A Midsummer's NightmareKody Keplinger
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.
Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.
Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about.
A Midsummer's Nightmare is one of my recent favorites. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I would. I really liked Keplinger's debut novel, The DUFF, but this is by far my favorite of hers.
I didn't think I would like Whitley at first. She seemed whiny, selfish, and immature. But once I got to know her and got to dig into the emotions that cause her to act the way she does, I really started to understand her. Then I started liking her. She was was snarky and funny. She made mistakes, but who doesn't? She grew up and matured a lot throughout the book.
I will confess, given the circumstances, I tried to not like Nathan. I didn't want to. But, slowly, I fell for him just as Whitley did. He was very sweet and was always there to help.
I've really become a fan of Keplinger's writing. She has created a refreshing and youthful (because she is young) voice that I really like.
A Midsummer's Nightmare is a perfect combination of humor and seriousness. This book is a tale of family problems, scandalous relationships, mistakes, and coming-of-age, with many laughs along the way.
I need to find time to read this one... great review!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I can think of is just yelling about how fantastic it was. So...OMG! It was fantastic! Seriously, I loved every second of it. I really loved The DUFF and I haven't had time to read Shut Out yet but I've heard wonderful things about it. So, I was very excited to read A Midsummer's Nightmare.
ReplyDeleteAt first I wasn't 100% sure that I was going to like Whitley. She's a mess. She's completely reckless with her actions and with other people. Whitley is the kind of girl that I stayed away from in school. In spite of all that I liked her a lot. She was fierce and kind of a force to be reckoned with. I loved that she was bitchy and that she had issues. She was very believable. Her growth throughout the book was really incredible. I also adored Nathan. He was deliciously nerdy and sweet.