One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

Book review #54
One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
Rating: Four and half stars

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)
Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper.


Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one night to complete the most humiliating tasks on her list or they’ll post her secrets online—including the ones that aren’t just about her.

One Night That Changes Everything is fresh, spunky, and super fun. It was spread out over the course of one night and what a night it was! It had everything from parties, breaking in, the police, and even karaoke.  Together we got to witness Eliza face her biggest fears and just hope she can survive.

Eliza is barely recovering from her horrible breakup with Copper. She still can't get over how things ended. One of the only places she can write how she really feels is in her purple notebook. Written along with that are some of her biggest and smallest fears that she wants to conquer, but just can't. She thinks her life is over when the notebook becomes missing. Things get worse when she discovers Cooper and his gang have it and are forcing her to do some of the events in it all in the course of one night. It really is one night that changes everything...

I really loved everything about this book. The characters really topped it all off. Even though I only had one night with Eliza, I felt like I've known her for years. She was extremely relatable and reminded me of myself sometimes and I'm sure plenty of other teenagers out there. Eliza is just a normal girl who secretly has those fears that hold her back. Her two best fiends( Marissa and Clarice) were kind of crazy, but I still loved them. I like how they didn't get along with each other all the time, giving the story a little twist. Cooper was so sweet! Yeah he has faults, but I rooted for him the whole time. Comparing this to Lauren's other book Two Way Street, I can confirm that she was a real talent for creating real, down to earth, and memorable characters.

Along with great characters, One Night That Changes Everything is a very fun and entertaining read. But not only was it fun, but it was pretty inspiring at the same time. It made me want to go out there and accomplish some of the things I'm scared to do. The plot also had some laugh out loud moments built in. And overall there were even some twists and turns keeping it from being predictable.

Lauren Barnholdt officially made on my favorite authors list. With entertainment, life lessons, lovable characters, and even humor, what more could you ask for. It's hard to imagine not really liking this one. I guarantee you'll find yourself smiling by the end of the journey. I'm off to buy myself my own copy, as I suggest you do the same :)

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mylnowski

Book review #45
Gimme a Call by Sarah Mylnowski
Rating: Four stars (refer to the rating system on the right)

Summary: (taken from Goodreads) 

A new life is just a phone call away!
Devi's life isn't turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn't join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.

Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn't some wacko—she realizes that she's been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she's already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self? Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything? 

Oh my goodness! That was one of the coolest, funnest, most ridiculous books I've ever read. The concept was really unique and it was executed beautifully.  I had a really really good time. Overall it was fabo as Frosh (freshman Devi) would say.

As Devi walks through the mall, alone on senior skip day, she drops her phone in the fountain. She thinks it's broken, but when she presses the send button she hears someone very familiar on the line. It turns out it's her freshman self, back when she had wonderful friends and an actual life. She ditched everything for Byron, but now that he broke up with her she has nothing. She finally gets a second chance to change things for the better...or so she thinks.

The chapters alternated between freshman Devi (Frosh) and senior Devi (Ivy). You got to see two versions of the same character and what a treat that was! It was crazy how similar they were, yet so different. Some things never change. I really loved Frosh. She was so relatable, definitely one of the most accurate freshman I've read about. I remember having the same exact concerns as her as a freshman...aside from her future self telling her what to do all the time haha. Senior Devi was a bit more dramatic and wacky, but I understood where she was coming from.

It was so fun seeing how one little decision can change everything. You learned so many life lessons from this one little book. You were taught to learn from your mistakes and to not cheat your way out of life. Sometimes you have to let life take it's own course. Oh and I almost forgot- this book was hilarious! I laughed and smiled so much. Yes, it's one of those. Books that can make you laugh that hard are priceless.

Gimme a Call is such an awesome read, it's as simple as that.  It was extremely clever and enjoyable. It certainly brightened my day. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone. Even if the beginning is a little bumpy, stick with it you'll be devouring it in no time. Pick this one up... soon (: