Stacey Kade
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Caroline Sands has never been particularly good at making friends. And her parents’ divorce and the move to Arizona three years ago didn’t help. Being the new girl is hard enough without being socially awkward too. So out of desperation and a desire to please her worried mother, Caroline invented a whole life for herself—using characters from Felicity, an old show she discovered online and fell in love with.REVIEW
But now it’s time for Caroline to go off to college and she wants nothing more than to leave her old “life” behind and build something real. However, when her mother discovers the truth about her manufactured friends, she gives Caroline an ultimatum: Prove in this first semester that she can make friends of the nonfictional variety and thrive in a new environment. Otherwise, it’s back to living at home—and a lot of therapy.
Armed with nothing more than her resolve and a Felicity-inspired plan, Caroline accepts the challenge. But she soon realizes that the real world is rarely as simple as television makes it out to be. And to find a place where she truly belongs, Caroline may have to abandon her script and take the risk of being herself.
Confession: Felicity was, and still remains, one of my favorite TV shows of all time. When I saw this cover, I knew before reading the synopsis that fictional Felicity was going to play some role in the story, and with that being the case, I had to read it. And you know what? Finding Felicity was a fun, heartwarming, and totally relatable YA-goes-to-college book.
For the first time in my life, I want the real thing and not the imagined version in my head.I related to Caroline on so many levels. My family moved from Brooklyn to a very small town (seriously, 1 square mile) in NJ, where kids in my school had actually shared space in the hospital nursery after they were born (true story). Therefore, I totally sympathized with how difficult it was for Caroline, when she had to move from NY to Arizona. To a place where all the friend groups were already established, and they really weren't looking for any new members. I shared her loneliness, and also, her need to alleviate her mother's fears about the move.
I want someone who loves me because of who I am, not in spite of it. Is that so much to ask?Just like Caroline, I saw college as a "clean slate", a place where I could be a "new version" of me. This was a part of the story I really liked, because this was where Caroline started her journey of self-discovery. She made many rookie mistakes, but after some missteps, she began to trust her own instincts, and started to find her tribe, and things began to look up.
Here there's only one empty spot, and it's for me. It makes me want to pinch myself to see if this is reality.I have to commend Kade on the fine cast of characters she assembled. I really enjoyed getting to know them all, but I especially loved Lexi and Del. I wasn't sure about Lexi at first. I actually thought Caroline had lost the roommate lottery there, but the more I got to know Lexi, the more I understood her, and eventually, I sort of loved her. Del won me over from his first scene on page. I wasn't sure if he would pop up again in the story, but I was really happy he did, because he was all sorts of adorable and wonderful.
It's the start of the life I was searching for, even though it's nothing like what I expected.You DO NOT need to be a fan of the the show to enjoy this book, but as a Felicity fan, I liked looking for the parallels to and mentions of the show. I got all giddy when I saw the show's characters names mentioned here and there, and found it quite amusing when Caroline would ask herself, "What would Felicity do?" Like Felicity, Caroline made an impulsive decision to follow a boy, who she wanted to know better to college. Crazy? Yes. But it also ended up being the place where Caroline finally found herself. She grew, learned from her mistakes, and began to find her place in the world.
Overall: A enjoyable and heartfelt journey of self-discovery, which spoke to this introverted-Felicity-lover.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prior to writing full time, Kade worked as an award-winning copywriter for several Fortune 500 companies. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg, and their two retired racing greyhounds.
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Have you ever watched Felicity?
Let us know in the comments!
I love the quotes that you chose to feature for this book! I have only watched a handful of the Felicity episodes, so I probably missed a lot of the connections between the show and the book. However, I really enjoyed the way this book showed how Caroline came to grips with her introverted personality.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a solid knowledge of the show was necessary to enjoy this. I love coming of age tales, and it was even better for me, because Caroline was so much like my teenaged self.
DeleteI’ve never seen the TV show so all the references would be lost on me. But this still sounds like a good coming-into-your-own story with a great cast of characters.
ReplyDeleteI felt like the references were treats for Felicity fans, but you didn't need to have seen the show to enjoy the story. It was a very good, as you put it, coming-into-your-own story, and they amongst my favorite type of YA stories.
DeleteI never watched this show, but I do know the gist of it. Even without that, I think I could relate to Caroline, because it's hard for me to make friends and try new things.
