Book Review: Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca

Last Year's Mistake

By:
Gina Ciocca

Published:
June 9, 2015

Publisher:
Simon Pulse

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Source:
eARC from publisher for a honest review

GR's Summary:

Before: 

Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go... 

After: 

Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to. 

Told in alternating sections, LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE is a charming and romantic debut about loving, leaving, and letting go.

My Thoughts:

Last Year's Mistake is a book that I was drawn to based on the pretty book cover and synopsis.  It is Kelsey's story and told exclusively through her point of view.  Each chapter alternates between the present day forward, and than goes back to a year ago in the past, and moves to the point in which Kelsey and David stopped being friends.  In the present time, Kelsey is in her senior year of high school, and is happy with her hot boyfriend, Ryan, and a close-knit group of friends.  

However, her life is turned upside down when she see's David at school, a guy that you can immediately tell once meant a lot to her and still does.  However, for an unknown reason, they are uncomfortable with one another, and at times there is tension and animosity between the two of them.  What happened a year ago to cause Kelsey and David to drift apart?  

I loved Last Year's Mistake.  Seeing the way that Kelsey and David's friendship started out, and then blossomed in to something beautiful touched my heart.  Even though Ryan appeared to be a pretty good boyfriend, I felt that what Kelsey and David had was very special and unique.  Their families were close, and they had been there for each other through a lot of happy and tough times.

The story truly depicted what many teens and even adults go through.  Kelsey and David had growing pains, poor communication with one another at times, which was very frustrating, and they both made a lot of mistakes along the way.  Yet, these very things are necessary for growth, and learning.  

It was hard reading about the way Kelsey was treated at her original high school.  A group of girls made her life miserable, and David was a bit naive to it all.  The plot of the story was very fast paced, had some exciting twists, and kept my attention the whole way through.  This story wrecked havoc on my emotions!  I even found myself crying a few times as I read.

Last Year's Mistake brought me back to my teenage years, when you are learning who you are, social cliques can make or break you, and your first love is someone that you'll always remember.

My Rating:

I give, Last Year's Mistake, by Gina Ciocca, 4 Beautiful Friendship, Growing Up, and Falling in Love Filled Stars!!!

Book Teaser:

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About Gina Ciocca:

Author of LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE (Simon Pulse, 2015) Respecter of the Fluff. Lover of love. I am represented by John M. Cusick at Greenhouse Literary.

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