Saturday, July 6, 2013

A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook, Brendan Halpin


Rating 5/5 stars
Pub. Date July 23rd 2013 


Blurb:


A hint of Recovery Road, a sample of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and a cut of Juno. A Really Awesome Mess is a laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching/heart-warming story of two teenagers struggling to find love and themselves.

Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.
Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.

Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.

Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they might even call each other friends.
A funny, sad, and remarkable story, A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for.

Review:


I loved the book. I honestly wasn't expecting to like it so much but I did. I remembered why I love YA books after reading this.

Justin and Emmy are two teenagers who suffer from something that could happen to you and me. Many girls want to have the perfect figure to get to that "chic double 0" as Emmy said. Emmy wants to look like a model and is happy when she sees her bones in the mirror. She is starving herself and leading her into an early grave.So her parents decide to send her to Assland/Heartland Academy. 
Justin is depressed. Many people are these days. He is sent to Assland Academy to get better. He says that he feels numb.

There they meet 4 other kids. With a purpose they form a team and try to make things work out to get their reward.What I loved about that was seeing them, those 6 teenages acting selfishly in the beginning but as the book was processing seeing them work together, understand what the phrase team work means and forming bonds. They became better, healed a little.  I loved all of them. It doesn't matter if Emmy and Justin are the main characters.  These 6 teens will get into your heart.

In the end I had a positive feeling. Things can get better. As I turned the last page of the book I had a smile on my face and happy thoughts.

No comments:

Post a Comment