ReplyDeleteI only own two TV series on DVD and Felicity is one of them. Caroline was so much like the 30 years ago me, and if I had read a book like this back then, I probably would have found it encouraging.
DeleteOh, what a clever story! Felicity wasn't my cup of tea, but I am well aware of it, so I'd be really curious to read this. Thanks for putting this on my radar!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy coming of age tales, and this one was more enjoyable, because I could relate to Caroline and all her struggles.
DeleteI can't believe I never watched Felicity when it was on tv. It's always fun when you do find those parallels in a book like you saw in this one. I am a fan of this author so I'll have to check this one out sometime!
ReplyDeleteThis is my first Kade book, but I was checking out her GR page. I see other books that I would definitely like by her.
DeleteI'm so excited to read a review by a real fan of the show. I didn't watch Felicity but I really do need a new show to watch....
ReplyDeleteJen Ryland Reviews
I remember this show so fondly, and I was really happy that the WB/CW let Felicity have her full 4 years of college (it was touch and go EVERY season). I can't say the name Benjamin without doing it in Javier's voice (I loved that character).
DeleteCan you believe that I have never watched Felicity? I really don't know how I missed it. This sounds like a really well done book. I am so glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteThe show came out 4 years after I graduated from college, but I was always a fan of the WB/CW shows (still am), and this girl's story just captured my attention and my heart.
DeleteI have heard such wonderful things about this book! I know it has ties to a show, but I've never seen it! Maybe I should watch it... what do you think? Read the book first or watch the show?
ReplyDeleteDo You Dog-ear?
You don't need to watch it to enjoy the book, but I loved the show. If you like those 90s dramedy-type shows, you might enjoy it.
DeleteReading this book almost has me ambitious enough to break out my Felicity DVDs (or check Netflix?).
ReplyDeleteI have never watched the telly show myself but I have heard about it and this book before. It sounds like you can relate with a lot of Felicity's struggles on a personal lesson as well. It's always interesting to see the different ways people plan for their uni/college experience to be like.
ReplyDeleteMy recent post: http://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/03/broken-moon-book-review-giveaway/
It's always a plus to relate to the character, and the Felicity tie in was an added bonus for me.
DeleteGreat review, Sam! A long while back I read and absolutely loved Stacey Kade's The Ghost and the Goth series (actually, I have yet to read the last book in that series... I'm really bad at finishing series, okay?! Lol), and I am just starting to get into contemporaries little by little, so I think I might have to check out this book!
ReplyDeleteThis is my first book by Kade, but am interesting in seeing what else she has written. I will have to check that series out.
DeleteOh my goodness, how cute is this! I used to watch a bit but stopped and don't know what happened in the show except -- does she cut her hair too? LOL Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteOMG! The haircut season was filled with such viewer backlash. It was symbolic, but I remember how mad people were about it.
DeleteI'd not heard about this newest Stacey kade book but it sounds really good. i know we're all guilty of telling lies to our parents to make them worry less so I get the logic behind the lies. I never moved around as a kid so I can't relate but I remember uni being the time where I wanted to reinvent myself (and didn't) but did find out who I was and shaped myself for the future. It forced independence upon me and even if I will never be a social butterfly I am now capable of talking to strangers, I just recognise I hate it. I am definitely adding this to me TBR.
ReplyDeleteThis was a lie that took on a life of its own, but Kade kept it sort of fun and light. I lived home for school (it was 2 miles from my house), but my daughter grew up so much at college. I think it's a very valuable experience.
DeleteI've never seen the show but I loved this book.
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
See. You are proof that one can enjoy this book without any prior knowledge of the show. (which is awesome by the way)
DeleteOh my gosh, I loved the show too! It was the first time I'd ever seen the college experience portrayed on TV. I've heard nothing but good things about Stacey Kade, so her rep and this premise is making me consider picking this one up even though it's not my usual kind of read!
ReplyDeleteThis is my first Kade book, and I will definitely read more from her. This is sort of exactly my kind of read, so it was good fit for me. I you like character driven stories or coming of age stories, you could enjoy this one.
DeleteI loved the show Felicity! I am glad that this book worked out for you. I love when I read a book and can relate to the main character! Great review!
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely a more meaningful reading experience when you can relate to the character. I think it heightens the emotions you feel when reading.
Delete