Ariel Kaplan
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Knopf
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Mischa Abramavicius is a walking, talking, top-scoring, perfectly well-rounded college application in human form. So when she's rejected not only by the Ivies, but her loathsome safety school, she is shocked and devastated. All the sacrifices her mother made to send her to prep school, the late nights cramming for tests, the blatantly resume-padding extracurriculars (read: Students for Sober Driving) ... all that for nothing.REVIEW
As Mischa grapples with the prospect of an increasingly uncertain future, she questions how this could have happened in the first place. Is it possible that her transcript was hacked? With the help of her best friend and sometimes crush, Nate, and a group of eccentric techies known as "The Ophelia Syndicate," Mischa launches an investigation that will shake the quiet community of Blanchard Prep to its stately brick foundations.
This was the moment, when it was all supposed to payoff. This was the reward for all her hard work, sleepless nights and her mother's financial sacrifice so that she could attend a top notch private high school. High SAT scores - check! Near perfect GPA (curse you freshman PE!) - check! A long list of leadership and club positions - check! Mischa was a dream on paper, but as everyone began celebrating their college acceptances, she received NONE.
This book was one of my anticipated reads for 2018, and it did not let me down. I throughly enjoyed Kaplan's debut, Grendel's Guide to Love and War, and therefore expected a story full or humor and heart. Not only did Kaplan deliver an often hilarious tale of senior year woe, but she also really took a hard look at the weight of expectations and the pressures that most high school students face.
Many times, overachievers are portrayed as a little bit cutthroat, but that was not the case with Mischa. When we first met her, she was secure and confident in her abilities. Yes, she was over extended to some degree, but she had a great sense of humor and a friendly demeanor. I had no problem liking her, and when things took a turn for the worst, I had no problem sharing her pain.
Mischa was lucky to have a stupendous best friend in Nate. He always seemed to have time for Mischa or made time for her. I loved the ease of their friendship and the support he gave to her. Nate was a lot more complex, than I originally anticipated, and I thought his backstory, which was slowly revealed, was an important part of Mischa's journey.
And that brings me to the part I always appreciate in YA books, the main character's journey of self discovery. Mischa's whole life plan sort of went up in smoke. Without the Ivy League acceptance letter in her hand, she had no idea who she was or what she could be. It was sort of sad to think, that people see themselves as grades and scores, but most of us were once there or ARE there, and could therefore, totally relate to Mischa's identity crisis.
I thought that was all this book was going to be about, but after all the rejections were received, a mystery began to unfold, the mystery of who sabotaged Mischa's college admissions. The whole Scooby thing with the Ophelia Syndicate was a lot of fun. How could I not love a sassy trio of stem loving girls. In addition to helping Mischa uncover the truth about her admissions failures, they also helped her see beyond "Mischa the Overachiever" and see Mischa the person.
The mystery was filled with all the delicious drama that I was expecting. It also contained plenty of social commentary, and I liked the way multiple characters added to the exploration of "what comes next". It always bothered me, that college is made to seem like the only after high school option, and it was refreshing to see other options mentioned.
Overall: This was a wonderful mixture of comedy, drama, and mystery with a touch of romance, that thoughtfully explored many of the pressures associated with the standard ideas of achievement.
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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I hadn't even heard of this one until recently but it sounds really well done. College is so stressful and getting into the "right one" really can be a make it or break it for people. I'm so curious about this! Glad you loved it.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I was pleasantly surprised by it, and really liked some of the commentary regarding the entire process
DeleteSomehow I missed this, but I think I'll have to check it out. :)
ReplyDeleteCheck out my TTT and celebrate my blogoversary with a giveaway
If you like humorous books with feels this could be a good fit for you
DeleteGreat review. Makes me want to read the book. :-)
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Kaplan is 2 for 2 with me, and this book was even better than expected
DeleteI’ve been wondering about this one and now I’m going to have to read it. I love the sound of it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to read it, because it was really great.
