Her best friends; Cass, JoJo and Em were all wonderfully well thought out characters as well! I really enjoyed the relationships that these four girls had.

All of the ‘disasters’ that poor Kelsey went through definitely make the book a hilarious read. From her first kiss, to being back-stabbed by her best friend over a boy, to a school play gone wrong; it all adds up to some really funny situations. Add in some pretty emotional teenage drama, a great storyline and it all comes together into a really fun read.

The only part in the book that I had an issue with was all the underage drinking. Call me a prude, but I am not a fan of drinking at all. And being a mom of a 13 year old, I would definitely not want my daughter drinking at that age. I understand that all kids experiment, and that’s ok, but I just felt that it went a little overboard. I do, however, think that the author sent out a good message about the other issues that teen’s face; sex, drugs, homosexuality, etc. (Please keep in mind that this is just me, and I know many people will not feel this way!)

Overall, this book is definitely one of the funniest books I’ve read so far this year. The teenage drama and the fun characters definitely kept me hooked. I am definitely looking forward to reading more work by this author in the future. This really was a great read!

11 comments:

  1. I've been hearing nonstop about how hilarious this book is, as well as the main character. I really want to meet Kelsey as well!

    Asher

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  2. I've been dying to read this! It sounds like such a fun book! Thanks for the great review!

    ~Debz

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  3. I've been seeing this book everywhere lately and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy! I love a book that can make me laugh:) Underage drinking sometimes bothers me and sometimes doesn't, it all depends on the book I think. I'll be interested to see how I feel about it in this one:)

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  4. I've been seeing a lot good things about this book! Glad it's funny, I've been looking for something fun to make laugh! Great review, glad you enjoyed it. Definitely want to read this one at some point.

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  5. I don't read enough funny books and I'd really want to give this one a try :) !! Thanks for the review Christy and for all the great comments you left on my blog !

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  6. I liked this one a lot. It was really funny and sweet and definitely reminded me a bit of what I was like at Kelsey's age. I also like the fact that this book tackled some real issues in an entertaining but still insightful way. Great review :)

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  7. Gah! I wish I'd taken up the offer to read this one! I've heard from a bunch of people how funny it is and how they adored it--Kelsey sounds like a bit of a jinx, poor thing. I'm with you on the underage drinking. You know it goes on but...

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  8. I just read another review for this one and, coupled with yours, I'm definitely sold on the book. I feel iffy about reading about characters so young, but I can't pass up some good humor. Great review!

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  9. This one sounds so funny! My memories of freshmen year are very, very fresh in my mind--probably because it's happening right now! :) So, I'm very curious to see how the author portrays it. I'm definitely not a fan of underage drinking but I'm sure I'll still like this one. Great review, Christy!

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  10. I have to admit that I never really paid much attention to this book, but your review definitely intrigues me. It sounds like a fun and light-hearted read and I'm definitely in the mood for one of these. :D Thanks a lot for sharing!

    Carina

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  11. I hadn't really heard much about this book until your review. Sounds like a funny, lighter read that might be good in the summer.

    I can recall my first year of highschool as well and I can only imagine the distasters she faces. hehe.

    Glad to know it also has a message in there, and I can imagine your perspective changes if you have children around the same age. I would feel the same!

    Great review. I might have to check this one out.

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Thanks for stopping by! :)