As our June Read for our Just Read It! Book Club Bailey from Novel Nerd and I decided we were going to read How My Summer Went Up In Flames. I was really excited to read this one and once I started this book I could not stop reading it!
Title: How My Summer Went Up In FlamesAuthor:Jessica Salvato DoktorskiEdition: paperbackSeries: noneReleased Date: May 7th, 2013Publisher: Simon Pulse
Goodreads / Amazon First she lost her heart. Then she lost her mind. And now she’s on a road trip to win back her ex. This debut novel’s packed with drama and romance!
Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.
To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…
Rosie had a bad break-up with her boyfriend, and to make matters worse she sets his car on fire. This results in a TRO - Temporary Restraining Order, and leads to a summer adventure for Rosie. Her parents decide to send her along with her best friend Matty, on a road trip with Matty and two brothers who she's never met. They plan to travel across the country, and Rosie finds friendship, love, and loss along the way.
How My Summer Went Up In Flames is the perfect summer read. I couldn't help but lay out in the sun as I read this one - I just couldn't resist! Everything about this book screams summer, and its a great book for any girl. After all, there's a witty main character, adorable friends, a really cute guy, and a road trip - who wouldn't fall in love with this book!?
Rosie is pretty much like any girl out there. Well, maybe not all the girls in the world would set their cheating ex-boyfriend's car on fire, but I'm sure a lot of girls were wishing they had the guts to! Rosie is reckless, and sometimes borderline insane, but that's why I loved her. When bad things happen in a relationship, you're confused. Rosie was mega-confused because her life pretty much revolved around her ex-boyfriend at the time. She's quite ignorant though when it comes to certain things. First of all,, she thinks that driving by her ex-boyfriend's house to see if he's home isn't considered stalking. She also doesn't realize the purpose of the road trip - to get away from her current life and try and start over. Another thing that really made me like Rosie was her wit. She always had something to say when someone would pick on her. Rock on, Rosie!
Rosie's best friend is a guy named Matty. He's actually quite like a brother to Rosie, and I loved seeing their relationship together. They were never awkward with each other, but they'd sometimes fight like brother and sister. I really liked Matty, and I would definitely want a best guy friend like him. I was expecting something romantic to start between Matty and Rosie, but I'm kind of glad it didn't. They both found someone in the end!
The other guys on the trip, Spencer and Logan were awesome. The whole purpose of the road trip is for Logan to go to the college where he will be attending the upcoming year. I like how both of these guys were very similar, yet very different. Spencer was shy, a total nerd, and very sweet. Like Matty, he would be a wonderful best friend. Logan was ooh la la! I really liked him, but he pissed me off in the beginning. I learned that the only way I can like a guy is if he kind of annoys me in the beginning. The reason I find Logan annoying is because he's able to shoot back witty comments just as much as Rosie can. Is it weird that this characteristic draws me to guys? It means they're able to hold a conversation and one person isn't completely submissive to the other. That is why Logan and Rosie work well together!
Avery is the girl that Logan wants to meet up with before he goes to college. They had a thing earlier, and Logan is still infatuated with her. There were times that I really liked Avery, but other times that I found her almost suspicious. She was a great girl, nonetheless, but it was kind of weird how her and Rosie clicked immediately. Avery acted like she knew everything about her life. And she kind of made me mad with the whole Logan thing. She pretty much led him on, but Rosie looked up to her like she was an idol. I personally don't think that's okay.
This was my first road trip book, and it was pretty great! The only thing is that I wish there were more sightseeing. I feel like we only got a handful of different scenes where they actually went and did stuff. I personally would have been okay if the book was another 100 pages just so I could see more sights and learn more about these characters!
Lastly, the ending was great! I really liked how everything settled for the characters, and it led to some openness so you could think about what the rest of the future was like for these characters.
How My Summer Went Up In Flames was a wonderful read for summer! There were only a few different things that I didn't enjoy about this book, but over all it was pretty good! If you're looking for a quick and easy book that gets you out of your hometown for a little bit, I'd suggest picking up How My Summer Went Up In Flames!
