How My Summer Went Up in Flames

I fell in love with impulsive Rosie and her posse of nerdtastic boys. This was one of those special books that hits your funny bone and you soft spots all at once. If you adore Kasie West's contemporaries, you'll love HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES!

I was checking out the new release section at our library, hoping to find some YA featuring a male protagonist. Of course, this was not to be. So I decided to read this recently-published book since I love cross-country drives. The story was cute, but I could not get myself to believe that a teenage girl would be allowed to drive 3,000 miles with three teenage guys. Still, I loved the scenic descriptions and the wide-eyed point of view of the protagonist who had never traveled away from the East Coast. And I will give credit to the author for writing a nice read that is heavy on emotion, without resorting to R-rated prose. I liked how the protagonist was able to negotiate through a tangled web of personal problems, and elevate herself at the end. Mark Lichtenfeld---Author of LINE CHANGE.

I went into this book thinking it would be the perfect summer read. Not only because summer is directly in the title, but this book sounds like a light, fluffy, summery, beach read. And that it was.

This book was about a road trip with some light drama and light romance thrown in. I kept wanting a little more out of it, a little more romance, a little more drama, just a little more of something happening in the story. With that being said, let me clarify that this was not a boring read nor was it dull at parts, but I just felt like there was more potential at times for the story to deepen when it didn't do so.

Rosie, our MC, was comical and lovable, I found myself just wanting things to go right for her. I found myself getting annoyed with her at times in the way she complained too much and was stubborn in her ways. I felt that she should just get over her ex boyfriend when she consistently was pining for him. I was also annoyed that she couldn't decide who she wanted to be with and her feelings were floating around from guy-to-guy at times. However, I think that Rosie was a realistic character, she seemed like an average teenage girl and I liked that about her.

I love road trip books!! As it so happens, this book also adds in four characters that make the road trip that much better. I loved all the characters, the three boys and Rosie, together had fun adventures and brought out some fun bantering throughout their adventures. I love the people they meet along the way and I love the places they go.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is the perfect summer read. It's light, entertaining and fun to read. I would recommend this one, especially if you enjoy road trip books!

This book has been on my TBR for awhile and when I saw PulseIt had it for a free read, I just had to read it. The story is really good and I absolutely love the opening scene. The characters were all really likable and if I had the money I would buy this. I suggest you read it if you can:)

Ever since I read the title and saw the cover I knew I wanted to read this book! I admit I was a little hesitant because I had found out it was a road trip novel, but I decided to give it a shot. (In case you didn't know, I don't normally like road trip novels because they just seem to be in the car and not have much happening...)
But now I'm in a dilemma... If I decide to read another road trip book and its not as good as this one, I'm not sure I'll ever be a real fan of road trip books. That's really just how good this book was. Doktorski brought these characters to life during their trip and with every turn of the page I was looking forward to the adventures they had while making their way across the country.
One of my favorite things from the novel though, was the fact that it centered around a break up instead of a newly budding romance. I haven't read many books like this, and it was actually refreshing to see crazy Rosie develop into mature and smarter Rosie. Which in turn brings me to the one thing I didn't like about the book. The "OMG my life is over after this break up" turn she took after they broke up. Granted there probably wouldn't be a story without it, but I was definitely glad when she grew up and forgot all about him.
Another thing I really loved was the laugh out loud humor. There were so many times I got the stink eye from my boyfriend from just randomly bursting out in laughter because of Rosie's snarkiness. Her attitude along with Matty's was the reason I enjoyed the trip so much. With them there was never a dull moment.
Lastly, I know I've loved a book when I loved all its supporting characters as much as its main character. Everyone from Matty to Avery to Logan to Spencer, right on down to Pony. I developed a connection with them all and I hated for the story to end.
Doktorski's debut novel is seriously a laugh out loud , very sweet, coming of age novel. Definitely a must read for everyone as looking for a romantic summer read.

I really, really enjoyed How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski. I thought it was a fun story full of flawed and realistic characters and it was exactly what I was hoping for when I picked it up.

I've read that some people had trouble connecting with the protagonist, but I actually really liked Rosie. She was so freaking confused and made so many mistakes and that's what I liked about her. She never really had any dreams and her whole life revolved around Joey, so it totally threw her when he cheated on her. And then she had to figure out what the hell was next. I felt like her confusion and her lashing out was very realistic. It wasn't pretty, but it felt real. She was spoiled and rude, but so are a lot of teenagers. Plus the growth in How My Summer Went Up in Flames was phenomenal and I really liked Rosie figuring herself out a bit more and getting a bit of a reality check.

I also really liked the secondary characters - Matty, Spencer, Logan...they were all really interesting guys with their own storyline and growth to make throughout the story.
While there was a love triangleish thing, it was never really a love triangle because you could just tell where the real chemistry was and you knew that Rosie knew it too. Although I will say, as always, I picked the wrong guy. ALWAYS.

And of course, I'm a sucker for a good road trip.

Like I said, I just really enjoyed How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski. I thought it had a great combination of fun plot and realistic characters who were getting life experience for the first time and growing because of it. So if you like contemporaries and road trips and realistic characters, definitely pick up How My Summer Went Up in Flames. It's a great debut and I can't wait to read Famous Last Words.