How to Ruin My Teenage Life

very few things as frustrating as typing up a whole review and then Goodreads deciding to lose it.

So, this one was cute. Not as interesting as the first one when Amy went to Israel to meet and get to know her Father and her family there. And met Avi.

This one Amy is back in the States and living with her Father and not her mom anymore. But she's still a hot mess. She jeopardizes her friendship with Jessica, her relationship with Avi and even her relationship with her Father with her decisions, actions and missteps. This one was almost painful to read at times but it was endearing that Amy was at least sorry about her mistakes and learned from them.

It was still a fun read even if I didn't love it as much as the first book. I still show more definitely plan to read book 3 and finish out the series show less

Synopsis:In this sequel to How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, EVERYTHING in sixteen-year-old Amy Nelson Barak's life is going wrong! Her mom got married and moved to the suburbs, and now they are going to have a baby. Amy moves in with her dad in Chicago and signs him up for an online dating service. His first four dates are that night . . .What else? Her dog Mutt impregnated her grumpy neighbor's prized poodle, so Amy will actually have to get a part-time job to pay for half the veterinary bill. And there's this totally annoying boy, Nathan Rubin, who just moved into her apartment building. Luckily, Amy has a cute boyfriend named Avi. Only he's more like a non-boyfriend considering Avi is in the Israeli army for the next three years.What's show more a girl to do when everyone is conspiring to ruin her life?Review:I read this immediately after How to Ruin a Summer Vacation and again loved it. The story is set in Chicago this time with Amy now living with her father.Amy has to endure trials and tribulations of being a late starting Jew, owning a dog for the first time, and wondering what the heck Nathan's problem is. Plus Jessica, her best friend, is going through problems with her boyfriend that Amy just can't deal with.Amy is again a delight to read. She copes and keeps on coping until she boils over. Disaster follows her whatever she does, and are only made worse when Avi turns up out of the blue.An emotion rollercoaster of a book, it doesn't disappoint. The religious part of the book does take a bit more precedent than the first so if you aren't jewish and don't mind reading about it then you'll really love the story. show less

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Amy Nelson-Barak is back and better, and maybe a little crazier, than ever!

When we last left Amy, she had traveled all the way to Israel for her summer vacation with her dad, arriving with very low expectations, only to come back with a whole new appreciation for her religion and culture. Now, Amy is back in Chicago, living with her mother in the suburbs and her mother's new husband.

After her trip to Israel, Amy feels like a totally new person. She's beginning to embrace her religion and her father, she has her very own dog, Mutt, and a non-boyfriend, Avi, who is unfortunately in military training back in Israel. Unfortunately, this new Amy still has her drama and fair show more share of problems.

Like how her mother just dropped the bomb that she and her husband, who by the way isn't too fond of dogs, are going to have a baby. Then there's that new guy in her building, Nathan, who for some unknown reason totally hates Amy and only sees her as this superficial Barbie. If only Amy didn't have this weird attraction toward him. Her friend, Jess, is having major problems with her new boyfriend, who is also Amy's ex-boyfriend, and her dad is becoming too wrapped up in his work, making it seem like he will be lonely forever.

But can Amy deal with all of these problems without causing even more trouble? Or will her attempts at resolving these issues spiral out of control, making it worse for her relationship with a certain non-boyfriend who just might show up to surprise her?

Sequels do not usually live up to the first book, but HOW TO RUIN MY TEENAGE LIFE certainly did. You just can't help but fall in love with Amy and laugh at her crazy attempts to solve her problems. Her relationship with her father is absolutely adorable, one that anyone would want to have, and the way she embraces her religion just makes us think how we should be proud of ours, as well. Exercising your mouth muscles is a must before reading this novel, since there will be a smile on your face throughout the entire book. Fans of the first book (HOW TO RUIN A SUMMER VACATION) will not be disappointed with this wonderful follow-up. show less

I absolutely loved this book! I read this before I found out it was a trilogy, and loved it even more when I read the two others! Although it can be cheesy at times, I found it very easy to relate to and I couldn't put it down!

In this sequel to How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, EVERYTHING in sixteen-year-old Amy Nelson Barak’s life is going wrong! Her mom got married and moved to the suburbs, and now they are going to have a baby. Amy moves in with her dad in Chicago and signs him up for an online dating service. His first four dates are that night . . .

What else? Her dog Mutt impregnated her grumpy neighbor’s prized poodle, so Amy will actually have to get a part-time job to pay for half the veterinary bill. And there’s this totally annoying boy, Nathan Rubin, who just moved into her apartment building. Luckily, Amy has a cute boyfriend named Avi. Only he’s more like a non-boyfriend considering Avi is in the Israeli army for the next three years.

Amy is back in Chicago, and is still head over heels for Avi. She hates having to call him her "non-boyfriend". SHe's begining to think that her new neighbor Nathan might be a better candidate. But just as she decides just to forget about her feelings for Avi, he shows up- in CHicago- and those feelings come right back up. But what'll happen when Avi finds out about Amy and Nathan's relationship? And what IS that relationshio anyways?

I really enjoyed this book. Not much cussing at all, and really not that much bad content. I really liked Amy and her character, but my favorite was Nathan.
There were two things: I didn't like was Jessica and Amy's relationship. Jessica wasn't that developed a character. THey didn't seem like best friends. show more They were always mad at eachother or at ends and didn't even talk! ANd there were always these conditions- YOU OWE ME. I know my best friend Alexus and I don't act like that. Also, Amy seemed a little too emotionally attached to Avi sometimes. I love that she was so in love with him that she went to EXTREME measures, but when they were all together, she seemed like super attached. show less

I would recommend this book to a friend, but I'd tell them not to judge it by it's cover because it's actually quite a great story. 4Q4P The cover art is unappealing and I'd recommend this to high school students. I chose this book because I read the "Perfect Chemistry" series and loved it so I decided to give Simone Elkeles's other books a shot too. EmilyC