Mundie Moms

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Book Review: Adorkable by Sarra Manning

Adorkable
Author: Sarra Manning
Publisher: Little Brown
Release Date: April 1, 2013
Source: Purchased
Buy: amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound |
Adorkable

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars -- this story is adorkable!

Synopsis:  Jeane Smith's a blogger, a dreamer, a jumble sale queen, CEO of her own lifestyle brand, and has half a million followers on Twitter. Michael Lee's a star of school, stage, and playing field. A golden boy in a Jack Wills hoodie. They have nothing in common but a pair of cheating exes. So why can't they stop making out? This novel is about an unlikely relationship, but it's also about roller derby, dogs on skateboards, dogs on surfboards, dogs doing any form of extreme sport, old skool hip hop, riding your bike downhill really fast, riot grrrl, those boys you want to kiss but punch in the face at the same time, dyeing your hair ridiculous colors just because you can, stitch 'n' bitch, the songs that make you dance, the songs that make you cry, being a bad ass, cake, love, death, and everything in between.

Oh Jeane Smith, I loved you even when you were snarky, abrasive and sometimes a little too-in-your-face. I adored you when you were outspoken, firm in your beliefs (and everyone else’s wrongs) and most of all, I adored you because being quirky was your full-time job.

When summer strikes, my hand seems to pause over shelves containing contemporary books in the library and bookstore. And this summer is no different, so Adorkable fit the requirement perfectly. It was first and foremost a contemp read, the book is full of British-isms (you guys know my weakness for those) and, well, there's Jeane (see above gushing comment for reference).

In a chick-lit plot, I expect two things: a great character voice (check) and something deeper not just fluff (double-check). Let me just say that Jeanne's back-story was heart-crushingly real. I loved Jeane all the more for what she survived (hint with no spoiler: the parents' mid-life crises are just the tip of the  iceberg). The glimpse we get of her mother and that wonderfully awkward dinner with her father made me understand their own motivations for choosing their directions in life. And I know there's a lot of hulabaloo in YA about absentee parents (also in this case, an absentee older sister), but Sarra explained it all so well that I bought all the circumstances which left Jeane on her own.

Now to  my most favorite part of all -- the romance. Here we go folks, this story had the same slow and  therefore believable build-up of my beloved Pride & Prejudice. I think it helped that it's a dual point-of-view story, so we get Michael's thoughts alongside Jeane's. In juxtaposition to Jeane's family circumstances, Michael is the golden child of his family, and he's the big man on campus at school. Nothing could go wrong with him, could it? Until that one day when he notices his girlfriend with Jeane's geek boyfriend and he knows that things are not the same.

I adored Michael, too. He's proud and quietly opinionated. My favorite parts were when he called Jeane out on some of her more outspoken, hurtful moments. My other favorite moments were when, well okay, no spoilers (tiny hint: kissing and awkward moments of more than kissing may have been involved). I liked his family, too; and while they served as a nice what-is-normal comparison to Jeane's family, they weren't perfect. The scene with the shower door and his dad was my favorite.

Oh, and let's not forget the fashion blogging angle and the hysterical tweets between Jeane and her followers. As a tweetaholic, I completely related to those moments. Jeane has tremendous success with her blog and her fashion opinions are valued by the highest of international and local publications. But is that success all there really is in life? What about success with real-life friends and family? Where does that fit in our virtual-sharing-everything-online world? See what I mean? A deeper story than you first thought, right?

When you're in the mood for a smart, quirky main character and a boy who quietly contemplates what will truly make him happy, pick up some Haribo products (trust me, you'll want a few bags) and settle in for a great story. What a satisfying summer read.

If you're a social media geek like me, you may want to click over to Atom Books' Adorkable pinterest board as well as Sarra's spotify playlist for the book.

4 comments:

  1. This sounds really good. I like it much better when books take their time with the love story. I think I will have to give this a try! Great Review!

    DaydreamerN
    Http://www.daydreamerN.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks DaydreamerN! Hope you pick it up and enjoy it, too!

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  2. I love your review!! Not every book or character in a book is perfect, but I'm glad you were able to see past that and just enjoy the book :) I love the word "adorkable"!! For that reason alone I want to read it... oh and I love the grumpy cat!

    Marlene Detierro (TRUSTprice - Software Download)

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