The Night We Said Yes

by Lauren Gibaldi

Unexpectedly falling in love with Matt during a wild and reckless night after resolving to put a painful breakup behind her and focus on graduating from high school, Ella is heartbroken when Matt leaves town and wonders what to do when he returns a year later wanting to relive the night that brought them together.

• ISBN10: 0062302191
• ISBN13: 9780062302199
• Publish Date: 16 June 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

Because it is him. Here. Standing in front of me. Looking like he never left. Looking like this is any other night and he’s just stopping by to say hi.

[bookishzelda]

The Night We Said Yes wrapped me in a warm blanket. It completely reminded me of High School/College. Running around in the middle of the night with boys and boys in bands. I actually usually went for the bassist myself. This was just a fun light read. Of course when you are a teenager your drama never seems light.

I loved the characters. There was such a great mix and group of friends. There are characters that we only sort of meet, like Evan, Barkley and Gabby. Then of course the characters that the story really revolves around Ella, Matt, Meg and Jake. I loved that even though Ella is the main character the side story of Meg also holds water.

I loved that the story alternates between the now and what happened a year ago. It was a great way to tell the story and keeps the plot moving. You feel like it’s such a quick read because of it. Plus it’s just fun to see how the characters have changed in that year period.

Ella and Matt are cute and I loved their first night together as it’s rehashed. Once again because it totally threw me back into high school again. It gave me all those giddy feelings. When we go back to Ella and Matt now and find out Matt’s reasons for doing what he did. Well, I kind of didn’t like him for a minute. I like how Ella doesn’t let him slide though.

I also found myself invested in Meg and Jake with all their drama. Towards the end we kind of see how things can be volatile between them but Meg has some wise words. I loved Meg and Ella’s friendship and how they are always supportive of the other no matter what happens.

It’s hard for me to put into words what made me enjoy this book so much. It’s more of the feeling I got from it while reading and that it left me with. I could completely see my friends and I playing the “yes” game. The Night We Said Yes is just such a great good mood read.

[shannonmiz]

Things with this book started off pretty decently. I was into the story of Ella's relationship with Matt, where he vanished to, what the mystery was, and of course, if they were going to end up together. But there were some things along the way that really interfered with my liking of this book.

Things I liked:

• Even though it is told in one (technically two, with flashbacks) night, it really worked. I never felt like I was bored with the pace, nor did I feel anything was rushed. I also really liked the way the flashbacks were integrated throughout the story.


• Some of Ella and Matt's "first night" were really cute. I liked that they were a bit shy and awkward, and basically banded together while Jake and Meg were being ridiculous.


• I did like that Meg was trying to keep Ella from getting hurt again, and trying to be a really good friend. I feel like there is never enough of that in books!

Things I didn't:

• Parent-in-YA Syndrome is real in this book. Seriously, do these people have parents, or were they straight up raised by wolves? Look, I get that they're on the precipice of leaving for college and all that jazz, and maybe I am just being naive, but my parents went crazy on me when I was 18 (and already in college) and was eating Rita's Italian Ice in a friend's driveway too late. These kids are just running all over the town on multiple nights getting into all kinds of shenanigans, and nary a parent cares.


• Matt's big "revelation" kind of underwhelmed me. I mean, clearly I cannot say much, but it just didn't make enough sense for me. I don't know what I was expecting, but it just was something more I guess.  Not that we knew a ton about Matt, but it seems like he is pretty good at lame excuses and not knowing how to behave like a human, so I guess maybe it makes sense? Speaking of...


• The characters fell a bit flat for me. I didn't know much about Ella except that she liked Matt and likes to write. As for the supporting characters, I felt nothing. There was a lot of arguing between Ella's friends Meg and Jake, who were in a super toxic relationship. Everyone was mad at everyone at some point, and it got old, fast. They also had very little personality, and I found my mind wandering, wondering what on earth these people could find to talk to each other about during the other 364 days of the year.


• Ella and Matt were kind of insta-lovey. Not insta-love, exactly, let's call it insta-relationship. I mean, they were fairly serious after one night, which is a bit strange. Maybe I could have seen it had they known each other before that night but... they did not.

Bottom Line: I mean, I didn't hate this book. I adored the concept, and even the execution in regards to the flashbacks and such. I would definitely give the author another try, as the writing and ideas were fine, but in a character driven novel where you know little about the characters and what you do know you do not like... well, you get the idea.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Five reasons to grab The Night We Said Yes and head to the beach

• The Night We Said Yes is a second chance romance that includes fleshed out secondary characters, and a summer night reliving the night, they said yes. The tale is realistic but be warned it portrays underage drinking and is filled with dorky, sweet moments and friendship.


• I loved how the tale unfolded using alternate chapters of then and now. The “then” tells the story of the first night Matt and Ella or "El" met. Gibaldi shows us those first moments of a budding romance, of the getting to know that special someone. She gives us all a glimpse at the chemistry, that awkwardness and adorableness as it unfolds. We also met El’s best friend Meg and her volatile relationship with Jake. The “now” chapters take place almost a year later. Matt moved away six months early without any closure and has returned hoping for a second chance not just with El but their friends too. He tries to recapture that first night. It was sweet and had me shaking my head, feeling for both of them and laughing aloud.


• While I certainly cannot condone some of their behavior from trespassing to underage drinking, Gibaldi kept it realistic and still managed to impart common sense such as not drinking and driving or vandalism. It evoked memories of high school years.


• Matt and El’s romance is adorkable and reminded me of first love. I became caught up in wondering whether El would forgive Matt and take chance. Surprisingly mature and low on angst the “now” chapters filled us in on everything that happen between “then” and “now”. We get a secondary romance between Jake and Meg. It is volatile and exposes their rocky relationship.


• The friendship between Meg and El was perhaps my favorite part of the story from memory bracelets to having each other’s back it truly captured those magical friendships that are a part of our childhood.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer