Roomies, by Tara Altebrando and Sarah Zarr: Minifridge vs. Microwave - let the negotiations begin!

Roomies
by Tara Altebrando and Sarah Zarr
Little Brown: New York, 2013
ISBN: 9780316217491
ARC reviewed provided by publisher

The summer before you go to college is a big one – you’ve got to pack your room up, say goodbye to your oldest friends, leave your childhood behind, and you’ve got to figure out which roommate is going to bring the mini-fridge.  Elizabeth and Lauren are about to start their freshman year at UC Berkley and have received the news that they will be roommates.  Elizabeth reaches out to Lauren, and the girls strike up a conversation that spans the course of a summer that is filled with personal growth, the challenges of change in family ties and childhood friendships, the increasing complexities of adult decisions (and not just about that minifridge), and romance.  Though they’ve never met, they rely on each other to get through it all – nervous as they are about their own burgeoning friendship not working out.  This is a strong recommendation for adult female readers for the nostalgic reasons (remember when?) and for high schoolers looking to make their own leap into the vast world of college roomie-dom (or college kids in it!)!

This is such a fun book you guys.  I really enjoyed reading it!  There’ s a lot to love as a book pusher for teens (the frank way old bonds get tested by new challenges, how its okay to realize you may not be bff’s forever, interracial dating, dating, sex, complex family decisions, parenting your parent, etc. etc.), but there’s also a lot of just sheer enjoyment of walking down memory lane.  I mean, many of us went to college/university, and many of us can recall the nervous feeling you had when you found out who your roommie was going to be – let alone if they’d be a friend!  It’s a fun exploration of a really pivotal time of life.   

Two thumbs up – and a great gift idea for that high school senior in your life if you are last minute holiday shopping…

Lucky Fools, by Coert Voorhees: Senior Moments

Lucky Fools
by Coert Voorhees
Hyperion, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4231-2398-9
(NetGalley Review Copy)

High school senior David Ellison has everything going for him: a brilliant and beautiful girlfriend, Ellen, fairly decent grades at his elite Bay-area prep-school, and, as usual, the lead in the upcoming school play.  While his classmates are all freaking out because Stanford, along with other elite universities, has changed admission policies and will now only be offering one coveted spot per school, David has his eye on another prize: pursuing his dream to study acting at Julliard.  Tensions around school begin to flare, especially when one by one, seniors thought to be contenders for the Stanford spot begin to have incriminating secrets shared on the college admissions board, all anonymously signed by “The Artist.”  David begins to find himself lying to Ellen, both about writing his college essay, and about spending time with the gorgeous new senior, and his co-star in the show, Vanessa.  To make matters worse, David’s father has hired a private college counselor, because he doesn’t think acting is a viable career.  David is finding himself distracted and is getting stage fright for the first time…just in time for his impending audition for Julliard.   The plot in this story meanders, leaving more gaps than satisfying answers, and the ending is abruptly convenient.  It is probably best for older high school students due to the plot and some partying, though some readers may have trouble identifying with the upper-middle class “worries” David has; purchase if there is room in the budget.