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

Summary/Cover Image taken from Publisher's Website:

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.

Review:

I have to admit up front that I had very high expectations for this book. It looked like fun, and some of my favorite authors have blurbs in favor of it. Thankfully, Sarah Mlynowki’s Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) was simply brilliant. Unflinchingly honest, unique, and memorable, this book completely rocked by socks in every right way possible.

Everything starts when April’s dad makes a big announcement about the future, and before April knows she has two choices. One, go and start over in a new town with her dad and stepmom in the midst of her junior year, or find a way to stay in her hometown. Just as any teen would, she picks the second option, and before she knows it, she not only has one new housemate (Vi), but also the first lie on the Things We Did list: “Lied to Our Parents.” Living parent-free and in style (thanks to #4 “Bought a Hot Tub”) April life is going smoothly until she begins to realize living on her own maybe isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Involving one love triangle and ten things she probably should not have done, Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) will have you hooked from start to finish, but will April find her way and who her heart wants in the end? Only time and more pages will tell…

If there is one thing that completely makes a book for me, it is a relatable and funny main character. Thankfully, April was that and much more! April is the average teen. She has boy troubles and parent troubles (thanks to stuff that happened ages ago) as well as friends and foes the reader cannot help but love. However, the thing I liked most about her was how real she was. I loved how she was not perfect and did not try to be, and how while she did sometimes hide from her problems, she did face them eventually. She was someone I could see a bit (okay…a lot) of myself in, and I feel many other teens will feel the same.

Another aspect that made this book fabulous was the secondary characters. Flawed yet hilarious, I could not help but I adore the majority of them. Vi, Dean, Hudson, Marissa, and even crazy Lucy every one added so much to this novel and without their craziness, Ten Things We Did would've been seriously lacking.

Sarah’s writing and story building was another high point not only because of the many twists and because of turns that continually left my mind spinning with questions, but also due to the way it was told. I loved how each section of the book was divided under the ten things and how each had many subheadings. It was cute and unique!

Full of wit, charm, and fun, Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) is the perfect way to start your summer reading season. All I can say is you’re in for a big treat!

Grade: A+

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) is now out!

Source: Publicist at HarperTeen- thanks Allison!