Bliss is the queen bee. she's gorgeous, popular, sweet, and always has it together. which, of course, is a lot of work if you ask her. she's perfected the balancing act of being the person everyone expects her to be and is fulfilling the prom night of her dreams. until she catches her boyfriend and best friend rounding 3rd base in the back of the limo mid-prom. well. that changes things a bit.
Jolene is the badass. give her crap and she'll give you a fist to your mouth. she bends people to her will with an icy stare and has a reputation a mile long. she's also showed up to prom in the pinkest and frilliest dress anyone has ever seen. she thought her long lost friend would show up and go to prom with her. she thought that no matter what else has happened between them, he wouldn't strand her like this. she thought wrong.
Meg is the geek. so geeky, in fact, that her parents set her up with a prom date. which is disastrous enough in itself, but then the dude bails on her. in a voicemail. minutes before prom. so now Meg is all glamored up with nowhere to go, no one to go with, and no one to blame but herself. oh, and that jackass who bailed on her. he's to blame too.
Bliss asks for Jolene's help in getting back at her best friend and boyfriend, and Jolene is foolish enough to provide it. as the two are making their break from the crowd, they run into Meg driving by. the girls twist Meg's arm into driving them around for their night of revenge.
predictably, the girls grow on one another. despite coming from very different walks of life with very different personalities, they discover they are searching for something they cannot find alone. not predictably, however, there is a lot of self-discovery and insight and emotion packed into these prom night hi-jinx.
this book is told in the alternating perspectives of Bliss, Jolene, and Meg, all within a single CRAZY night. there are new romances and endings of old romances. there are new friendships and the burning of old friendships. there are new discoveries about who they are and shedding the skin of who others wanted them to be.
though a bit predictable, this is still a really thoughtful, funny, creative, and heart-warming read. if you're in the mood for some prom night pranks combined with emotional reflection, this is for you.
fave quote: "Because if I don't deserve his attention when I'm myself, then what good is he?" (Meg, 239) [i SO wish i could instill this knowledge into every girl, EVER.]
fix er up: the predictability doesn't hurt this read at all. in fact, it allows for the reader to focus on the individual character development and enjoy the ride. if you're looking for surprise twists and turns, however, you will not find them here.
title: The Anti-Prom
author: Abby McDonald
publisher: Candlewick Press
drop date: March 8, 2011
genre: Contemporary, Humor
buy this book: Amazon
[ftc notice: i received an advance review copy of this book from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. i wasn't compensated in any way]
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