I read Miranda's debut novel because Simone Elkeles blurbed it but I quickly needed to get my hands on all of her following books because her stories were just so much fun. I loved the fact that she added sports to her novels and how she wrote the love interests in the books, so with this one I was expecting something much the same, and while some parts of it were similar there were parts that weren't. Annie's story is one that I feel is slightly heavier than the previous companion novels. Throughout the whole book there's an undercurrent of her trying to get over the death of her previous boyfriend, which puts a strain on all of her relationships in the book. Despite the darker overtones Miranda still manages to keep most of it light, and there are several times when I found myself laughing. Even after everything that life had thrown at her Annie was still spunky and, while there were some times I wanted to shake some sense into her the flaws in her character were appropriate for the story and the fact that she changes throughout the novel makes me happy. And then there are the other characters. The timeline of this book in connection to the other books in the "series" is slightly confusing I just loved seeing characters from the previous novels and let me tell you, the guy in this book, he might just take the cake as the best of the bunch. I also want to point out that while Miranda always includes love interests in her books that's not all they're about, and it's really not the main point of the novels. Sometimes it seems like in YA books so much of the story is related to the romance and what boy the main character will end up with, and how they can save her, but not these books. These books are a lot like Disney movies if you think about it, because the love interest is actually not what the main character wants, they're a bonus prize. After finishing all of Miranda's novels I have this lovely sense of female empowerment that is something I feel is really important to include in fiction that is strictly realistic with no fantasy elements whatsoever. So with all of that being said this novel was just so much fun and honestly I would call it the perfect summer read. I'm actually inclined to start running myself (although there's not a huge chance that will actually happen), and I'll be thrilled to by a copy of this book for myself and maybe even get the first book in the series for my younger cousin. If you've never read her books before I highly suggest picking one up, and if you've read her previous novels this is a must read for you on all counts. Personally I can't wait to see what (and who) she writes about next, because whatever it is I'll be reading it.
Out July 15, 2014
4.5/5 dust spirits
*Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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