yolo – Zakiya N. Jamal

I know school still seems pretty far off and some of you may even be done with school (me!) but there’s still time for some summer reading and what better to read then some books that will actually help you survive in school. Whether you’re in middle school, high school, or college you’ll probably face at least one of these situations. Here’s six books to help you with six different school scenarios. Good luck!

1. Mean girls

Got some mean girls trying to bring you down? The haters are still hating? Don’t fear because Reed Brennan has been there. In the Private series she goes through some terrible hazing just to fit in with the Billings Girls, the most popular group of girls at her new boarding school. Even better, however, she learns how to beat them at their own game and become a boss herself. Plus, she also solves some murders but hopefully that’s not something you’ll have to deal with.

2. New year, new you

You’re tired of not being seen and you’re read to make a splash. You want to be noticed and you’re willing to do what it takes to get there. Lexi gets that. She’s ready for her long time crush, Logan, to finally notice her and she’s ready to play the beauty game to get what she wants. Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality will give you tips on your makeover while also reminding you that looks aren’t everything and maybe you’re perfect just the way you are. But some lipstick never hurts, right?

3. New student

Being the new kid can be the worst. You have to make new friends, learn your way around the halls, and try to fit in with a new crowd. Well imagine trying to do all that while having a crazy ghost roaming the halls of your high school. Yeah, your situation sounds much better now, doesn’t it? In The Mediator series Suze Simon is a mediator with a lot on her plate. It’s her job to get ghosts onto their next step (whatever that is) and she still has to pass all her classes. Add in a hot ghost roommate and Suze’s new girl status is the least of her problems. Still, Suze’s boss attitude to facing a new environment is one you can learn from before you enter your new school.

4. Getting over a crush

Unrequited love is the worst and you’re over it. You’re sick of crushing and being let down. You want to move on and start this year off right, leaving that crush in the past. Sadie feels your pain. She’s had a crush on her best friend, Garrett, for far too long and now she’s done. She’s ready to move on and she’s got a plan to do it. Consider Getting Over Garrett Delaney as your guide to letting go and finding your own happiness. You got this!

5. First year of college

Leaving home for the first time? Staying home but all your friends are leaving? Trying the long distance relationship thing with your high school significant other? Yolo deals with all this and more. If you’ve never read the TTYL series I’d definitely recommend it before reading this one (plus there’s great advice in those as well). Besties Angela, Zoe, and Maddie have been friends all through high school but now that they’re going off to separate colleges they each face their own struggles and problems that almost any freshman will face. Lauren Myracle leaves no stone unturned and all the advice you’ll ever need to get you prepared (and excited) about college is in this novel.

6. First relationship

Falling in love for the first time can be hard. Especially when you’re a secret spy and the guy you’re dating has no idea. Of course, that’s probably not an issue for you. It is however, for Cammie Morgan, a spy in training who falls for Josh, a normal boy who knows nothing about the spy world. Although Cammie can speak multiple languages, kill someone with her bare hands, and track someone perfectly, when it comes to dating she doesn’t have a clue. In I’d Teel You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You, follow Cammie as she learns the ins and outs of flirting, kissing, and first dates. You may even pick up some dating tips and you’ll definitely relate to her first date woes. What do I wear???

Want more books to fit your school woes? Comment a problem or scenario you’re worried about facing this school year and I’ll recommend a book for you. Try me!

*This book is a part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

Through texts and messages, the mega-bestselling, beloved Internet Girls series followed the ups and downs of school for three very different, very close friends. Now it’s freshman year of college for the winsome threesome, and *everything* is different. For one, the best friends are facing their first semester apart. Way, way apart. Maddie’s in California, Zoe’s in Ohio, and Angela’s back in Georgia. And it’s not just the girls who are separated. Zoe’s worried that Doug wants to break up now that they’re at different schools, and Maddie’s boyfriend, Ian, is on the other side of the country.

In the face of change and diverging paths, Maddie’s got a plan to keep the friends close, and it involves embracing the present, making memories, and . . . roller derby! Using of-the-moment technology, Lauren Myracle brings her groundbreaking series into the brave new virtual world of texting and tweets.

I didn’t realize how much I missed the “winsome threesome” until I read through this book in one day. Somehow I found myself being able to relate to each of these girls in some way and it was awesome.

Just as the first three books in the series, the entire book is done in IM (although Lauren Myracle tries to sell it to us as texting). I say it’s still IM because the characters are still using their old screen names. Obviously this is done for the purpose of continuity but I struggle to picture college students using screen names as the names of their contacts in their phone.

Additionally there were multiple times when it was supposed to seem like they were group texting but some one was currently not responding to the group at the time. This was hard to keep track of at times. I wasn’t sure if Maddie was just texting Zoe or Zoe and Angela at some points and vice versa.

Despite these small failings I truly enjoyed this novel. It brought me back into the world of these characters that I loved so much years ago and reminded why I loved them in the first place. Although they’ve changed a little bit, as we all do when we get older, they were still the same characters I knew and loved.

Zoe was still the “good girl” but she let loose a bit and for that I was proud. Angela was still her bubbly, somewhat superficial self, but she was able to let go of the negatives that came with her superficiality (judging people on their physical traits before getting to know them for example). She also found a use for her love of fashion and beauty products, which was really cool.

As for Maddie she continued to struggle to be honest about her feelings and although I think by the end she learned that hiding things from her friends and not being honest with them or herself wasn’t healthy. Hopefully she’ll be able to figure out a way to better handle her emotions instead of bottling them up.

What I loved most about this novel and all the other novels in this series is the trio’s unending love for each other and unbreakable friendship. I think it’s amazing to create bonds like that with people and as the girls realize, it’s these bonds that help them through the tough times.

Myracle does an excellent drop of bringing this trio into the college world while keeping their friendship and separate personalities in check. All three of the girls face their own different challenges at college and in very different ways.

Favorite Line:

and I quote from the Bible: thou shalt not let a sorority girl named Candy dictate anything about your personal lifestyle, or thou shalt turn into a pillar of salt.

Stars: 4 out of 5. I loved it but there were some parts I struggled to find believable.

Borrow or Buy: Buy. I kind of wish I had the whole series to be honest. I’d love to reread them all in order.

Other Reviews

Little Onion Writes

The Young Folks

A Bottomless Book Bag

Tag: yolo

Six Books To Get You Through Any School Scenario

Book Review: YOLO