Tessa Masterson Will Go To Prom

Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom was a fun, cute read. There were some dark parts, as was expected, but it all still felt a little surfacey. I mean, it was overall a good read, but nothing that really stood out.

Lucas’s feelings for Tessa were just so sudden. I mean, someone actually tells him that he likes her and them, BAM, he decides that he does. I think it’s natural to wonder if a guy/girl friendship could possibly be more, but I feel like Lucas’s feelings should have been eased into a little more. I know it wasn’t the point of the story, but it just ended up feeling like a catalyst, not something realistic.

All the awesome support Tessa got made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of the entire book.

Lucas and Tessa both ended up driving me nuts for a while. I think it was pretty crappy of Tessa to never tell Lucas. If she just “assumed he knew” like she repeatedly said then she would have no need to be worried about what he would think. Best friends are the people you share everything with and I can certainly understand why Lucas was hurt and pissed. What I can’t understand is why in the world it took him so long to talk to her again. I know he was scared and whatnot, but I think he really could have just been like “Tess, I’m sorry for how I acted and I want you to know that I’m here for you now.”

The Nutshell: Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom is a cute, though still a little dark, fun read. It’s a little about love, but a lot about friendship and figuring out who you are. It’s a little surfacey, but still a good read overall.

Near Miss

Last year, I read Notes from the Blender by Brendan Halpin and Trish Cook. It was completely adorable, with excellent teen characters and touching on real issues. Halpin has done it again, this time partnering with Emily Franklin.

Multiple points of view can either be amazing in a book or completely awful; there doesn't seem to be too much of an in between. Both of Halpin's books that I have read are great examples of good ways to do it. Of course, it's a bit easier with two authors, each writing their own character. Still, I love it entirely, because it gives both of the characters their own unique voices.

The opening scenes, where Luke becomes convinced that Tessa is crushing on him, are absurd but in a totally true-to-life way. His analysis is way off, obviously, but who's isn't? He starts evaluating everything, reading only the things that add up to the answer he expects to find. Of course, none of this would have happened without the prodding of other people. This is clearly an argument against matchmaking.

The controversy about whether Tessa and Josie should be allowed to go to the Prom just makes me fighting mad. I mean, how could that possibly hurt anyone else? Of course, even worse is that I know there's a book about this because things like this really happen, because so many people in this country are still so parochial that they think it matters who people fall in love with. Come on, America, get over it! Oh, and at this point, I need to include a fantastic quote from Luke's part of the narration; keep in mind that it could be different in the final copy of the book:

"There are people who think I'm a hero because I'm standing up for biblical values. Like I've ever read the Bible in my life. Maybe if I did, I could find the part about how making a girl's life into a living hell is something that God thinks you should do."

Really, this was just the sweetest book. I completely love the message, one of acceptance and open-mindedness. There's no hating on Christianity or religion in general. Halpin and Franklin aren't trying to demonize anyone. I want to add a copy of this to my personal library and shelve it metaphorically next to Will Grayson, Will Grayson, though not literally, because I shelve alphabetically by author. This book made me cry and laugh out loud. Not many do that.

Now, go listen to some Lady GaGa (aka Miss Kaboom) and let your freak flag fly, be it what it may. We're all better when we're ourselves!