THE NIGHT WE SAID YES (ARC) BY LAUREN GIBALDI: A BOOK REVIEW BY POPPY FAIRY

THE NIGHT WE SAID YES

Lauren Gibaldi

Hardcover, 304 pages

To be published on June 16th 2015

Published by HarperTeen

Summary:

A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti!

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave.

“So, how about… a high five for friendship?”

You guys, this is my most favourite line in the book. I’ve used it so many times in real life since reading The Night We Said Yes (with Lauren Gibaldi’s permission ofc) because it’s so effing brilliant and because it makes me double over with laughter everytime. Note that I read this book on March and it still gives me same feels whenever I say it. This is also the reason why Nick is my favourite. I’m sorry Matt and Ella. You guys are an awesome dude and dudette and I love you both but I’ll have to give the cake to Nick even though he only had very little exposure. Nick, who’s a class-S a-hole who dumped Ella in the suavest way possible. Despite that, I wanted to jump inside the book just to give him that friendship high five! In the face. With a chair. Lol.

But kidding aside, The Night We Said Yes is the first 2015 debut book I’ve read this year and it’s a pity because it has set the bar for debut books and I'm telling you that bar isn’t low. I still have remnants of my recent almost 1-year reading slump so I’m still finding it hard to focus on reading. It’s rare that I finish a book in one sitting no matter how short it is, but I managed that with The Night We Said Yes. Thank you for writing this, Lauren!

I’ve always been a sucker for a relationship that goes like: guy and girl break up, guy leaves, both are still hung up with each other, guy comes back and then boom confrontation. I wished for more drama in Matt and Ella’s relationship though. I’d have wanted Matt to suffer for leaving Ella just for the fun of it so the lack of drama in that area was a letdown. Thankfully, we have Meg and Jake to fill the part. The two have been on an on and off-again relationship with Jake always flirting with other girls and Meg always getting jealous. It’s not easy being the girlfriend of the vocalist of a band and even more so when the said boyfriend is a ginormous flirt. It’s obvious that they care for each other but they have this issue that will definitely result to a permanent break up if not resolved properly AND it’s not resolved properly YET. Which is why I’m calling Lauren Gibaldi to make a story about Jake and Meg. Jake and Meg OR Nick. Right, Lauren?

The Night We Said Yes is cute, fun and short with some characters that I may want to punch in real life but in this book, I want to give a friendship high five. I honestly have no idea how Lauren did that but I love them all, even a-hole Nick. The chemistry between Ella and Matt, I like too! They’re both cute and shy but they work perfectly well together. And aside from Nick, my most favourite part of the book is the friendship among Ella, Matt, Meg and Jake. They may feel more than friends with another in the group but they are friends first and foremost and that is what I truly appreciated about these characters. They look after one another even though they have probably want to strangle the other and I think that kind of friendship is beautiful. I can’t wait to read more from Gibaldi!

I received an e-copy from HarperTeen via Edelweiss for free in exchange for an honest review.

About Lauren Gibaldi:

Public librarian and author of THE NIGHT WE SAID YES (HarperCollins / HarperTeen, June 16, 2015) and MATT'S STORY (a The Night We Said Yes Novella, out August 2015). Fan of dinosaurs and cheesy jokes. And you.

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