How Not to Spend Your Senior Year

Reader reviewed by kelsea

Usually you cannot keep my attention on a book. But this is not the case. This was by far one of the best teen comedy romances I've ever read. It kept me going. My parents were yelling for me to turn off the light at midnight. I literally could not put it down. Now I am just a teenager but I loved it. Thank you very much for reading

Reader reviewed by stebat

This book is about "Jo" a young girl who has been moving in and out with her father for years after her mother's death. And now, she's about to live a new place and got to a new school where she meets a jock guy who was starting to be interested in her and a new and only friend, but what Jo dicovers is that she has to move again snd the reason that she has to move is that her dad has whitnessed a murder and the killer has been looking fo him for years, so she and her father pretended to be in a car crash and she gets into a new school where she becomes a journalist and she has to write about the dissapearing of "Jo Oconnel", her previous her, and while she's in her previous school her past boyfriend "the jock" sees her and think he has seen a ghost ... Things don't get easier to Jo when her partner in journalism start to having suspissions about her being Jo and pretending to be someone else.

Reader reviewed by Phoebe Galea

I am someone that finds it hard to get into a book and concentrate, this book had me hooked the whole way through. I was amazed that it was as good as it was. It allowed me to play a character that has a relatively speaking a good father role model, which I dont have.
As shameful as it is to say that this book was the first chapter book I have read at the age of 15, it captured my imagination and concentration so well. I hope to someday meet Cameron Dokey, its a dream, because if it wasnt for her I would never have become a read.
Anyone that reads this review I truly mean this when I say read it, its the best book ever

Reader reviewed by Bria

Jo O'Connor is your average girl. Well except for the fact that her father is in the witness protection plan. She has to move from place to place. when she moves to a new place she finds good friends and a hot boy she could really like, but then she has to move again. From here it gets weird. She goes back to her old school, while keeping in eye on her hot new crush, who happens to be seeing her ghost everywhere. Confused? Me too!
I loved this book. I laughed out loud at Claire's (Jo) missteps and loved how the whole thing ended. It was a great addition for Simon Pulse.

Reader reviewed by Sara

"Rule #1: If at all possible, don't pretend to be something you're not. Specifically, don't play dead. Trust me on this one. I did it, so I should know.
Jo O'Connor has spent her whole life moving around. When it comes to new schools, there's not a trick in the book about starting over that Jo doesn't know. but life is about to teach her a new trick: how to disappear entirely.

Rule #2: Always expect the Spanish Inquisition, no matter what anyone else does.
They have to move again. Now. This very night. Jo knows better than to argue. her dad is the keky witness in a major case against a big-time bad guy. But Jo just can't resist one last visit to the school where she's been so happy. All she wants is to say goodbye. That can't cause any problems, can it?

Rule #3: Never assume you can predict the future.
Now Jo's on elast visit has landed her smack in the middle of a ghost story. Specifically, her own. By the time it's over, she'll have a whole new set of rules about what's real, what's make-believe, and - most of all - what's important."

I thought that this book was really cute. It was short and simple, but just what I needed when I was stressed out at school - a book I could easily put down and pick back up. It was very straight-forward and uncomplicated.

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

Josephine Claire Calloway O'Connor has spent her entire life since she was eight moving from city to city. Between third grade and senior year she was in at least two schools each year. Now she's in her second as a senior, and she's hoping that it's her last first day of school. Things start differently. Instead of blending in, she's immediately noticed by the BMOC (big man on campus). She really likes Alex, and he seems to like her. She makes friends for the first time in a long time, and she's loving her life. Then her dad announces that they have to leave. Now. As Jo learns the details of their constant moves and tries to resurrect her old life, things spin out of control. Jo struggles to right everything, while also trying to keep her old- and new- life secret. This book kept you in suspense and turning pages until the end.

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

Josephine Claire Calloway O'Connor has spent her entire life since she was eight moving from city to city. Between third grade and senior year she was in at least two schools each year. Now she's in her second as a senior, and she's hoping that it's her last first day of school. Things start differently. Instead of blending in, she's immediately noticed by the BMOC (big man on campus). She really likes Alex, and he seems to like her. She makes friends for the first time in a long time, and she's loving her life. Then her dad announces that they have to leave. Now. As Jo learns the details of their constant moves and tries to resurrect her old life, things spin out of control. Jo struggles to right everything, while also trying to keep her old- and new- life secret. This book kept you in suspense and turning pages until the end.

Reader reviewed by Leah



This book was good because unlike the other novels from this publisher, it had a good, well thought out plot. Although it starts out slow, the story is really interesting. Jo O'Connor is a senior in high school and probably holds the world record for how many school attended in a single student career. Moving from place to place since her mother died, Jo has finally found a school she remotley likes. She makes friends and the BMOC falls for her. But then she must move again because her father is a witness to a terrible murder. They fake their own deaths She moves to her new school and makes an obnoxious but ok friend. But she must go back to her old school for a project. This as you can imagine, creates some complications.

Reader reviewed by two sided freek

So, this book truly can get a little confusing but if you follow you'll realize it's seriously good. It's one of those books you might read again and again, just to get laughs out of it. It all comes together in the end but it has you hanging at the edge of you seat while you wait for something awful to happen. My favorite thing about this novel is that it's different, it has a different plot line. So go ahead and read, you won't be dissappointed.

Reader reviewed by artemis

This book was awful! The author doesn't cross new territory here, we've seen it all before. The only difference is that the girl pretends to be a ghost and everyone buys it. The usual wannabe teenage love triangle is there: this guy Alex supposedly likes Jo, the main character, but he really likes Jo's best friend, Elaine. Well, Jo's not left entirely in the dark--Mark, a reporter at her new school likes her. I don't see why, given the fact that he's pretty much a jerk to her till the very end.

Another thing: WHAT WAS THE AUTHOR THINKING? This is not a romantic comedy! There's hardly any romance! If there is, it's between Alex and Elaine only! As I was reading, I started to believe that the author wanted Jo to not end up with Alex! You see hints from page one on that Alex totally likes Elaine and couldn't care less about Jo, so you know he's a jerk! Jo totally deserved Alex, given her situation and I found her friend Elaine to be a shallow and selfish jerk who stole Alex for herself when she picks up on the fact that Jo has a crush on him. Alex and Elaine were not right for each other and I found myself pulling my hair out when they were paired up in the end! Instead she was left with pushy Mark. He was such a jerk!

Elaine was so annoying! She was the main one who got on my nerves and I almost didn't finish the book because of her! The whole ghost-thing didn't really work and I found some parts to be boring and VERY cheesy. Oh, and sooo predictable. You could figure out the end by reading the first three chapters. No real surprises, just disappointment! From everything to the ghost story, the characters and the writing! The writing was bad and the teenspeak embarrassing! Dear Ms. Dokey: THIS IS NOT HOW TEENS SPEAK! Do your research before writing another teen book! Ask around! Meet a few teenagers! They don't talk like that! The story made absolutely no sense and it was full of cliches! By the way, the so-called teen survival tips--STUPID!

Overall, the book was lame. Nothing new. Seemed very similar to other teen books I've read. Very predictable. Worth reading? No. Will I read it again? No. Should you read it? No--unless you enjoy wasting your time.