DeleteGreat review, Sam. This sounds like a good look at the question “What now?” when The Big Plan is no longer a viable option.
ReplyDeleteThe protagonist struggled with the situation and it was a great self discovery story once she accepted the situation
DeleteI thought this was going to be all about getting into college but a Scooby Doo type mystery sounds like fun. I might just have to pick this one up!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised as well. Kaplan did a great job blending the mystery in
DeleteYou are very convincing Sam! Humor, overachiever but not cutthroat ....Sold ;-)
ReplyDeleteMischa really was a wonderful yet extremely driven person. I was so rooting for her to get to the bottom of this mess, and my heart broke for her as rejection, after rejection came in.
DeleteThis sounds so relatable! I think it's hard for teenagers to separate themselves from their transcripts and test scores because it's just drilled into everyone that those are the most important things.
ReplyDeleteThe whole process, the competition, the rejection -- all very relatable, but I liked that Kaplan added another layer to that with the mystery.
DeleteOoh, a mystery too. I'd like to meet these characters and that title and cover crack me up:)
ReplyDeleteTotally wasn't expecting that, and it took the story to a different place. I was full on expecting something a la How I Got Into College, and I got something that was part that, but also a little deeper.
DeleteI may have to pick this one up for my daughter. I think that both of us would really relate to it and it just sounds like fun.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun, but also thoughtful, and it was an interesting perspective on the whole getting into college thing, as well as highlighting other peripheral issues.
DeleteThis does sound really good! I remember the dread of awaiting college acceptance (or rejection) letters. Great review!
ReplyDeleteNow the rejections are more instantaneous with email. Kaplan did a great job capturing the anxiety and frustration of the whole process.
DeleteThis is so totally my 16yo daughter! I worry about her giving herself an ulcer in an attempt to get into an Ivie when the school you attend matters so little in the overall scheme of things! I think I need to read this book. Thanks for recommending!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think a lot of HS students could relate to this, and just about anyone, who has been through the process and can look at it with hindsight could appreciate it too. It's funny but thoughtful and that's a great combination.
DeleteThis is such a lovely review, I am so, so happy you enjoyed this book as much as I did! I thought it was a fun, yet very important read too and I loved the main character's journey. That whole "Scooby" thing, as you perfectly mentioned it, was so much fun to follow just as well :D
ReplyDeleteI hope I hear more people talking about this book, because Kaplan's books are really great.
DeleteAhh how can I've never heard of this book before? It sounds really fun yet also realistic, I'm adding it to my tbr! Great review, I'm curious about the mystery of who sabotaged Mischa grades :D
ReplyDeleteTasya // The Literary Huntress
The stress and pressure of the college admissions process was so real, even if some of it was more unrealistic. The sabotage angle was really interesting, and has some hidden social commentary in there too.
DeleteGreat review. Just recently heard about this book and its great MC. Glad you loved the book and can’t wait to read it! ❤️
ReplyDeleteI wish more people were talking about this book, because it smart and funny and really well plotted, when you step back and take a look at the whole. It touches upon some real things too. I'm a fan.
DeleteFantastic review! I love the sound of the mystery and I think the sabotage element to the college applications sounds interesting. I can imagine the drama of not getting accepted to any of the colleges and I'm excited to see that blow up at the start before the mystery unravels.
ReplyDeleteI kind of like that Kaplan went beyond the rejections, and had that extra sabotage plot in there. It kept it in the funny zone, while still exploring some very real issues regarding the admissions process.
DeleteI am glad this book didn't let you down and that you were able to really enjoy reading it as well! I have to admit that rejections are hard and there seem to be so many success stories in literature, it's nice to see a rejection story getting some light (even though there is probably sabotage involved here!)
ReplyDeleteThis was so great, and you're right, we need to see more failure stories. Though this went off into a real fictional direction, it was interesting to see her try to figure out what to do following the implosion of her plans.
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