{Review} Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)

by Sarah Mlynowski

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 368

Source:  Self Purchased

Available as of June 7, 2011

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

Rating:

Review:

I don't even know where to begin for this review. I guess I will start with one word that would describe this book best:  Epic! Understand that the likelihood of some of the events in this book are probably slim, but do they ever take the reader on a wild ride. I was hooked from page one.

Lets start with April. She is a sixteen year old girl who somehow gets away with a number of activities by use of evasive tactics over a period of just over three months. Then we have her best friends Vi and Marissa. Vi is controlling, brilliant, a bad influence, and a great actor. Marissa is the girl who spends her summers at camp and tries to keep April grounded. 

I found April's internal dialogue to be extremely enjoyable. She argues with herself and takes small flashbacks to inform the reader of little inside jokes or to give background detail that is pertinent to the scene at hand. Granted, her and Vi get into some pretty interesting circumstances, but it's April's freaking out that makes this book great.

I absolutely loved this book! If I could rate it more than five stars, I would. It was just that good and is now one of my favorite books of all time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult fiction, romance, laughing, and a lot of drama.

This book satisfies one of my twenty books for the 2012 Completely Contemp Challenge.