{YA Review} How My Summer Went Up In Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

{YA Review} How My Summer Went Up In Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

 

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... (Blurb via Goodreads)

{Details} Hardcover, 307 pages. Published May 7th 2013 by Simon Pulse. Source: Library

{Rating} 3/5 -- I liked it!

{Review}

"I wasn't always the kind of girl who wakes up on the first day of summer vacation to find herself on the receiving end of a temporary restraining order." (page 1, line 1)

I thought How My Summer Went Up In Flames was a cute story with a few laughs, a little romance, a lot of miles and sights to see, a little bit of law breaking, and a lot of learning about yourself. It's a perfect story to read on a long summer day.

Rosie is impetuous, emotional, impulsive, immature. But she also has a huge heart. Her new friend Spencer says this about her:

Spencer blinks. "I hope I'm so in love with a girl someday that her breaking up with me would make me want to blow up her car. Well, that sounded bad, but you know what I'm saying. It just means whatever you do, whoever you care about, you're in it all the way. And that's nothing to fee bad, or humiliated, about." (page 225)

She's also broken-hearted, so devastated that she's making bad decision (setting the car on fire? bad decision #1) after bad decision. It isn't until she's forced part way across the country that she starts to grow up, starts thinking about others, starts figuring out what really matters.

I liked Rosie's companions on the road trip, they each brought something new to Rosie's life, the aforementioned little bit of romance, as well as friendship. I don't think there are enough words to express how much I loved Matty. He's the best part of the book, not to mention he's the best BFF ever.