ARC, 291 pages
Release Date: June 16, 2015Published by: HarperTeenStand-aloneSource: ATWATFor fans of: Contemps, Romance, Realistic FictionA fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti!
Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.
But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.
And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.
Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.
In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave.
*MY THOUGHTS*
The only thing that got me interested in this one was why Matt “abruptly left.” I almost waited it out and just read the reviews about it to see why, but in the end, my curiosity won out. Eventually, I asked myself if I really wanted to read it and I just said, “Yes.”
Ella has a crappy love life. It barely has an existence and on top of that, her most current ex, Matt, left town without any type of explanation. Right after an adventurous night where she had so much fun with him. And all she had to do was continue to say “Yes.”
I hate to say this cliche, but it’s true, I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did. But I ended up really liking the characters, which in turn made me like the book. I really liked Ella. She went through so much change when Matt came back and had to realize what was best for her. It was a real coming of age story. As for Matt, I had some conflicts with him. Same conflicts I had with Sawyer from How to Love by Katie Cotguno. In the chapters from Then, I fell in love with him. He was a super sweet boy who was a nerd and was sick of moving from place to place. But just when he was about to leave, he started changing. When he came back, I felt sorry for him, but I was like Ella, pissed that he had left her that way. I wanted to stay mad at him, but his reasoning for leaving made it so hard.In the end, I fell for him and said “Forget what he did, he’s worth it!”
Although some of the things they did should have gotten them arrested, I think the night they said “Yes,” was fun and adventurous. Reading about it made me want to break a few rules,and forget everything and just do whatever I want.
Ella has a crappy love life. It barely has an existence and on top of that, her most current ex, Matt, left town without any type of explanation. Right after an adventurous night where she had so much fun with him. And all she had to do was continue to say “Yes.”
I hate to say this cliche, but it’s true, I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did. But I ended up really liking the characters, which in turn made me like the book. I really liked Ella. She went through so much change when Matt came back and had to realize what was best for her. It was a real coming of age story. As for Matt, I had some conflicts with him. Same conflicts I had with Sawyer from How to Love by Katie Cotguno. In the chapters from Then, I fell in love with him. He was a super sweet boy who was a nerd and was sick of moving from place to place. But just when he was about to leave, he started changing. When he came back, I felt sorry for him, but I was like Ella, pissed that he had left her that way. I wanted to stay mad at him, but his reasoning for leaving made it so hard.In the end, I fell for him and said “Forget what he did, he’s worth it!”
Although some of the things they did should have gotten them arrested, I think the night they said “Yes,” was fun and adventurous. Reading about it made me want to break a few rules,and forget everything and just do whatever I want.
Overall, I give this