A Midsummer's Nightmare (original 2012; edition 2012)

Title : A Midsummer's Nightmare
Series : -
Author : Kody Keplinger
Pages : 304
Release Date : June 5th 2012
Publisher : Poppy / Hachette Book Group Canada
Format : Hardcover
Source :
* An HC copy was provided by HBG Canada in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!





My Opinion :


At first, when I heard of this book, I though it was the sequel to another that I hadn't really liked. Obviously, I hadn't checked the author's name, otherwise I would have known better. But, when I learned that A Midsummer's Nightmare was written by Kody Keplinger, I laughed at myself and added it to my to-be-read pile. I was really thrilled to get it for review, especially since I am always curious about contemporaries, and this one sounded really special.

A great new and fresh contemporary!


A Midsummer's Nightmare's title was obviously inspired by William Shakespeare's A Midsummer'S Night's Dream, but I'm pretty sure that the story wasn't inspired by it. Hopefully.

The book is about Whitley, who's parents are divorced. But, each summer she goes to her dad's condo and has fun with him. She lives with her mom, who is always bitching about everything on her dad, and she loves spending the summer with her dad. But then, the nightmare begins. Her dad is about to marry someone new, and JACKPOT! the woman's son is the person she... you know, did it with... at the graduation party. Talk about awkward! But, throughout the book, Whitley learns a few things about her dad. And none of them are pretty.


I had really enjoyed Kody Keplinger's SHUT OUT, but A Midsummer's Nightmare was even better. I think it's because her writing evolved and changed, which I really liked.


The characters were really believable; with real problems and real personalities. At first, I thought Whitley was just a whore, but I just knew there had to be something else to her. And there was.
( )

As you may be able to tell by the description, Whitley is not particularly the easiest protag to follow along. She makes it EXTREMELY difficult to root for her.

So when she's unknowingly tossed into a brand-spanking-home-by-5 family by her beloved dad, her only reaction is to push back. So, yeah. Angsty.

However, Keplinger does a great job of slowly pulling Whitley out of her angsty armor, which allows us to continue to root for her. Even though she's STILL making stupid decisions.

Keplinger also deserves props for her portrayal of family dynamics. Every single character is flawed (well, except the tiny one.) and with issues. But no one is entirely awful, entirely sad or entirely awesome. Families are complicated things and Midsummer really captures the issues created by these complications. And how perspectives are created and how they change.

A really good, complicated, angsty novel from Keplinger. She doesn't shy away from the darker, meaner character, and it's a refreshing read. ( )

Poor Whitley. With a bitter mother and self-involved father, no wonder she behaves like she does. Thank goodness for her new step-family. ( )

When I read The DUFF a couple of years ago, I really, really liked it, though I didn't expect to because of the title. However, my memory being the mostly useless contraption that it is quickly faded. Jenni of Alluring Reads reviewed The DUFF a few months back and completely panned it. She pretty much loathed the book, and that stunned me. While Jenni and I certainly don't always agree, we often do, and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about A Midsummer's Nightmare. Well, I still don't know for sure about The DUFF, but I loved this one.

For one thing, Keplinger writes like a teenager so well. Both here and with The DUFF, I don't think anyone open-minded can deny that she has the lingo and cadence and emotional landscape down. In a lot of books, I mentally age the characters up in my head, because their circumstances (absent parents, not actually attending any high school classes) and way of conversing just do not necessarily seem teenage. In Keplinger's, even though her characters do things I may rather wish a 14 or 17 or any age person wouldn't do, I never feel for a moment like they're not teenagers.

To be entirely frank, though, this book did begin with a pretty major disappointment for me. I was convinced that this book was inspired by Shakespeare. For some misguided reason, I even though I had read a synopsis and that it was set around a high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ummm, seriously, what the hell? Where does my brain get this stuff? That's not what it was about at all. I confess. I was VERY wrong. However, that title! It promises Shakespeare, and I wanted it okay.

However, A Midsummer's Nightmare did turn out to be inspired by a classic work of fiction, just not the bard's. Actually, Kepliger got some amount of inspiration from Catcher in the Rye, a book I personally really did not like. The connection, while not an incredibly strong one, lies in the mental state of the heroine, who shuts herself off from emotions by making bad life choices. She doesn't see the point in friends, because people are just phonies anyway. I'm quite proud of myself for having picked up on the reference before I read the blurb. Also interesting is that her step-family's last name is Caulfield. Nice one.

