Stephanie Kate Strohm
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Scholastic
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
What did you hear?REVIEW
Kimberly Landis-Lilley and Teddy Lin are over. Yes, the Kim and Teddy broke up.
At least that's what Phil Spooner thinks he overheard and then told Jess Howard, Kim's best friend. Something about Teddy not liking Kim's Instas? Or was it that Teddy is moving to Italy and didn't want to do long distance? Or that Kim slid into someone else's DMs?
Jess told her boyfriend, Elvis, that he needs to be on Kim's side. Especially if he wants to keep her as his girlfriend. But Elvis is also Teddy's best friend.
Now, Kim's run out of school for the day. Jess is furious. Elvis is confused. And half the lunch period won't talk to Teddy. Even the teachers have taken sides.
William Henry Harrison High will never be the same again!
As soon as I started reading this, I was like:
YES! YES! YES!
Because, this book instantly had the feel of It's Not Me, It's You, which was my gateway Strohm book, and made her one of my go-to authors, when I need some fun in my life.
The premise of this story was that William Henry Harrison High's golden couple had split. One person witnessed part of the event and went on to tell one person, who told one person, and you can see where this is going. As the rumors spread, the truth became more and more distorted and hilarity ensued.
I thought it was brilliant the way way Strohm wrote the story. I found it quite effective, especially on day one. The point of view quickly passed from one person to another, and reminded me so much of a good game of Telephone. Each person seemed to miss important bits and pieces, and then took liberties to fill in those gaps. As the story and the POV went from character to character, the chaos grew, and so did my laughter.
This was the high school version of a celebrity break up. Most people never know all the details, but they will speculate as much as they like. Nothing is off limits. People will also choose sides in a breakup, as was the case at WHHHS. You were either Team Teddy or Team Kim, at least until splinter groups began to form. Watching it all spiral out of control was highly amusing. The rapid pacing matched the buildup of emotions at WHHHS, until it all came to a head.
Just because this book was full of laughs doesn't mean it was without substance. Part of the story was about saying goodbye. Kim and Teddy were seniors, and this was their final chapter of high school. Best friends since childhood and sweethearts for the past six years, it could have been the end for the power couple. Strohm incorporated that, as well as living in the shadow a super sibling along with some other issues that are relevant to high schoolers. I liked the way Strohm integrated some of those ideas, and I may have even sniffled or shed a tear or whatnot.
The book was everything I was hoping for. It was super fun, jam packed with hijinks, adorable, sweet, and highly entertaining. I enjoyed meeting the denizens of William Henry Harrison High, and wouldn't mind catching up with them at a later date.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Although she was born in New York, she currently lives in Chicago, and doesn't discriminate against any type of pizza. When she's not writing, she loves baking, walking her dog Lorelei, taking dance cardio classes too seriously, and playing board games with her husband.
This sounds like all sorts of *fun*! I love everything about it, and it sounds like such a wonderful pcik-me-up with substance.
ReplyDeleteI laughed so much. Strohm's books are usually very, very funny, and I loved the wild ride she took me on.
DeleteThis sounds adorable and fun. I definitely will have to check this out.
ReplyDeleteGayathri @ Elgee Writes
I think all Strohm's books are fun, but this was back to the zany humor that first made me love her books.
DeleteI definitely like the premise of this one!! I might have to add it!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was super fun, and the ending was very sweet.
DeleteI sure like the sound of this and and I'm happy you got everything you were hoping for from it. Gotta love that title and cover too!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the madcap antics Strohm has featured in some of her books, and this was a return to that brand of funny.
DeleteSounds like a hoot and I really enjoyed your review. M&Ms
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Lots of fun for me, and I am not a plain M&M fan, but I love the peanut and caramel ones. Oh! And dark chocolate.
DeleteGlad this was such a hit! The synopsis totally had me thinking about the Telephone game. :)
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with how well Strohm executed the telephone feel on that first day of the book. I actually felt the "movement" of the rumor.
DeleteAhh this just sounds like fun. I need a book that will make me laugh.
ReplyDeleteIt was a zany fun for me.
DeleteI can't wait to start reading this one! I had a pretty good feeling that it was going to be a fun read. :)
ReplyDeleteI liked Strohm's last book, but it's this style that I love most from her.
DeleteI LOVE to find books that are funny BUT still deep! That's not something easy to achieve!
ReplyDeleteThere was the whole senior year and leaving dilemma, as well as exploration of sibling dynamics
DeleteHer books are usually really funny - hadn't heard about this one so thanks!
ReplyDeleteJen Ryland Reviews
Her last book was not this brand of humor, though I still enjoyed it, I was happy to see her back to the feel of the It's Not Me, It's You and The Date to Save books.
DeleteThis sounds hilarious, I love that you compared it to a game of Telephone!
ReplyDeleteI swear. If you go into a bookstore and just read "day 1", you will totally think "telephone game"
Delete"A good game of Telephone." LOL, I thought of this instantly when reading the synopsis! I was a little hesitant on reading it or adding it to my TBR since this sounded like a recipe for disaster. Glad you enjoyed this one, Sam!
ReplyDeleteAnd Strohm really executed that on day one as the rumor spread. I am a fan of the OTT antics and humor, so it really worked for me.
DeleteBoom! Added this one to my TBR! We did a similar experiment in elementary school, and the lesson has always stuck with me. Our entire class sat on a wall, and the teacher whispered something in one person's ear. That person whispered to the next and so on. At the very end, the last student had to stand up and repeat what was said, and it was entirely wrong! I'm sure the saying passed through 15 people, yet the end result was way, way off.
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Yep. The telephone game is always very eye opening. The added fun here, was that Kim and Teddy were like a "celebrity" couple, and it was amazing the way lines were drawn and it all escalated WITHOUT Teddy and Kim, which is sort of true to how Hollywood breakups play out.
DeleteI know the game Telephone and I can see how it would be like that and maybe say something about gossip and rumors and how they can morph and change the more we exchange the stories! I have been seeing this one around a lot lately and it sounds like a good read to me so maybe one I should keep an eye out for.
ReplyDeleteI am a Strohm fan, and I found the book really zany and fun. I laughed a whole lot at the sheer ridiculousness of it.
DeleteI'm so so so excited for this. Your review got me even more hyped up if possible and I JUST NEED THIS NOW. OMG. I CANNOT WAIT. I have to wait until the beginning for March for mine, and I'll be counting down the dayssssss! Wonderful review, Sam! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you finding as fun as I did!
DeleteThis sounds like a fantastic book Sam! I will have to get it. I will also throw my name into the hat for this super prize! =)
ReplyDeleteSo fun! I hope you win! It's just the type of book, to sit back and laugh along with.
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