Title: Freshman Year & Other Unnatural DisastersAuthor: Meredith ZeitlinPublisher: Putnam JuvenilePublishing Date: March 1st 2012Length: 288 pagesGenre: YA contemporarySource: For ReviewKelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.
Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.Summary by Goodreads
The story around
Kelsey Finkelstein is obviously set in high-school, a beloved scenery of mine.
And just like other high-school stories FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL
DISASTERS has the enormous conflict potential of a bunch of growing up,
hormonal kids.
It’s just
like in real life, because Kelsey expects her new school year to be epic and
what does she get? An epic fail! There are a few very funny things happening to
Kelsey and I totally felt with her. The chase after her crush keeps her mind
occupied and Meredith Zeitlin doesn’t make it that easy for her to find Mr.
Right.
I would
have wished for a profound romance between Kelsey and Mr. Right as I call
him, but there simply wasn’t enough time for one to develop, because the story
concentrates on the failures of Kelsey’s freshman year in the first place. One of Kelsey’s goals
is to score her preferred position on the soccer team and I can tell you that much... it won’t be easy
for her to play a successful season. Some people in the story are exactly who you think
they are, others are not.
Many
moments of FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS are about the bonds of
friendship between the four girls, Kelsey, Cassidy, JoJo and Emily. All four
are very different characters and throughout the story we learn more about Kelsey’s friends
and their lives, too. FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS is about
first experiences in love and sex for all of them.
Of course
there needs to be a family that Kelsey is embarrassed and annoyed of. They dare
to ruin her social life in school and even her private life thanks to hideous outfit
suggestions and a little star of a sister. This story is about lessons to learn
and Kelsey’s really doing a good job to keep up with every social obstacle
thrown in her way. Get into Kelsey’s head, she’s fun!
1) you need
to kiss a few jerks, before you find Mr. Right
2) of the
funniest Fiddler on the Roof
3) you catch
one and you catch them all
4) of the entertaining
thoughts of Kelsey Finkelstein
5) of a
persistent paparazzi
3,5/5 ***/*
FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS- A fun read about friendship,
first love and the proof that life- especially freshman year- doesn’t always play out as
planned.
The story
offers typical freshman year elements like a prom, a school play, high-school
parties, annoying siblings, a bubbling mix of teenage hormones and the crazy
incidents resulting from them.
And the
story is totally riddled with these hilarious, embarrassing, pitiful incidents.
I was entertained, but I didn’t feel a very deep connection to the characters.
I think there should be a sequel to Kelsey’s story so we could get to know the
characters some more and be part of a more detailed view on the blooming
romances.
* Watch the
book trailer of FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS here.
* Check out
the blog tour here.
* For further information about Meredith Zeitlin and her book visit www.kelseyfinkelstein.com
* Thanks to
Anne Walls, Meredith Zeitlin and Putnam for sending me an e-copy for review!
