Freaky in Fresno by Laurie Boyle Crompton

Freaky in Fresno

by Laurie Boyle Crompton

One pink convertible, two estranged cousins, and a fateful summer road trip. When geeky horror movie fanatic Ricki and makeup guru Lana accidentally switch bodies they will have to work together to straighten out their lives and swap back to their rightful body before calamity strikes. Freaky in Frenso is a fresh take that is part Freaky Friday, part romcom, and all heart.

Ricki has one goal: save the Starlight Drive-in movie theater from going dark forever. Okay, make that two goals … she may also want a first kiss from her cinema-rescuing partner and major crush, Jake. Lana definitely has only one goal: grow her online makeup channel to keep her momager off her back, even if the posts attract ugly internet trolls.

The two cousins couldn’t be more different, but their opposite personalities come crashing to a head when their aunt gifts the girls a vintage cotton-candy-pink convertible. To share. Ricki wants the convertible for the drive-in’s grand reopening, but it’s the same day as Digifest, a huge event where Lana needs to shine. After a major fight and a minor electric shock while wrestling over the wheel, Ricki wakes up as Lana, and Lana wakes up as Ricki.

Ricki and Lana have only a day to un-swap themselves, a task made even more difficult as they try to keep up appearances on Lana’s channel and with Ricki’s hopefully-soon-to-be-kissed crush. But it turns out experiencing a day as each other—with a mini road trip and Chihuahua wrangling—may be the one thing that help the cousins see each other and themselves more clearly.

Freaky in Fresno:

  • Addresses topics such as family and friendship, mental health and self-worth, andonline presence
  • Pays homage to beloved 80s movies, hilarious Freaky Friday twists, cult horror classics, and scream queens like Jamie Lee Curtis
  • Is perfect for fans of contemporary YA, Christian Riccio, and Morgan Matson

Reviewed by Julie @ Struck by Stories on

3 of 5 stars

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This book felt a little average to me. Not really amazing, but also not particularly bad either. I liked the storyline fine, and the writing style was really addictive, but some of the characters felt a tad flat to me. I did like how it centered on family A LOT, though, which definitely improved my opinion of the story! My only wish was that I wish the formatting included Lana's perspective, instead of only getting to hear Ricki's perspective,

All in all, while I still think I prefer Pretty in Punxsutawney (a similar book by Laurie Boyle Crompton published last year), I did enjoy this one and am excited to see what Laurie comes up with next!

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  • 6 February, 2020: Reviewed