Book Review: Past Perfect by Leila Sales

Title: Past Perfect

Author: Leila Sales

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: October 4^th 2011
Length: 320 pages

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

All Chelsea wants to do this summer is hang out with her best friend, hone her talents as an ice cream connoisseur, and finally get over Ezra, the boy who broke her heart. But when Chelsea shows up for her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village (yes, really), it turns out Ezra’s working there too. Which makes moving on and forgetting Ezra a lot more complicated…even when Chelsea starts falling for someone new.

Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think that a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. But with Ezra all too present, and her new crush seeming all too off limits, all Chelsea knows is that she’s got a lot to figure out about love. Because those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it….

Summary by Goodreads 

PAST PERFECT tells the story of sixteen-year-old Chelsea Glaser who is a part of Essex Historical Colonial Village.

This novel is all about life in the past of two historical sights and villages. The characters are interpreters and have to represent the lives of their historical counterparts. Playing a role and knowing the script sounds like an easy task…until it is confronted with the real life of the 21^st century.

Beside their roles, both historical villages have a feud in common. PAST PERFECT is about a war between these two villages which is very entertaining. The jokes and pranks both villages come up with are so funny.

Then Chelsea is on the warpath with love. There are two boys to occupy her and the readers thoughts with. It was nice to see her torn between her ex boyfriend and falling for someone who is strictly forbidden. One love is the more rational, the other is build on false memories and extenuations. I expected PAST PERFECT to circle around the relationship between Chelsea and Ezra in some way and I am pretty satisfied in which way Leila Sales solved it.

Chelsea is our protagonist and I liked the features of her personality. What annoyed me a bit about her was her way of clinging to her ex-boyfriend all the time, analysing his every move.

Some sequences displaying the historical living are too much for my taste, but still they are needed to build up an authentic setting and plot. 

Read PAST PERFECT, it's a cute new contemporary romance! 

1) we want to be ice cream conniseurs

2) of a very authentic setting

3) enemies aren’t supposed to fall in love…theorethically
4) of a funny set of pranks

5) every girl should own a trampoline

4/5 **** PAST PERFECT- A charming and funny novel about finding love in the past century of modern America.

I immediately liked Leila Sales writing. It is youthful and has many jokes, comparisons and funny enumerations included. PAST PERFECT feels like its very own part of the YA novel history.

* Check out Leila’s debut novel MOSTLY GOOD GIRLS!

* Read an excerpt of PAST PERFECT here.

* For further information visit www.leilasales.com .

* Thanks to Simon & Schuster for allowing me access to their e-galley!