Roughly the first half of this book really hurts to read. It's a good hurt, the kind John Mellencamp might approve of, a straight punch right to the emotional gut. Whitley makes so many bad choices. She gets completely wasted, hooks up with whatever guy she can find, and avoids any sort of real emotional interaction. In the opening scene, Whitley wakes up on the morning following graduation to discover that she's in someone else's bed, having had sex with some (admittedly quite attractive) guy whose name she does not even know. Worse still, he wants to chat, when she just wants to get the hell out and not talk about it, so she tells him she never, ever wants to see him again, which, conveniently, shouldn't be too hard since he's moving.



Her parents, in stereotypical YA style, neglect her. Whitley's mother and father divorced six years previously, and she was glad of that, but her mother never got over it, still ranting and raving about how awful her father is to this day, and her father only spends time with her once a year. Still, she lives for these summers with him. Unsurprisingly, Whitley wants to throw a shit fit when she discovers that her father has sold his quirky condo by the beach and moved into a suburban monstrosity of boredom. With his new fiancee. And her two children. One of whom is that guy she had sex with the night of graduation. Apparently, his name is Nathan.



Whitley has always been called unflattering things for her drunken, boy-seducing ways: slut, skank, easy, whore. That never really bothered her before. In this new small town, with less people to blend into, the label really starts to hurt, particularly when someone she cares about calls her a whore or when she discovers a Facebook group formed to talk about her lewd behavior. Obviously, this is a hugely touchy subject, and I was really concerned about how it would be handled. Thankfully, Keplinger, after setting the stage and delivering a harshly truthful depiction of how cruel teens can be, sends precisely the message that I was hoping for. Since I know these issues can be an automatic DNF for a lot of people, I want to share Nathan's apology for having called Whitley a whore:

"'I'm sorry for what I said to you that day.' Nathan's hand slid from my elbow to my wrist. 'It wasn't okay for me to call you a whore. It's not okay for anyone to say that. Not the people online. And definitely not me.'"

What Nathan said was not okay, but he owned up, and he stepped up from there on out to make sure that she never lets her think he truly feels that way. When she doubts herself or blames herself for an attempted rape, he reminds her over and over again that it was in no way her fault. Honestly, I loved Nathan. He fucked up in anger, yes, but who doesn't? He wasn't violent, and he apologized wholeheartedly, and was completely supportive from that moment onward. Of course, he also happens to be both nerdy and built, so...can I have one? Seriously, he wears shirts that say things like "MAY THE MASS TIMES ACCELERATION BE WITH YOU" or that have the hand sign for live long and prosper. Also, the boy can kiss. Seriously, if you like hot kissing scenes in books, Keplinger has got your back. Just make sure you have some sort of fanning implement handy.



Even better, as much as I loved the way that Nathan and Whitley's relationship slowly evolved, that was not the central plot line of the book. A Midsummer's Nightmare focuses more on Whitley overcoming her issues with her parents, and learning to not be so self-destructive. Just for the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with her sleeping around or getting drunk occasionally or being a loner, except that those things did not make her happy. She needed to grow, and, as much as she hated it for a while, being thrown into a different family environment was the shock to her system that she really needed.

Keplinger's characterization rocked. Whitley, of course, rocked, confident and broken and funny and bitchy and insecure. However, the others did not take a backseat to her. Nathan, of course, gets quite a bit of development, but I've already talked about him. Bailey, Nathan's younger sister about to start high school, hero worships Whitley. Bailey begins as obnoxious to both Bailey and myself, but grows to be this irresistibly adorable kid. After a rocky start, Whitley does actually help Bailey open up and feel a bit more confident. Also, I have to say how much I loved Whitley's first friend Harrison. He is gay and utterly tenacious, simply determined to make Whitley accept him as a friend. The boy has style and totally has her back, but is also not a stereotype at all. There's a real affection between the two of them that is touching. Even Sylvia, the soon-to-be stepmother gets some good characterization. The only exceptions are Whitley's parents, but that has to do with the plot arc more than anything. Basically, I cared so much for Whitley, Harrison and the Caulfields; I rooted for them so hard.

