Book Review: Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Pages: 288
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.

Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Review

Sleepover party!

Reading Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters was like meeting up with a BFF after a year-long separation and reconnecting again at a marathon sleepover party. Kelsey's voice was so real that it felt like I was listening to a friend chat about her freshman year experiences.

Because of this chatty writing style, everything went down super easy and my reading never really dragged. This was good, because otherwise the episodic nature of the plot might have felt a little slow (and you know my LOW tolerance for slooooow plots).

There isn't really any kind of major climax or story arc to keep the plot moving forward. Instead, Kelsey's voice--which is a perfect blend of "real teen" and "hilarious running commentary"--was the main hook for me that kept me turning the pages.

I'm issuing the "Don't Read in Public" warning due to excessive laughter

Even though Major Events weren't really happening, there was still a lot going on. This is a Normal Teen Issues kind of book, so think things like awkward first kisses and having to play a really embarrassing part in the school play (to EPIC results).

Kelsey started out the book with high hopes for her freshman year, but none of them panned out quite how she planned. Mostly it was one disaster after another, and while part of me totally sympathized with her teen plights (I've so been there *groan*), the rest of me was laughing hysterically--and very much out loud--at her misfortunes.

It wasn't even like there were a few really funny scenes. It was more like a bunch of big laugh out loud scenes peppered between lots of chuckling throughout the whole book because pretty much everything Kelsey says is funny.

Kelsey is more than just a funny voice

I started out thinking the book was pretty good, but also pretty surface level. Kelsey seemed like a mouthpiece for funny comments, but she didn't seem to have much depth to her. But, this changed the more I read. I found myself liking Kelsey more and more as her personality became more distinct.

I admired Kelsey's attempts to distinguish herself during her freshman year, but even more, I admired her tenacity and "roll with the punches" attitude when her plans started to go awry.

Kelsey easily could have gotten mired in "whiny teen" (which would have been totally annoying) but instead she rose to the occasion with an understandable groan and a good dose of humor. I even found myself channeling Kelsey's attitude when things in my own life didn't go quite as planned.

Bottom line

Not only does Kelsey have a permanent invite to my sleepover party, but any book Meredith Zeitlin writes next is going on my auto-read list (meaning, I don't care what the blurb says, I'm reading that sucker).

I am also ordering a copy of Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters for my library where I will place it in the hands of every teen girl who enters the building.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

Still not convinced? Check out Meredith's interview!
(Mentions of Patrick Verona and Jace Wayland inside)

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Author Interview: Meredith Zeitlin

Please Welcome Meredith Zeitlin!

Meredith Zeitlin debuted this month with her beyond hilarious book Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters. If you're ever in need of a good laugh, seriously, read this book. It's filled with all of those awful teen situations that are totally familiar and make me cringe (awkward kisses! embarrassing everything!), but it also made me get sort of nostalgic about my own teen years.

Meredith was kind enough to stop by today to dish about cute snarky guys and the best school play scene ever, among other very important topics. 

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Q: Which one of your characters would you most want to kiss?

A: Oh, definitely Ben. He's so snarky and sure of himself... and he has those twinkly dark eyes...

Q: Which one of your characters do you most want to slap or give a verbal tongue lashing to?

A: There are a few contenders, but I think Julie Nelson is the winner. She's always nasty for no good reason and could use a major takedown. (I'd also wax her scary eyebrows while I was at it – which would be both very nice of me and satisfying at the same time.)

Q: If you were transported into your book, which scene would you most want to reenact?

A: I'd have to pick the final performance of the school play, but I'd want to be an audience member so I could watch and enjoy (insert evil laughter here). I certainly wouldn't want to be one of the actors!

Q: Which one of your character’s brains would you want to pick the most?

A: These are hard questions! I think... Lexi's. She's the kind of girl I desperately wanted to be when I was fourteen (and still do, sometimes) and never was. It'd be interesting to see what really goes on in her head - what it feels like to be perfect (or have everyone think you are, anyway).

Q: Which scene do you think will surprise readers the most?

A: Hmmm... maybe the Halloween party? Or the Foreign Scarves concert... Kelsey ends up getting some big surprises in those scenes, and hopefully readers will be imagining themselves in her shoes.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give your main character?

A: Not to take things so seriously, because it's all gonna work out okay. Well... sort of.

Readers should add FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS to their To Be Read list if they like...

Books about:
     Embarrassing families, high school hijinks, soccer seasons, theatre geekdom, first kisses, prom nightmares, changing friendships, evil upperclassmen, NYC, funny misadventures

Books/movies like:
     Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, Pretty In Pink, The Princess Diaries, anything Judy Blume

Main characters like:
     Angela Chase (My So-Called Life), Georgia Nicholson, Margaret Simon, Clary Fray, Samantha Baker (16 Candles)

Romantic leads like:
     Patrick Verona (10 Things I Hate About You), Jace Wayland

About Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters:

Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.

Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Kelsey’s hilarious commentary throughout her disastrous freshman year will have you laughing out loud—while being thankful that you’re not in her shoes, of course…

Author bio:

Meredith Zeitlin is a writer and voiceover artist who lives in Brooklyn with two adorable feline roommates. She also writes a column for Ladygunn Magazine, changes her hair color every few months, and has many fancy pairs of spectacles.

In case you're wondering whether any of Kelsey's experiences are based on Meredith's own, the answer is NO WAY. When she was fourteen, Meredith looked and behaved perfectly at all times, was never in a single embarrassing situation, and always rode to school on her very own unicorn.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Meredith!

Meredith is so spot on with the Patrick Verona (10 Things I Hate About You) and Jace Wayland comparisons! 

As for all of Meredith's other responses, it's like she's reading my mind! I totally want to pick Lexi's brain (I love her!), wax Julie's eyebrows (ugh, hate her!), and kiss Ben (so swoony!). And that school play? Funniest. Scene. EVER. I had to put my book down for a minute just so I could sit an laugh at the mental image Meredith created.

Have you read Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters?
How would you answer these questions?
(Remember, no spoilers please!)

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