Title: From What I RememberAuthor:Stacy Kramer & Valerie ThomasEdition: hardcoverSeries: noneReleased Date: May 15th, 2012Publisher: Hyperion
Goodreads / Amazon KYLIE: Mexico? What a nightmare! I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech. Graduation is TODAY! Wait! Is this a wedding band on my finger
MAX: It started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics and it ended in Ensenada. It was hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie. But now we're stranded here, with less than twenty-four hours before graduation.
WILL: Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation. Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring their passports across the border - but there's no reason to rush back home right away. This party is just getting started.
LILY: This cannot be happening. It's like some cruel joke. Or a bad dream. I close my eyes and when I reopen them, they're still there. Max and Kylie Flores, freak of the century. In bed together. If Kylie thinks I'm giving him up without a fight, she's dead wrong.As valedictorian, Kylie Flores is required to write an amazing valedictorian speech for their graduation ceremony. The day before graduation, their teacher gives them a partner assignment, in which "social-retard" Kylie, gets paired with "dumb-jock" Max Langston. An early morning meet-up results in a thievery, and Kylie and Max find themselves in the back of a truck to get her stolen laptop: the location of her valedictorian speech. Max and Kylie find them wrapped in up Ensenada and possibly wrapped up in each other.
This book was hilarious and somewhat-deep and fun and a bunch of other really good emotions! Most of all, it was just very light-hearted, which made the book go by very quickly. Regardless of it's size (450-some pages) it was an easy read, but it did take me a few days because I was so busy. I'm sure if I had the time, I would have just sat down and read the book. I found myself constantly picking it up during slow parts of class just so I could squeeze in a couple more fun and adventurous chapters!Kylie Flores is the valedictorian, and tends to stay away from everyone else at Freiburg. The only person she keeps close to her is Will, who is outwardly gay. Kylie surrounds herself with movies, as she's an aspiring producer, and her and Will's conversations consist mostly of movie quotes. From first glance, she seems like the total quiet girl that just wants to get her homework done. Once you unravel her good-girl side, you see that she's hilarious and actually has lots of wit to her. She's also not afraid to adventure outside of her normal routine, especially when in Mexico. I think I liked Kylie the most because she has two sides that intertwine. She's not two-faced or anything, she just chooses who she lets her real-self be revealed to... if that makes any sense.
Max Langston, on the other hand, is the preppy boy that everyone loves. Paired up with Kylie isn't so bad, but he still doesn't want to do it. Once he finds himself in Ensenada with Kylie, he lets everything go. He tells Kylie all about his father's illness, about his true passions, and he finds himself falling for Kylie. He's not exactly the "dumb-jock" that Kylie made him out to be in the beginning. Honestly, it was hard not to fall a little for him.
Then there's Will and Lily. Will is Kylie's best friend, who I really liked! He's a cross-dresser, and isn't afraid of what other people say to him. He tends to use his enhanced vocabulary against people, and I think that's why Will and Kylie are friends. They both seem to have the effortless wit. Then there's Lily. She's Max's girlfriend, and the one word I can use to describe her is annoying. She's not even that bitchy - she's just annoying. Two people will be having a good conversation, and then she just had to butt in and say something. I was getting SO frustrated with her. I totally just wanted to slap her a good one.
I really liked the adventure this novel brought. Like I said earlier, it was fun and exciting! I think the setting helped, because you have Kylie, who's been there before and she only lets loose when she's comfortable with something, so that's why she kind of became fun in Ensenada. Then Max is comfortable in any situation because of his confidence. This made for some awesome events between the two of them! I have to say that I really want to take a trip to Mexico now!
The ending is seriously awesome. It was my favorite part of the novel! I LOVED Kylie's valedictorian speech, and how she pulled a full 360 within just a day of living in Ensenada! Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and it was a fun read. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a little adventure next time they're reading.
