Author: Joe Schreiber
Genre: YA
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011
Source: NetGalley
Read for: Review
Perry is a good guy. He works hard at his dad's firm, trying to get a letter of recommendation for his dream school, Columbia. He loves his mom and his little sister. He plays in an awesome band. And he is very decent to his family's mousy foreign exchange student, Gobi. When his parents force him to take Gobi to prom for her last week in America, Perry feels like they are pushing him a little too far. However, he has no idea what the night has in store for him.
This book would make a great movie. Tight, succinct, and full of action, the tension doesn't let up for a second. We've got guns changing hands, wrestling bears, fast cars, and of course, a miraculous transformation from homely to Homecoming Queen. We've even got a catchy title.
All of which made Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick the perfect starting read for the Read-a-thon last Saturday. With less than 200 pages between its covers, the book ran the risk of being under-developed or overly simplistic, but it instead was clever and quick, touching on strong images and exciting moments as it ran from scene to scene.
This book is heavy on the plot, with character development clearly taking a back burner to the adventures of the evening. We learn a little bit about Perry and Gobi -- enough to know and understand their personalities and reactions to the events of the evening. However, they don't undergo any epiphanies or paradigm-shifts, except of course Perry's realization that Gobi is "the total epitome of hotness."
While this book isn't something that changed my life and won't probably stay long in my memory, it gave me an entertaining couple of hours. If you are looking for a light, James Bond-feel read with adventure on every page, you will enjoy Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick.
3.5 stars
Warnings: Some language, violence, an awkward grabbing scene
I kinda wanted to read this one, because I'm feeling into adventure-y books lately, but I'm not big on male protagonists. But I think I might pick it up after all since it's so short.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a good book for when you want to read something fun and relaxing. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI feel like that quite often about books - this is not the best book but would make an awesome movie! Sounds like a quick, fun read, maybe one for a holiday read.
ReplyDelete@Karen - It's pretty fun and will only take you a couple of hours!
ReplyDelete@Pepca - Thanks! It is a fun read - a good vacation book.
@Danielle - Yes, exactly! Just something light for some entertainment.