August 30, 2012

Review: From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas

Hardcover; 462 pages
Published May 15, 2012 by Hyperion

Goodreads | Amazon
KYLIE: MEXICO WHAT? I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech. Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger.
MAX: It all started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics. Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie. But now we're stranded in Tijuana. With less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome.
WILL: Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation. Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring their passports across the border -- but there's no reason to rush back home right away. This party is just getting started.
LILY: I just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can't completely hold it against him. He NEEDS me. It's even clearer now. And I'm not giving him up without a fight.

From What I Remember was quite enjoyable. It reminded me of The Hangover, though much more romantic and a lot less vulgar. Obviously. This is one of those books that you close and just think “Well that was fun!”

I really liked Kylie and her best friend Will. Their relationship was probably my favorite aspect of the story, always entertaining me. They often communicate through movie quotes, and all of the movies they quoted were movies I loved and have seen a dozen times. So definite thumbs up on the pop culture references.

I can’t say I was head over heels for the romance, because of the circumstances. Kylie and Max may have been able to momentarily forget about people back home, but I couldn’t. So it was difficult for me to really invest in, especially in the end when Max became a character I didn’t care for. I will say, however, their adventure was a lot of fun. Though I couldn’t let go of what they were doing, watching them get to know one another kept me turning the pages. If Max had handled things differently later in the story, perhaps I could’ve loved it.

The only thing I didn’t enjoy about From What I Remember was the multiple points of view. I would have been fine with just Kylie and Max’s input. That’s actually my preferred layout, but I could have done without Kylie’s brother and Lily’s chapters. Kylie’s brother’s seemed a bit pointless, and Lily’s served no purpose other than making me not like her, which may have been the point. Will’s chapters gave us a fun insight into who he was, but I still didn’t feel they were necessary.

I would definitely recommend From What I Remember. It’s an entertaining journey from start to finish, and you won’t want to put it down.

4/5 Stars



21 comments:

  1. I didn't like the romance either-Max was not my kind of guy and I worried about what was going on back home.

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  2. This one sounds like it's full of drama... great review! I think I will add it to my wishlist.

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  3. Great review. I was thinking about reading this book

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  4. Great Review! I LOVE multiple POV's but sometimes too many can ruin the book or make it less than Amazing. I Love this cover & right now i'm looking for a fun book to read before school starts, so will be picking this up! ^__^

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  5. Also made me think of The hangover when i red the review. I like stories like that though that s start at the end details and then you have to go backwards to figure out what happened. Makes it fun when crazy things have go on. Any tigers in the bathroom in this one? Thanks for the review.

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  6. I agree, too many viewpoints can take away from the essence of the story. I don't mind two, even three when necessary, but two is a good number. Four seems excessive. thanks for the review!

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  7. Looks like a fun read! I'm not overly into romance plots, but sometimes it's nice to read something light and different. Thanks for the review!

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  8. Thanks for the review. This is on my wish list - I'll have to bump it up :)

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  9. i am not a big fan of multiple point of views, but i think i will give this book a try.

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  10. I tried to read this book, but I just wasn't a big fan, I just found it a little too over the top for me at times, and I didn't connect to the characters, but at lot of people really enjoyed it.

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  11. Sounds like one hell of a crazy time. I think I would really enjoy reading this one.

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  12. Great review! I will definitely add this book to my TBR List.

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  13. I am 100% a fan of multiple POV when it's done right. I also could have settled with just the 2 POV of the MCs.
    I was frustrated with Max at then end...CHOOSE MAN!! :) Overall, I really enjoyed this book for the fun, light-hearted read that it was. Since the authors are "in" on the TV/movie scene, I can definitely see this being made into a movie.

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  14. I am dying to read this book! I hope it counts as a "romance" because if I am lucky enough to win the Labor Day Giveaway, this is the book I want!

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  15. Ahh! I've been wanting to read this book, but didn't want to buy it without knowing if it would be worth it or not! Now I'm going to give it a shot!! :)

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  16. Just checked this one out from the library :)

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  17. I agree. I liked the book, and thought it was an easy and fun read. I didn't really care for the different chapter views of Lily or Kylie's brother.

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