The Catastrophic History of You and Me
Author: Jess RothenbergPublisher: Dial Books (Penguin), 2012Genre: YA Paranormal RomanceBRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.
But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?
I opened this book with no expectations
at all, and boy was I surprised, nay, blown away by it. Full of pop culture and
80’s references, humor, romance, and heartbreak, this novel is memorable in every
single way. That it uses the lyrics of songs as the titles for each chapter is
just one of the many things that made it special.
The story follows Brie, a teenage girl
who has died but remained on Earth because she has unfinished business with the
boy who literally broke her heart in
two. Before she can find peace, Brie must go through the stages of grief. The
first thing that made me love her is how strong she is. Her situation and
everything that’s happening is heartbreaking, yet she manages to stay focused
and come back after breaking down. Brie is also a very relatable character and
I could empathize with her grief and pain and anger.
Of course, some of her strength and growth
comes thanks to Patrick, the hilarious heartthrob ghost who promised to help
her get revenge. He’s always there to tell her when she’s being irrational and there
to lift her spirits up and make her see the light (sry about all the puns lol).
This might be Brie’s story but we also get glimpses of Patrick life and these
were all just delicious treats along the way. Seriously, he’s top quality YA
Crush material and together with Brie, they make one of the best YA couples I’ve
seen in a long time.
Then the ending was full of stomach dropping twist
and incredible turns! I mean, holy crap! I finished this book pacing in my
living room because I could not sit still. Definitely one of my top favorite ‘one
shot’ books ever and I’m definitely keeping a sharp eye out for more Jess
Rothenberg novels.
Favorite Quotes:
~Flirting
in Heaven~
“There’s plenty of fun to be had out there.”
He winked at me and grinned. “On that note, want to have some?”
Oh,
SMOOTH.
I raised an eyebrow. “And what kind of
fun might you be referring to?”
He put his hands up in defense. “Hey
now, lil’ lady, let’s try and keep it PG, okay? I mean for one thing, there are
children present. And for another, we’ve only just met. So let’s just keep
doing what we’re doing, keep dating other people, and let things develop
organically, all right?” He shook his head and whistled. “Gee whiz. It’s like
no matter what I do, the ladies can’t resist me.”
I felt myself blush ten thousand
shades of red.
~Stalking
101~
For the record, I would like to point
out that it is NOT being obsessive to memorize a boy’s schedule so that you can
accidentally bump into him. It is called being efficient. Why waste time and
energy running around trying to guess where a guy’s going to be, when instead,
you can actually know? And then you
can actually be there. Pretty straightforward stuff, I tend to think.
