Sam@WLABB
Written on Sep 7, 2017
One day, five events
Oh, San Anselmo Prep how I missed you and your quirky student body! It was so much fun to be back in this world, and to have an all new oral history to enjoy.
I was such a HUGE fan of It's Not Me, It's You, so when I heard Strohm was releasing a companion, I sort of danced a little jig of joy.
In The Date to Save, we get to meet the younger sister of Hutch, one of the main characters from the previous book. While working on an article for the newspaper about the Academic Battle, Angelica discovers that there has been a major scheduling mishap. It was loads of fun navigating the ultra-competitive world of prep school, as she tries to uncover how this monumental mistake occurred.
"Sometimes I feel like Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Obviously, my problems are nothing compared to what that guy goes through, but I'd love Ellison's take on being black, female, and the younger sibling of San Anselmo's most famous academic overachiever."
I really felt for Angelica, because I totally related to living in the shadow of a stellar older sibling. But now he was gone (or so she thought), and she wanted her shot at being the superstar. However, where he was an academic battle star, she wants to be a literary goddess. Strohm showcased so many awesome sides of Angelica, and I was rooting for her to make her mark. It was fantastic to watch her work through her feelings regarding her family, and along the way, find how to define herself.
I was pretty excited to get to catch up with some characters from the previous book. This is really why I love companion books. Everyone knows I never seem to get enough closure when I read a book, so it's a special treat to get to check in with old friends and see what's been going on in their lives since the last book. I was really pleased with the storyline and amount of time Strohm dedicated to Avery and Hutch. I fell in love with these two in INMIY, and was really surprised how I got to know Hutch so much better in this book, where he was more of a supporting character, than in the previous book. The Hutcherson family was so fantastic and I absolutely wanted to spend as much time with them as possible.
"a complete and authoritative oral history of the craziest homecoming weekend San Anselmo Prep had ever seen."
I adore books that stray from the traditional narrative format, and found the oral history added to my overall enjoyment and amusement. The format is fun and allows a larger number of characters to be involved in actually telling the story.
Quick Summary
Fun format
Quirky and interesting characters
A nefarious plot
Lots of hijinks
Some mystery and mayhem
A super-sweet-adorable romance
Visits from the alumni
Fantastic banter and cultural references
Terribly fun, fast-paced with a very satisfying ending
Strohm has wormed her way into my heart. When I need to laugh, I know I can count on her to deliver.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.