Book Review: Ten Things We Did by Sarah Mlynowski

Ten Things We Did by Sarah Mlynowski

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published June 7th 2011 by HarperTeen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

My thoughts:

      I needed to read something light and something to take my mind off the stresses and pressures from the world. And though the setting of this story is still found on earth, I did have an "other world" experience in the sense that I wasn't with me while reading it...i had so much fun reading this chicklit!

     At first I thought this will be super light with no emotional baggage issue kind of read (because who am I kidding? We all know chicklits are supposed to be light right?..) I also thought the novel was solely based on the topic "10 things we did (and probably shouldn't have)" title..well it did stick to it actually, but I always thought all the things they did was done in one day or something ( I guess that was a movie I watched before?). Anyway, I was also wrong when I thought this book had no depth (Emotionally and sensibly) because it has and it's actually good and what an eye opener it was!
     The story's about April who stayed in Westport despite this two things: one, with his father after her Mom remarried and lived off to Paris with her brother Michael in tag. Then second, when her dad and Penny (his new wife) decided to move to Cleveland, but she still stayed..she wasn't ready to move on just yet! And she was unprepared for this sudden announcement..So now,the solution? She lived with Vi,and Vi's mom..except her Vi's mom is travelling for a stage play...this calls for independence right? And independence they got!
    There was actually lots of things happening in the story, told in from the perspective of April, we ride on with April as she deals with her new found independence, her first time sex (no more virginity!) with her longtime boyfriend Noah (2yrs and more), her hate with her mom, her friendships, pills, a hot new guy, parties, new cat, her friends' relationships, screw ups and parties and hot tubs and hulas and and aaahh..well basically the ten things they did. Character speaking, honesty was the maim topic in here, and cheating is a big issue. I guess when your parents are divorced and cheating is involved, your trust issues are on the line. I liked how the story did not focus on the inappropriate things they did, though they were responsible with the things, they did learn something on thhe end. The end shocked me a bit... I clearly did not see that one coming! Noah and her breaking up i know what Noah did was stupid and he did lie and eventhough he told the truth, but only after he was caught... And okay so there were lots of things happening there...anyway, my point is she was honest and loyal to him despite everthing on their past...I was thinking will I also breakup with a bf if he did that after everything? (putting myself in april's shoes)... They loved each other anyway, well I would probably forgive him after some time but I will also break up with him, if he'll try to win me back then that depends. For April's part, Noah didn't seem to do that, and she did cry and mourn for a month, the peak part where everything falls apart and she's all alone, i cried with her, yeah that's just the wayitis,lol..and then...there's Hudson.,and he's different and he was a real gentleman, waiting and getting out of the way whenever Noah was around.,haha. Also in the end, I guess April sorted her life and her relationship with her mom and she told her dad with the truth...
     Honesty really changes a lot and that's what I learned I guess. I truly feel it is important in every relationship., because it changes things..a lot.



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