I debated with myself (and my delicious glass of vodka and lemonade) whether A Midsummer's Nightmare deserved a full five stars. Maybe it's just my friend vodka talking, but I feel like any book that can make me feel such a full gamut of emotions and leave me grinning like a fool afterwards, in that insane post-book bliss has earned that five stars. ( )

Originally Posted at The Barnes Beat

Um, I LOVED it! Imagine if you will a family reunion where you wake up 3 hours before everyone else to a silent house. Could there be a better way to fill that time? Nope! I read this in one sitting before anyone else in the house even woke up. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. I HAD to know what was going to happen!

Whitley has just graduated from high school and is about to spend the summer with her dad. She loves summers with her dad, just the two of them, it's great. Funny thing, dad didn't tell her a) he's engaged, b) future step-mom has two kids, c) they will all live together like one big happy family. The new family might have been an easier pill to swallow if she hadn't had a graduation one-night stand with her future step brother. Not exactly the summer she was planning.

Now that I think about it, I'm kind of amazed that everyone slept through my reading this. There were so many "OH NO HE/SHE DIDN'T" moments where I literally screamed out loud at the characters.So, I guess it is safe to say I was wrapped up in the story and truly cared about every character.

This was a fabulous summer time escape. And I'm embarrassed that it was my first Kody Keplinger book. I enjoyed it so much that I read The DUFF the next day. :) ( )

What will happen to Whitley when her world is turned upside down? Whitley is used to things going a certain way with her father. She usually spends the summer with him at the lake house. She is excited to do just that, but there is that little thing called high school graduation that she needs to attend to. After graduation, she attends a party and has a one night stand with a cute guy. At least she thinks it is a one night stand…
When her father comes and picks her up for the summer, she is blown away by the news that he is getting married and has moved away from the lake house. There goes her perfect summer. Not only that, but her soon-to-be step-mother has two kids, one of which happens to be Whitley’s one night stand from graduation. Whitley doesn’t like this change at all. Her father’s new family is just too perfect, so she acts out. Whitley is spiraling down a dangerous path. Will her new family and friend be able to save her from herself? What will become of Whitley’s relationship with her new step-brother?

I don’t usually read contemporary novels. I don’t know why I don’t. I had pre-ordered this book and was pleasantly surprised when I read it. Kiplinger had a way of sucking you into the story. I thought Whitley’s character was well developed. I liked the interaction that she had with her new step-family. This was one of those books, when I finished it, I wished there was a sequel because I wanted to know what happened with Whitley, Nathan and Bailey. I will definitely keep Kiplinger on my radar. ( )

A Midsummer’s Nightmare is the perfect summer read. I was instantly sucked in by the partying, romance, and family drama. Whitley’s situation with her step brother, Nathan, was unenviable, but hilarious! As the two awkwardly try to live together after their one night stand, they realize that there is much more than mere attraction between them.

Keplinger did a great job with the family drama in A Midsummer’s Nightmare. Whitley’s future step sister, Bailey, was just adorable. I also really liked the step mom because she genuinely cared about Whitley—which was a stark comparison to her incredibly lame, neglectful parents. Watching Whitley grow up and learn to let people in was heart wrenching.

At the end of the day A Midsummer’s Nightmare is a story about love and acceptance with a lot of partying and light hearted moments woven throughout. This comedy of errors captivates the reader from the very first word. Nathan and Whitley are a fabulous addition to today’s YA romance and I, of course, can’t wait to read more from Kody Keplinger. ( )

I thought this was a pretty average book. I had a hard time getting into it because the main character was such a (for lack of better term) bitch in the beginning. I liked the stepmother and stepsister, and I also liked the best friend (though I think it's somewhat of a stereotype now to have a gay best friend who comments on your clothes constantly.) Nothing in this book was new or surprising in any way. It was just kind of there. ( )

A Midsummer’s Nightmare is a contemporary fiction novel by Kody Keplinger that follows the story of Whitley and her family. Whitley’s parents divorced when she was younger and now she lives with her mother who doesn’t pay attention to her. Even though she would prefer to live with her father, he is too busy with his news job to look after a child fulltime. With this abandoned feeling, Whitley acts out by drinking, partying and sleeping around.

