Two teens who have nothing in common work together at a record store in All Our Worst Ideas, a powerful and voice-driven YA novel from Vicky Skinner. When Amy, on her way to becoming valedictorian of her graduating class and getting accepted to her dream school, gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she takes a job at a record store to ease the pain. She needs a distraction, badly. Oliver, … distraction, badly.
Oliver, Amy’s record store co-worker, isn’t so sure about Amy–his complete opposite–but what he is sure of is his decision not to go to college. He just can’t figure out how to tell his mother.
As they work late-night shifts at the record store, Amy and Oliver become friends and then confidantes and then something more, but when Amy has a hard time letting go of what she thought was her perfect future with her ex, she risks losing the future she didn’t even know she wanted with Oliver.
more
This one caught me completely by surprise. I was in the mood for something light and fun so I pounced as soon as I saw this cover. The reality is, ALL OUR WORST IDEAS is a deep and romantic story that gave me EVERY OTHER WEEKEND and ELEANOR AND PARK vibes. It’s also dual point of view! I really love dual POV for contemporary romances and Amy and Oliver bring so much individually to this heartbreakingly gorgeous book. And I didn’t even mention the music! Amy and Oliver work together at a record store and it’s so vibey! The music is a huge part of this story and all the better for it–and you’ll love Vicky’s massive playlist at the end of the book! This is one of those books that might slip under the radar for a lot of people, but if you love contemporary romances and rich character-driven stories with super smart and self-aware protagonists, don’t sleep on this another day!
You know that feeling when you read an awesome book and it so good it just makes you giddy?
That’s how I felt when I read All Our Worst Ideas.
The story is told from two different perspectives, Oliver’s and Amy’s. Oliver taking a gap year and gathering the courage to tell him, mom, he doesn’t want to go to college. Meanwhile, he works at a records store.
Amy is a senior at high school and works extra hard to get awesome grades and be a valedictorian. She has her eyes set on Stanford and is determined to get in, even if no one else believes in her. When her stepfather loses his job, mom tells her to get a job. She loves music and is drawn to the same story when Oliver works.
They work together a lot, and veery slowly grow closer together. He is all in, but she is not so sure.
It’s such a cute story, of getting out of your own way, finding your path in life and love.
Highly recommend it!!!
received from Xpresso Book Tours
Heartfelt and realistic, this is a tale of figuring out how to find oneself and dance to ones’ own tune.
Amy knows how to be successful in school and is on her way to finish high school perfectly and slide right into college. But when the love-of-her-life boyfriend dumps her, it’s more than a sour turn. Needing a distraction, she takes a part-time job at the record store. There she meets Oliver, a grumpy-ish co-worker, who is finishing off his ‘break-year’ before heading to college. But he’s pretty sure that’s not the path he wants to take. Add the problem of his alcoholic dad, and he’s everything but put together like Amy. And yet, the two might just find a way toward their own form of harmony.
This is a read, which touches the heart. The decisions, disappointments and mistakes are understandable and realistic. Told from two points-of-view, the story dives deep into both Amy and Oliver. Each character gains wonderful depth, and although very different, it’s easy to see life from both stand points. Teen readers will see some of themselves in these characters and easily connect with them.
Shortly after the tale starts, Amy finds herself with a broken heart thanks to the break-up with her boyfriend. It was refreshing to see that she didn’t get over this relationship quickly but needed time to heal. The romance with Oliver is well-paced, allowing the friendship to form first. But here, before relationships can form, it’s important to discover what each one really wants and learn to believe in themselves.
In other words, it’s a lovely romance which takes on a coming-of-age twist. Not only young adult readers will enjoy this one, but older readers as well.
I received an ARC from the publisher and enjoyed accompanying these two characters during their story.
This was a really cute book. I didn’t even realize it was set in my own hometown of Kansas City. It was fun to hear about places that are real, and places I’ve been. Overall the story was really cute and I enjoyed it. The title is perfect because both Oliver and Amy made some bad decisions, but I like how they learned from them and both were able to realize at some point what they’d done and why it was wrong and then do what they could to fix it. I liked how it showed that maybe college isn’t the perfect solution for everyone, that you might be more successful or have a happier life without the debt of college by just doing something you know you enjoy and are good at. Not that I’m not a big believer in going to college. I work with students who are definitely on the path to college. But I also have worked with students in the past that either trade school or even just going into the career they want was what would be best for them.