Genre: YA Contemporary
Published: December 31, 2013 by Balzer + Bray
Length: 384 pages
Source: Balzer + Bray (ARC)
“Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who’s always done what she’s supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.
Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.
One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.“
As a big fan of contemporary books, this one disappointed me a bit. I found the first several chapters of The Promise of Amazing very entertaining and funny though. The rest were like a roller coaster. The book is basically about how Wren and Grayson ends up together (or do they?). What I liked about it is that the characters are realistic. Grayson is a term paper pimp, and for sure there is someone out there who is just like him. I’ve heard news about college students taking SAT for other students etc. He’s also one of those guys who likes to chase girls, well, until he meets Wren. Wren, on the other hand, is shy and quiet. She works at her family’s restaurant and that’s where she meets Grayson. I also like how the parents in this book didn’t go off to a vacation like in other books. They actually have a role in this book, and shows up in few scenes.
I think this book isn’t bad, it’s just that I found the romance very cheesy and cliche. Sometimes my reaction were just like “seriously!?” or “really -_-”. I just didn’t find the story as cute as the book cover. It had a few funny moments, though. Overall it was an okay book. If you’re not really a fan of contemporary books, or it’s hard for you to enjoy/read a contemporary book, I wouldn’t suggest you reading The Promise of Amazing. If you want to read it, I recommend you borrowing it from a library first.