The story opens with her waking up in a stranger’s bed after graduation. After her escape she prepares to go spend time with her dad, who feels more like a cool older brother than a father, but things change from the moment he picks her up. She finds out that he’s moved to the suburbs, giving up his cool apartment, and is getting married in a few months, and her soon-to-be step-brother was her most recent one night stand.

As Kody Keplinger explores Whitely’s relationship with those around her, the reader gets glimpses into why she turned out the way she did. There are issues with her mother, her father and her new step-family as well as issues with the people in the usually quiet suburbian town where her father (a minor celebrity) moved.

I can’t say I was an absolute fan of this story, but I did like the beginning a lot. Whitley is a sassy and cynical character and it’s hard to not feel sympathetic towards her; I thought the beginning was spectacular even if the ending fizzled out a bit. The main conflict was between Whitley and her father - he’s not the same as she remembered and she feels like he has no time for her with his new family, most of all he’s ignoring the cyber-bullying that is happening to her. Yet, all of this gets resolved in just a few pages at towards the end. The next conflict was Whitley and Nathan’s growing attraction to each other. A majority of the story was spent setting them up[1], but I couldn’t help feeling as though their relationship was a little flat. I was also a little surprised that everyone seemed accepting of their relationship.

I thought there were a lot of great issues raised in this story but not enough time to properly pay attention to each. Overall it was a very quick read and all my little issues aside, I think it would be a good addition for some dramatic summer reading.

[1] Personally, I think this distracted from the issues with her dad. I felt it would have been better if it was more focused on dad and less on Nathan. ( )

I love that this author can take a story and really knows how to get her reader in a twist. At first, when I started it, I was like," Oh, I know where this is going." I soooo did not see what was coming.

What I enjoyed most about this story is the great storyline. Filled with many plot twist, I am amazed that I am still able to breath after all the gasping that I have done. Really! The plot had some great scenes in it that made me either blush or get me really angry.

That's the other part of this book I enoyed. The overflowing of so many emotions. One thing about Whitley I can relate too is her father. Anger stills boils inside me when I think of all the times he put me aside for his wife and other children. I grew up with it and learn to deal, but still, that part of my life still hurts. So Whitley, I hear ya girl.

The romance is a bit touchy, seeing that the relationship is a bit difficult. For some, it could be a touchy subject but for others maybe it will not.

A Midsummer's Nightmare has one heck of a plotline. Loaded with twist and turns the reader doesn't see coming, the author does a fab job of catching her readers unaware. With many explosive emotions, this book took me for a ride! ( )

Whitley Johnson’s post-high-school-graduation summer with her dad takes a turn for the much worse when he drops the shocker that he is getting married…to a woman with two teenage children. On top of that, her future stepbrother was the guy she hooked up with at a graduation party, believing that it could be someone she would never see again. How was she supposed to know that three days later he’d be living right across the hall from her?

There is no way Whitley will have a good time this summer. Unless the good new people of her life manage to break through her front and show her the good things she has…

After a (subjective) stumble with Shut Out, Kody Keplinger and her relatable, snappy, and thoroughly modern characters are back on track with the impressive A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHTMARE, a short but fulfilling book full of the swift pace and dialogue, realistic emotions, and charged moments that made readers fans of her writing in the first place.

A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHTMARE has a premise that could be the stuff of soap operas: hooking up with your soon-to-be stepbrother?? Gasp!! But Kody Keplinger pulls off the story without a hitch, without it rolling into the land of melodrama. While perhaps not everyone is like Whitley, we can certainly relate to her frustration over surprises being sprung on her, the deep hurt she carries over her changing relationships with people in her life. Though Whitley might be brasher, sexier, and sassier than we’ll ever be, she never becomes a caricature, and I was firmly rooting for Whitley the whole time.

If you liked The Duff (never mind what you felt about Shut Out), then do for your enjoyment pick up A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHTMARE and bask in the post-reading glow of having immersed yourself in a smart contemporary YA drama. ( )

I am a relative newbie to the work of Kody Keplinger. I only very recently read her first novel The Duff. At first I wasn't sure it was for me. But it grew on me as I read. You see, the main character was not the most endearing person. But as the story unfolded, I began to understand her actions and motivations and began to relate to her. And because I read The Duff first I connected quickly with Whitley in A Midsummer's Nightmare. Like Bianca in The Duff, Whitley is a hard nut to crack. She's got the whole "I don't give a rat's ass" attitude DOWN. She's also a bit spoiled in the sense that if everything doesn't go exactly as Whitley wants it to go, it's totally the end of the world. And then, of course, there is her not so stellar reputation. But none of those aspects of Whitley's behavior turned me off because that is sort of Keplinger's M.O. in The Duff as well. I knew going on that Whitley's character was not going to be all happiness and sunshine. I knew she was going to have some (actually a lot) of rough edges. But I was curious to uncover the real Whitley, and I knew that if I was patient enough, Keplinger would do just that in the book.

