I'm going to be honest with you, the reason I picked up The Catastrophic History of You & Me was because of its shimmery cover.Dear Penguin, please keep the shiny cover for the final version because shiny things are cool. Or maybe I just like shiny things, kind of like a raccoon. Love, Me.
Okay, I'll be honest again, I didn't pick it up just for the mesmerizing cover (*collective gasp*), I read it because the story sounded interesting and I was curious to see how Jess Rothenberg could make a, recently too common, story her own.
And Jess wins!
At sixteen, Brie dies of a broken heart. This is literal. Literally her heart breaks in half. While in heaven, Brie watches her family fall apart and she discovers that her best friend and the boy who broke her heart share a secret. With her guide, "sexy" Patrick (thus he shall be named), Brie must go through the five stages of grief before she is able to move on.
I laughed, I cried, I came, I saw, I conquered. Or at least I did the first two. Rothenberg knows humor and her dialogue is full of the kind of wit and retorts that I love. On the opposite side, she also is able to bring on the sadness and I found myself unable to read a few times because of blurry vision. They weren't tears, because I don't cry. I don't. I probably just need new glasses. Anyway...I felt the pain that Brie felt and the feelings that overcame her as she made discoveries. Oh, and did I mention the romance? This is a romance for the ages. It's what most high school girls want. I've grown-up and become a bit jaded since then, but I could feel my fourteen-year-old self smiling and very pleased as I finished the book.
The Catastrophic History of You & Me (I love this title, by the way. Has more meaning after you read the book) will wrench your heart, then it will make you laugh, then you'll find yourself sobbing in the bathroom behind the toilet so your roommates don't hear you. I didn't do that either, I'm just theorizing.
I would describe this book as Elsewhere meets Sarah Dessen with some Stephanie Perkins thrown in. Very enjoyable read!
RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2012
Awesome review!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this book. The concept sounds fantastic and the cover is... SHINY. Also pretty.
Looking forward to Sexy Patrick. Also looking forward to tears, although that sounds much stranger.
Thanks! :)
I love that you are now refering to him as "sexy" Patrick! I am totally on board with this :0) I was so excited for this one and was over the moon when I won a copy. It was definitely everything I hoped it would be and I agree that this book has the best kind of dialogue!
ReplyDeleteHe shall now be dubbed, "sexy" Patrick, yay! I'm so so glad you liked the book! :)
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