Andie must learn to embrace the beauty in chaos in this New York Times bestselling novel about friendship, finding yourself, and all the joys in life that happen while you’re busy making other plans. Andie has a plan. And she always sticks to her plan. Future? A top-tier medical school. Dad? Avoid him as much as possible (which isn’t that hard considering he’s a Congressman and he’s never around). he’s a Congressman and he’s never around).
Friends? Palmer, Bri, and Toby–pretty much the most awesome people on the planet, who needs anyone else?
Relationships? No one’s worth more than three weeks.
So it’s no surprise that Andie has her summer all planned out too.
Until a political scandal costs Andie her summer pre-med internship, and lands both she and Dad back in the same house together for the first time in years. Suddenly she’s doing things that aren’t Andie at all–working as a dog walker, doing an epic scavenger hunt with her dad, and maybe, just maybe, letting the super cute Clark get closer than she expected. Palmer, Bri, and Toby tell her to embrace all the chaos, but can she really let go of her control?more
I enjoyed this book! This story is about the summer of Andie Walker, who is the daughter of a very successful businessman working in the government. Her summer is full of twists and turns that lead her to wonder if plans very do matter – or if it’s better to just let them all go.
I loved this book when I got it at 17 (2 years ago). All I wanted to do was read it and I still do at night when I can’t sleep. It was either making me cry or laugh until my sides hurt! The characters are amazing and really life like and full of personality! I totally recommend for a great summer read if your looking for something with a little bit of everything.
*4.5 stars
This is the second Morgan Matson book that I’ve read and I really liked and enjoyed this one. As she stated in her letter, this book is a combination of the stories she had written before (about family, friendship and love). Aside from these three, it is also a story about forgiveness, acceptance and growth or self-discovery.
Some of the things I’ve liked about this book are:
1. How Andie and her father resolved their issues and were able to build a healthy relationship. I think that it is very common for most parent-child relationship (esp. father and child) to have this kind of misunderstanding and I think Matson did a very good job in executing this from the arguments to forgiveness to working things out.
2. Clark + Andie’s love story. In the begging of the story, I was shipping Andie with Topher, because I could sense that he liles her but he just didn’t know it yet. So I was really disappointed at first when Clark entered the picture. BUT, as I gain progress with the story, I figured that Clark is a good guy (and I find his awkward reactions to be cute!) and perfect for Andie. Andie’s relationships never lasted for more than 3 weeks, and I DO BELIEVE that Clark was able to make Andie feel what being in love actually feels.
3. We have a writer character!! At first I was really confused with the excerpts in between chapters and that scene where this man was reading a fantasy book. Then it turns out that Clark is C.B. McCallister!! Knowing this made the excerpts extra special and there were times that I wonder if Matson would write and publish Clark’s novels (just like what Rainbow Rowell did with Carry On).
4. DOG WALKS. Following the cancellation of Andie’s summer plans, she is desperate to find a summer job that she can do all summer. She eventually becomes a dog walker. While being one sounds a bit absurd, she discovers a new side of herself she didn’t knew existed.
5. Andie, Bri, Toby and Palmer’s friendship. I really adore the friendship that they have. Although things didn’t really worked out at the end (or it may have in the future), they still kept in touch and are still friends.
One word: Amazing!
Pulled in right from the start!
Andie is my kind of girl. She is smart, and knows what she wants. It’s finding creative ways to get there that makes it interesting. She is a high profile persons’ daughter and getting out of view of the limelight is often tough. Those moments make it great in the story right from the start. You really get a sense of her life.
I also appreciate the friendships she has. A girl with her life would really need a few really close friends she can trust.
The relationship with Clark is the sweetest though. As I read the ending, I really felt like this story could be turned into a movie because of the wonderful character dynamics.
I love Matson’s writing. It is easy and makes you feel good. You can often connect with it somehow too. She is definitely one of my favorite young adult writers, that’s for sure!
So sweeeeet melted my whole heart.
I picked this book up at the Dollar Tree of all places. I thought it looked interesting and I was right. There was such a good mix of friendship, romance, parental relationships, grieving, moving on, and dealing with the future. Andie has to decide what to do after circumstances change and she doesn’t get to follow her carefully laid plan. It ends up being the best thing for her, she has to adapt and learn how to roll with change and make new plans, or even live without a plan!
I do wish we’d had more of a definitive closure with the story line between Bri and Toby, but it’s an eye opener for younger readers who think their friendships are going to last forever. The hard truth is that some do not, sometimes we grow apart as people and it’s sad and difficult, but it happens and we need to learn from it and grow as our own person.
I would love to see what happens with Topher in the future. If the author ever decides to return to this world she’s created, I hope she considers giving us a Topher book.
This was my first by this author, but I’m now interested in reading more.