I met the author at our library, as she lives in NH, and she was lovely to talk to. It was a light read, but it was also a nice catalyst for reminiscing about just after high school graduation, and the fear and exhilaration about 'what's next!?'. The characters were likable and real so you could feel for them. The story took unexpected turns that kept me engaged throughout the book. ( )

Pretty good book. I didn't like the ending all that much, but most of it was really good.

Full review on my website www.the-book-tower.blogspot.co.uk ( )

“I just think that most people do such a bad job making themselves happy, it’s completely ridiculous to think anyone else can do it for you.”

And...Young Adult Contemporary manages to surprise me yet again.

Reunited was unexpectedly funny (love Tiernan “Photosynthesize this, you demonic weed!” Horowitz ) but too cutesy and full of old clichés. Even though it didn't pretend to be anything else 'Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books.' I was disappointed. In a classic [b:Anna and the French Kiss|6936382|Anna and the French Kiss|Stephanie Perkins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267522241s/6936382.jpg|7168450] move, it was dumbed down with three stereotypical fluff girls and the substance of the book is very see-through. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at some of the supposedly touching moments. The girls were meant to be flawed and lifelike, but Hilary Weisman Graham just doesn't have the Ann Brashares touch.

But I'll admit I found myself grinning like a Cheshire cat from time to time. Reunited had some great lines.

When they were done, Summer patted the earth flat with her hands. “Would anyone like to say a few words?”
Tiernan stifled a laugh. “He was a good squirrel,” she said in her best spiritual-sounding voice. “He really loved his nuts.”

Along with some unexpected words of wisdom.

But the funny thing was, you needed guts to be able to spill your guts.

See what I mean? I wouldn't call it too good to be true, but it will make you laugh and it's a great debut. There's a road trip and Level3 lyrics. What more could you want for a summer read?


NO. WAY. I looked up Level3 out of curiosity, and . . .

. . . Unbelievable. I can't believe I've been reading about a real effing band the whole time! (Luke Dixon, Ryan Hale, and Travis Wyland, all 21) are three childhood friends who grew up together in Austin, Texas. Level3 first started playing music together when the boys were only in the eighth grade under the name, Hat Trick. Just over a year later, they had changed their name to Level3, signed to a small indie label, and released their (self-title) first album, which immediately began making a splash on the college charts.

The next year, Level3 put out their second album (Rough & Tumble) to rave reviews and received their first airplay on MTV. The following year, the band had signed a three-record deal with Sony Music, and produced their first CD under a major label, turning the boys into instant, though reluctant, teen heartthrobs.

By the time the boys were 18, they had taken home two MTV awards, had three singles rise to number one on the Billboard charts, and won a Grammy. But sudden fame had its price. Midway through recording their fourth album, to the dismay of their fans, Level3 called it quits, putting an end to their short career at the peak of their success.

Level3 recently made headlines by getting back together for a one-night-only reunion show in their hometown of Austin, TX.I think I've gone into shock. It's not often fictional boys come to life for you . . .




( )

What could be better than a cross country road trip with your three best friends, or ex-best friends, as the case may be? This book packs so much fun, mayhem, laughter, tears, and girlbonding into one amazing story. I love a book that can deliver unique, kick ass characters, crazy adventures, and music. Reunited delivers all of these in spades!

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are as different as any three girls could be, but they have two things in common, their love of the band Level3 and the fact that they used to be inseperable. High school, boys, and misunderstandings got in the way and the girls don't talk anymore. Until Alice finds out that Level3, the band they obssessed over when they were younger, is reuniting for one night only. Sure the concert is on the other side of the country, sure the girls haven't spoken in years, and sure a roadtrip in Alice's VW camper van seems like the craziest idea she's ever had, but when has anything been too crazy when it comes to Level3? So with the hopes of reconnecting with her former besties, Alice buys the tickets and sets the plan in motion.

