ebook, 288 pages
Expected publication: July 23rd 2013 by EgmontUSA
Received for review via NetGalley
SYNOPSIS:
A hint of Recovery Road, a sample of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and a cut of Juno. A Really Awesome Mess is a laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching/heart-warming story of two teenagers struggling to find love and themselves.
Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.
Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.
Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.
Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they might even call each other friends.
A funny, sad, and remarkable story, A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for.
REVIEW:
Once again authors Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin have come together to create a book I absolutely adore. Like their collaboration on "Notes from the Blender", the duo managed to create fun, refreshing, and unique characters that are attractive to even the readers who feel like they have read it all.
Received for review via NetGalley
SYNOPSIS:
A hint of Recovery Road, a sample of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and a cut of Juno. A Really Awesome Mess is a laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching/heart-warming story of two teenagers struggling to find love and themselves.
Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.
Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.
Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.
Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they might even call each other friends.
A funny, sad, and remarkable story, A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for.
REVIEW:
Once again authors Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin have come together to create a book I absolutely adore. Like their collaboration on "Notes from the Blender", the duo managed to create fun, refreshing, and unique characters that are attractive to even the readers who feel like they have read it all.
I believe that the main reason the rising powerhouse duo have such likability is the "real factor" in their novels. The characters are real and believable, and overwhelming relatable.
Much like Declan in "Notes", Justin too has a strong like for pornography, as do many of the other boys in the book, and that of course is off-putting to the female protagonist, Emmy. Both characters are wonderful to read about, proving that Cook and Halpin's writing works together like peanut butter and jelly.
The characters are set in a unique surrounding and each has to face their own demons. Another reason to like this book is the fact that the love story comes second to the characters' internal battles. It's not the mushy stuff that comes from romance novels, and while I like that, it's refreshing to see a relationship closer to real ones: awkward, confusing, and uncertain.
This book is definitely a must read, and what I've said in my previous review of the two's writing collab stands true. "I think of it as a powerhouse duo similar to David Levithan and Rachel Cohn."
I expect even more brilliance from the two in the future and hope they continue to write together and create these brilliant, unique, funny, and delightful characters that seem to inhabit their mind space.
Review for Mera's YA Book List: http://merasyabooklist.blogspot.com/
Check out my review of "Notes From The Blender" here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/180810277
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