So from the above summary you know that Whitley has a one night stand on graduation night and then goes on to discover that the guy she slept with is soon to become her stepbrother. I'm not going to lie, when I read that I knew I had to read this book. I could just imagine the awkwardness that would ensue and I really wanted to see what would happen as both Whitley and her stepbrother-to-be, Nathan, tried to work it all out. True to Keplinger's style there are some very steamy romantic scenes. Very. But also true to Keplinger's style A Midsummer's Nightmare reveals some serious underlying social issues and delivers a lot of drama. If you think that this book is going to be all light and fluffy and just about the hot romance factor you might want to think again. Family issues like divorce, abandonment and emotionally absent parents, as well as date rape and cyber bullying, are touched on.

As you begin to read Whitley's story, it becomes apparent very early on that all is not right in her world, and hasn't been for a quite a while. Years of dysfunctional parenting have definitely had an effect on her, and she in turn has learned to cope by acting out and making some pretty piss poor choices. Whitley is one of those type girls who is the life of the party. She's the girl that always knows the places to be and can drink any of the guys under the table. Know a girl like her? I know I did. Several, actually. Whitley's fun to read as a character, she's quick with the sarcasm and snark and I laughed out loud at her observations. But she also has zero qualms about hooking up with anyone she wants to. She's unapologetic in terms of her behavior and honestly, she doesn't seem too inclined to change it any time soon.

I have to say that initially, the choices Whitley makes and the way she lives her life didn't shock or surprise me. Teenagers have been doing that since the beginning of time. And of course there is that age old argument: if it was a boy acting this way instead of a girl, would it be less shocking or frowned upon? Whitley is an attractive young woman and she knows how to work that to her advantage to get what she wants. If she was in her twenties or older wouldn't she be described as powerful, confident, or motivated? Probably. Think Sex in the City. But in reality, it all comes down to maturity. Even though she's out boozing it up, sleeping with whatever random guy with which she feels the urge, and engaging in other adult activities, Whitley is in fact just a teenage girl. And it's that right there that makes all the difference in the world.

You see Whitley's erratic behavior is the direct consequence of all the family drama and other events that have shaped her life. And when looked at in that light, I really began to see what a very destructive lifestyle Whitley was living. And as this became clear in my reading, Whitley's tough as nails image changed. What I thought was a typical teenage hellion was actually a very vulnerable and damaged young woman. So what I really liked about A Midsummer's Nightmare is not just how the character of Whitley evolved, but how the book itself evolved and became a much more intense read. And with it all the relationships in Whitley's life, including those with her new stepmother and stepsister; new best friend; and yes, with Nathan as well, took on much more meaning. This spoiled little party girl became someone I wanted to see change and better herself. I cared about her decisions and I wanted her to recognize her past mistakes, make amends, and move forward in a more positive direction. And along with these things I really wanted to to see her end up with the right guy, the one who sees her for who she is and will treat her right. Does she? Well, friends, I hate to leave you hanging, but you are just going to have to read the book for yourself:)

In summation, if you are a fan of Keplinger's other works I think you will definitely enjoy A Midsummer's Nightmare. And if you aren't a believer, give this one a try. It's evident that Keplinger's growing more skilled as a writer with each book. And if you have never read any of her earlier books this one is a great place to start. And all you fans of The Duff be sure to look for appearances by Bianca, Wesley, and Harrison (don't remember him? Look it up!) If you are a fan of contemporary YA that features realistic and authentic teenage voices and situations then I think you'll enjoy this and Kody Keplinger's other books. And guys, you know what is really cool? The author has only just entered her twenties! Just think of all the awesome books she has yet to write:)

4/5 Stars ( )

With its blend of wit, humor, and angst, Whitley has one of the most compelling voices that I've come across in YA lit. Ever since her parents' divorce, Whitley has been a girl who parties hard and acts recklessly out of a feeling of abandonment from her parents. When she's feeling down, she turns to the buzz that alcohol and partying give her. Normally, this kind of behavior would estrange me from the character. Instead, Whitley's flaws serve to make her a very relatable character and all the more endearing. Rather than waiting for her to crash, I hoped that Whitley could turn around. I hoped that she would rely on the characters supporting her.

