Review: The Year of Living Awkwardly: Sophomore Year by Emma Chastain
SYNOPSIS:
High school student Chloe Snow chronicles another year in her life while she navigates the highs and lows of family, friendship, school, and love in her diary.
It’s Chloe Snow’s sophomore year of high school, and life has only grown more complicated.
Last year, Chloe was the star of the musical. This year, after an audition so disastrous she runs off the stage in tears, she’s cast as a lowly member of the ensemble. Will she be able to make it through the show knowing everyone’s either pitying her or reveling in her downfall?
Chloe’s best friend, Hannah, is no help: she’s been sucked into the orbit of Reese, the velvet-gloved, iron-fisted ruler of the sophomore class. Chloe’s dad is busy falling in love with Miss Murphy, and Chloe is no longer speaking to her mother, who is sending her increasingly desperate and unhinged emails from Mexico. As her parents’ divorce negotiations unravel, a custody battle looms.
If only Chloe could talk to Grady about it: his parents are divorced, and he’s easy to talk to. Or he was, until he declared his love for Chloe, and she turned him down because despite all her rational brain cells she can’t seem to get over Mac, and then Grady promptly started going out with Reese.
As the performance of the show approaches, Chloe must find a way to navigate all the messy elements of her life and make it through to the end of the year.
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
So last year, the first book in this series came out…and it was a hot mess. I wasn’t a fan at all but when Simon & Schuster reached out to me to review the second book, I was hesitant. I wanted to see not only if Emma’s writing improved but if Chloe improved as a person because she was extremely self-centered and narcissistic in the first book. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this book was a delight. I enjoyed watching Chloe evolve and even though its another year in high school and the drama is persistent, Chloe showed maturity.
I think what I enjoyed most about this story was Chloe’s self awareness, as you read the pages, she slowly transforms and morphs into someone who is conscious of the impact we have on others. But my hands down favorite part is when Chloe acknowledges how ridiculous and over the top she is being. She acknowledges it, owns it, and tries to improve. Emma really captures the complex navigation of high school while ensuring the character depth and development.
The best friend drama will resonate with high schoolers as we have all felt that separation happen at some point. And if that wasn’t enough, Emma sprinkles a dash of Mean Girls in the from of Chloe’s own Regina George (Reese). Chloe takes the highs and lows of sophomore year in stride, and in the end she leaves me smiling and feeling hopeful for her future.
While in Chloe’s freshman year she was brash, horny, and dramatic when it came to boys, this year she is more realistic. It’s no longer the world revolving around Mac and to see her finally get out of her head was a breath of fresh air. As I closed the pages on this book, I feel that Chloe, Hannah, and Tris all learned an important lesson in this book but more importantly, they are all better characters than they were when I started the book.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
