Sunday, November 20, 2011

Flat-Out LoveFlat-Out Love by Jessica Park

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was just the pick-me-up I needed. Dysfunctional families, drama and a weird romance.

Julie has moved to Boston from Ohio to begin college, and start life anew. Just one problem, the apartment she was supposed to move into turned out to be a burrito shop! And so, Julie moves in with a family friend instead. They turn out to be quite dysfunctional indeed, parents who are never around, their eldest son travelling around the world for some time and hasn't come home, a genius for their second son who loves wearing geeky shirts, and a quirky teenage daughter who carries around a cardboard cutout of her eldest brother. And there's something they're hiding from Julie, a trauma, a past incident which is why they are this way. And Julie's determined to find out what it is, and to 'fix' them.

This book had me laughing at times, and had me completely invested in the story, wanting to see what will happen. I read this in 2 sittings. The interactions and relationships were very nicely done, and I loved reading the scenes with Celeste. I couldn't help but like all her quirkiness.

I figured out the mystery before it was revealed in the book, it was just...a way to wrap things up for this book, it seemed to me, and while making sense, it was just terribly awkward if you think about it. And some things weren't wrapped up properly in the end, I felt, such as Julie's relationship with her dad and all. And then there was the whole Julie/Matt/Finn thing going on. Matt/Finn seemed like 2 different people to me, and they didn't really 'merge' when the secret was revealed.

All in all, a good read, an example of self-publishing gone right. I'd recommend to those who like reading family books/romance fans.

Oh, and the whole connection to Facebook was really fun too! I especially liked this status:

"I hope that someday they invent a car that runs on inappropriate thoughts."

View all my reviews

1 comment:

  1. This is a beautifully written unconventional love story. It's hard to put into words how much this book touched me. Jessica Park is one of those extraordinary writers that draws you in and has you feeling every emotion, good and bad. I wanted to stay with the Watkins and Julie forever, revel in their triumphs and help them to live, not just exist. I can't recommend this book enough. It's a great read for teens and adults.

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