I loved all three girls in this book. Alice was smart, organized, and so determined to make this all work out. Tiernan was sassy and more than a little rebellious. Summer is a rule follower, who also happens to be extremely popular, and a little bit sassy. Initially it's hard to see how the three of them were ever so close, but as the story goes on we learn more about them and their shared pasts, and you really start to see how much these girls cared for each other. And maybe, deep down, still do. I don't want to forget the Pea Pod, Alice's VW camper van, which is just as important a character as the girls. Their friendship, and Level3 obssession, blossomed and endured in that vehicle. And it carries the three of them on some awesome adventures along their trip.

There are a few cute boys thrown into Reunited as well, but it's not really what the story is about and I found myself enjoy the girls journey with each other, even more than I needed the romance. Okay, I'm going to share something that got me totally geeked while reading, feel free to laugh at me. One of the characters has the same name as me. First and last, which is so silly, but I loved it! Haha. ( )

So, you ever read a book that makes you want to go back to high school? No? Me either. But this makes me want to go back to the summer between graduation and college. It also makes me want to send this book to a best friend that I can no longer even call friend. The kind I've known since I was in first grade. The kind that was there when my first child was born. Then something bad happened and I walked away, but I miss her. That's what kind of book this is, it makes you miss those friends that really knew you when you were a kid all the way through high school. The kind that knew you in those God awful nerdy 7th grade awkward days with the braces and the terrible hair. Yep those friends.

That's the kind of friends Alice, Summer and Tiernan are or were until something happened at the Winter Wonderland Dance between Summer and Alice brought on by Tiernan and they all practically ran away from each other. They had been thick as thieves until high school. They used to hang out at Alice's house in the Pea Pod- The Green '76 Volkswagen Van up on blocks in the backyard. Level3 posters and collages covered the van. The girls knew the words to all the songs and even had dance routines. Then as a graduation present, Alice's parents fix the van up for her, leaving the insides alone, and hand her the keys. That's why on the spur of the moment Alice buys the tickets to the concert and invites both Tiernan and Summer. Neither are bit by the nostalgia bug but they have their own reasons for going.

The trip from the get go is tense and hilarious. From an ex-con to an introduction to kudzu to Bourbon street and the heat of the South, the girls experience a lot in the five days it takes them to get from Massachusetts to Texas. I enjoyed every moment of it and because I didn't know these girls that well, I never had friends like them (don't worry, I had friends) I couldn't predict what they would do. Because as the miles rolled away, the girls changed and grew. Each one was uniquely different. Alice, though she seems shy and nerdy, she's adamantly honest about how she feels. She gets it off her chest and then she's done with it. Tiernan, though she appears to be a rebel with blue hair and Doc Martens, has never really recovered from her parents divorce, her dad's desertion and her mom burying herself in her job. She just wants to be accepted somewhere, wherever she can find it. And Summer, she's the cheerleader type dating the football player, really popular, the kind that everyone hates behind her back, very pretty and looks really put together, like she's got it all made. But she really doesn't. She just wants some attention and she's probably in a relationship that ended a long time ago just so she wouldn't be alone. She writes poetry and plans to get the H out of Dodge as soon as she can. She's a cheerleader with layers. You really don't see that in YA. So these three girls are all anomalies to me. Maybe you've seen them before, not me.

But don't worry, this novel is meant to entertain as well as slip a little lesson in and the entertainment factor is high. I totally slipped away from my world and into that Pea Green VW Van traveling along the road listening to the GPS telling me to enter the motorway in 3/4 of a mile. I think I'll try the British voice on my GPS, they had such fun with theirs. Had to wipe the tears of laughter away a few times so I could continue reading. It's got a bit of romance but it's more about friendship. But you know girls when they get together, can't go ten minutes without talking about guys. So they're in there. It's a clean book, maybe a few mentions of something sexual, but not about sex itself. A couple of WTF and that's about it.

This was a great coming of age story, road trip story and contemporary YA fiction. I read an ARC thanks to the Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tours, but I'll be buying my own copy. That special shelf is growing bigger all the time. But this is one I'll want to read again. ( )