Review Detail

Andie moves to Punxsutawney P.A. before the beginning of her senior year. When she falls asleep watching 'Pretty in Pink', before her first day of school, everything goes south. The next day she wakes up to the same day she just finished. Andie must figure out how to get out of her perpetual first day of school in order to move on. To do this she must first learn about herself, life, and 1980's movies.


A YA novel with a time loop and a large dose of 1980's movies, Yes Please! Having recently loved the '7 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle,' I just knew 'Pretty in Punxsutawney', was for me. (Also, you know the having experienced high school in the 1980's thing).


The character of Andie, I loved. She is clumsy, and quirky, and awkward, and really funny. Her mom, who is stuck in the 1980's herself (and wants everyone else to be) is also amazingly fun. The rest of the supporting characters were a really good balance to Andie's and her mom's slapstick personality.


The storyline has so much potential and the author really works with it. Andie demonstrates that she can either let the perpetual time loop get her down or she can use it to her advantage. (The middle did lag a bit but I loved seeing so many angles of Andie's day).


By far my favorite part of this book is the 1980's movie tie-in's. It really made for great comedy when Andie relives bits and pieces of different John Hughs movies. I could have used more references to 1980's clothing, hair styles, and slang but the movie's references were more than enough.


Also, this story has one of the best endings I read in a while. It just tied everything up nicely and really gave me the feels.


I want to add that the whole point of 'Pretty in Punxsutawney' is not to be a realistic representative of today's high school students . It's meant to be a parody of 1980's movies, complete with their clicks, dialog, and stereotypical characters.


I really hope Laurie Boyle Crompton writes another book full of 1980's pop culture. I need more 1980's YA in my life