Bookanistas Review: THE ANTI-PROM

The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald

From Goodreads:

Three unlikely allies team up for a night of rebellion, romance, and revenge in a high-stakes dramedy from acclaimed young author Abby McDonald.

They’ve spent years at the same high school without speaking a word to one another, but that’s all about to change. Popular Bliss was having the perfect prom until she found her BFF and boyfriend making out in the back of a limo. Bad girl Jolene wouldn’t be caught dead at the prom, yet here she is, trussed up in pink ruffles, risking her reputation for some guy - some guy who is forty minutes late. And shy, studious, über-planner Meg never counted on her date’s standing her up and leaving her idling in the parking lot outside the prom. Get ready for The Anti-Prom, Abby McDonald’s hilarious, heart-tugging tale about three girls and one unforgettable prom night.

I'm going to go all Hollywood and do an "X meets Y" style pitch for this book because, honestly? It perfectly describes THE ANTI-PROM. Ready for it?

The Breakfast Club meets The First Wives Club

Or as I so wittily refer to it - the First Breakfast Club.

That sounds to hobbitish.

Tangent. Anyway...Here are the elements: three girls all from wildly different social circles - the popular girl, the outcast, the good-two-shoes - all wronged by their boys on prom night embark on a quest for truth, revenge and a healthy dose of self-discovery.

See? I totally nailed it with that pitch!

One of the things I loved about this book was the speed with which it moved. We discover literally on the first page that popular girl Bliss's perfect boyfriend is cheating on her with her best friend. Ouch. And immediately Bliss's brain kicks into Revenge mode. Enter Jolene, school outcast, who's been lured to prom under seemingly dishonest circumstances. Jolene (and her reputation for trouble) is the perfect mastermind for Bliss's half-cooked plan for revenge, except the girls are missing one things: wheels. Enter Meg, who's just been stood up on prom night and has the car for the night.

And we're off! It's a townie road trip complete with a heist, some breaking and entering, and a diary from hell that causes more trouble than it solves. You sort of cringe at some of the decisions these girls make, yet the pace of the story keeps you turning pages. I found that not only was I interested to see how it all turned out, but how these characters would come to terms with the discoveries they were making about themselves and each other: Bliss seeing that her popular cliche were not exactly the nicest girls in school, Jolene dealing with "man" issues stemming from her father, and Meg finally, FINALLY coming out of her shell.

Three girls from very different social circles, with very different pressures and stresses. And you get to know each of them very intimately, as Abby writes in first person POV, alternating between the girls by chapter. I loved this approach, as I not only felt like I really knew of the girls, but got inside peek on how each of them viewed the others.

Oh, and there are boys. Did I forget to mention that? College boys. Cutie bad boys. And a douchebag or two who get their comeuppance.

All-in-all, a light, fun read with some well-handled serious elements that left me smiling. What more can you ask for in a summer read?

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Catch the rest of the Bookanistas reviews this week:

Elana Johnson turns you on to Divergent
LiLa Roecker is ensnared by Tighter
Christine Fonseca gets giddy about Moonglass – with giveaway
Shannon Messenger is mesmerized by Imaginary Girls – with giveaway
Kirsten Hubbard has double the love for Rival and Moonglass
Carolina Valdez Miller vaunts Divergent – with giveaway
Megan Miranda devours Bad Taste in Boys
Bethany Wiggins and Shana Silver share their passion for Possession
Carrie Harris reads along Blood Red Road
Stasia Ward Kehoe shines a spotlight on Dramarama