The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life

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Author(s)

Tara Altebrando

Publisher

Dutton Juvenile

Genre(s)

Contemporary

Age Range

14+

Release Date

July 05, 2012

ISBN

0525423265

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An all-day scavenger hunt in the name of eternal small-town glory.

With only a week until graduation, there's one last thing Mary and her friends must do together: participate in the Oyster Point High Official Unofficial Senior Week Scavenger Hunt. And Mary is determined to win.

Mary lost her spot at Georgetown to self-professed "it" bully Jake Barbone, and she's not about to lose again. But everyone is racing for the finish line with complicated motives, and the team's all-night adventure becomes all-night drama as shifting alliances, flared tempers, and crushing crushes take over. As the items and points pile up, Mary and her team must reinvent their strategy--and themselves--in order to win.

An all-day scavenger hunt in the name of eternal small-town glory.

Editor reviews

4 reviews

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0(2)

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4.0(2)

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4.0(2)

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A Cute Read

August 06, 2012

Overall rating

4.0

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The Best Night of Your Pathetic Life by Tara Altebrando was such a cute read! It was my first Tara Altebrando read and it surely will not be my last. I don't have a ton to say about this one beyond the fact that I really just thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved the wackyness of the story and the plot behind the scavenger hunt. I loved following the characters and seeing what madness they would get mixed up in trying to get one thing or another for the list.

Tara Altebrando has written a cast of characters so diverse from one another and I really loved them all. Dez and Lucas were definitely my favorite two characters of the book. Both were just so charming and really work their way into your heart.

This was a fun, fast paced contemporary from Tara Altebrando. With such a charming story and fun characters, it is sure to be a favorite. Fans of contemporary must give this one a chance, as it was really just great. A perfect summer read.

Erica Top 50 Reviewer 192 reviews

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Fast-Paced

June 27, 2012

Overall rating

4.0

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This is a fast-paced, quick read, and I really enjoyed the way the story is built around the scavenger hunt. Finding the items and working through the clues provided an interesting backdrop to the constant tension and drama between the main characters. I also appreciated that there's a definite arc to the storyline, and that most of the characters have changed between page one and the end.

The only thing that kept me from loving this story instead of just liking it was the main character, Mary. I just didn't like her. I found her to be shallow, self-absorbed, and insensitive. And I didn't see anything redeemable in her until the very end. Which meant that I was constantly wondering how any of her friends could stand to put up with her, I didn't care if she won the hunt and attained her goals, and I didn't believe her friends when they gave her compliments. However, Mary does learn some hard lessons about herself by the end, and she begins to change as a result. Because a reader's response to a character is purely subjective, I don't think this should keep someone from trying the book. Just because Mary wasn't my kind of heroine doesn't mean she won't be perfect for someone else.

CJ Redwine, Site and Staff Manager Top 10 Reviewer 406 reviews

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User reviews

2 reviews

Overall rating

4.2

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4.0(2)

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4.5(2)

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4.0(2)

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Definitely not a scavenger hunt to forget...

October 13, 2012

Overall rating

4.3

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This book is about a girl called Mary, who is on the verge of finishing school, and who is partaking in one last scavenger hunt. The guy she really wants to beat is the guy who got into the university that she wanted to, and she didn't, even though she's WAY better than him. The trophy (called the Yeti) is something that she desperately wants to win to prove once and for all that she's not an "Also-ran". Within about 24 hours, they have to find as many of the items on the master-list as possible.

I can't believe that that whole book was less than 24 hours long. It is amazing how much is in it, by the end you feel as if you have known the characters for ages. There is bullying, unrequited love, friendships and break-ups all in just one scavenger hunt.

All the characters are great. You feel as if you bond with each and every one of them, which is something that I find a lot of books don't do. You only get to know the main character, which is not the case in this book, which I really like. Also, Mary is not a perfect girl, she has her ups and downs, her flaws and her jealousies, but I think that is what makes her relatable. I also like how she doesn't just let other people control her. She takes matters into her own hands.

All the characters are kind of classic characters you find in a book (the main character crushes on a guy who likes her best girl friend, and her best guy friend loves her and she doesn't know it, etc.) but somehow I didn't feel like this was one of those same old same old love triangles. They are classic characters, but they work in a great way.

This book is about life's (and high-school's) ups and downs, and moving on from the bad stuff, and concentrating on the fun and good things! It has a few inappropriate things, so I wouldn't read it if you were younger than, say, 14 or 15.

Louisa Top 50 Reviewer 119 reviews

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The Scavenger Hunt of a Lifetime

September 09, 2012

Overall rating

4.0

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The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life is about Mary, a senior in her last year at school. But she cannot leave without participating in the hunt, and take away its trophy, The Yeti. With her friends that have been with her through the entire trip of school, they enter to win. With the master's list, they must find everything or do everything for a certain amount of points before the time runs out.

It is amazing to see how much the author has packed into this book. In less than 24 hours, there is bullies, relationships, friendships and fights crammed into the one title. I must say it would of taken a lot of work to be able to do so, I wouldn't be able to be bothered to do so much at such a high standard.

I like the characters a lot. They have quite clear figures and are easy to tell apart. All of them have brilliant personalities, every single one of them are powerful and strong. Mary in particular is not one of those girls who is weak and lets the boys do it for her, she is the one who takes matters into her own hands. She does have her flaws though, and that is what makes her a great character.

The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life is a great book about growing up and moving on with your life after school, and also having fun! It has your classic characters, but these work in a great way. I totally recommend it to young adults above the age of 16, as it contains some inappropriate details.