Out of all the side characters, Bailey has the most influence on Whitley, as the younger girl reminds Whitley of herself at that age: young and innocent, eager to fit in with the "big kids" in high school. Nathan is the next most influential, being Whitley's one-night stand and someone to whom she's attracted. At first, he seems innocent and used and Whitley hard and uncaring in comparison. However, we get to know more of him over the course of the novel, and he turns out to be the most warmhearted and genuine guy in Whitley's life. I love their chemistry and friendship equally well. And then there's Harrison, her new friend with an incredible fashion sense. He's always there to support her when she needs someone outside her messed up family life to listen.

The story has themes of family, love, and the party scene. I did feel that the family element wasn't as fully explored as it could have been. Whitley's father is well-rounded, though he is consistently absent. I didn't feel get to know Whitley's brother as far as a guy who cares about her but can't be there for her, and her mother is someone who only knows how to complain about her ex-husband. Still, the novel does end where it should: on a note of hope and with a gorgeous summer scene.

A Midsummer's Nightmare has been one of my favorite summer reads. It has swoonworthy romance, a summer vacataion, and characters with attitude. Keplinger has adressed some topics that many teens can relate to in a manner that will captivate audiences and have them alternately laughing and crying. ( )

REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/2012/05/a-midsummers-nightmare-by-kody-keplinger...

Guys, I am such a Kody Keplinger fangirl. I loved The DUFF and I loved Shut Out, and here she is with A Midsummer’s Nightmare, and I think I love it the most! Which is really saying something.

What I love most about A Midsummer’s Nightmare is how honest Kody Keplinger is. She doesn’t shy away from drinking or sex or anything else teenagers do, because it’s so real. I mean, I’m not saying I approved with Whitley’s choices, because damn, she made some terrible decisions. But I had friends just like her in high school (even eighth grade) and that’s why I love Kody Keplinger so much.

Also because A Midsummer’s Nightmare was steamy and swoony and I loved Nathan so much. I feel like after watching Clueless so many times, I’m totally jaded to the stepbrother dilemma, but I can see some people having an issue with that.

Whitley was definitely my favourite of all of Kody’s protagonists. She was messed up and she knew it and at some point, she started to take responsibility for that. She was angry and frustrated, but even still – she grew up. I loved her character growth, and I definitely felt her pain. Families are not easy.

Basically – I love Kody Keplinger and I love A Midsummer’s Nightmare. It was brutal and honest, with a heavy dose of swoon, and I seriously want to re-read A Midsummer’s Nightmare all over again very soon. ( )

Every Kody Keplinger book seems to be better than the one before it.

Whitley was a messed up character, there was no denying that. But I liked her. She grew up a lot, she changed. She became a pretty awesome person and we as readers got to watch. I found her transformation to be honest and incredible to watch. Not every teen can be perfect, good children who don't do anything wrong. Having a character that messed up openly and had no shame about it was different and good to see.



At first, I was not overly fond of the stepbrother. He seemed almost as much of a hot mess as Whitley. But I think I came around to liking him before I liked Whitley. His motives were easier to see and I appreciated them. I appreciated him as a character.

As usual, I love Kody's writing. Serious love! Her writing is always honest and gritty and authentically-teen. Kody Keplinger doesn't hold back, ever, and I love that. The stories are always gripping and her writing clearly grows with each book.



I know this review is crap, trust me I know. But I did that procrastination thing so this review is not doing the book justice. I really and truly loved this book. A Midsummer's Nightmare might even be one of my favorite books of the year. Kody Keplinger has only continued to ensure she's an insta-buy author for me.



Basically, I'm telling you to pick this one up. This book includes some seriously wonderful, complex characters, some of the most honest writing in YA, and a story about family, friendship, and prejudices. Keep an open mind and go in, ready to be amazed.

I really enjoyed her first book, The Duff, so I'm hoping this one will be as good. ;)