The characters are genuine and fully formed and I think there is a little of Cecily in all of us. It's an easy and fast read (I took it out in a weeknight evening) and a definite recommendation to any high school girls (and possibly boys) you know. In addition, if you are the kind of adult that likes the Harry Potter series (for reasons other than a love of magic and dragons) you may like it as well. It's got the unsure, exploratory feel with the easy-language, storyteller rhythm common to well-written books of the genre. Highly recommended. I found this very lifeless. Some books have protagonists that aren't relateable because they're too interesting, but I can't relate to Cecelia because she's too dull. She decides not to go to college as she's about to move into her dorm room, because . . . why? Meh, who knows? And given her tepid inner monologue, who cares? But what made me quit on it was the terrible sense of time. Because Zulkey wanted to do a whole month per chapter (and the chapters aren't very long), everything happens at an unbelievable slow pace. I say "unbelievable" not as an intensifier, but because it's unrealistic. She talks to her best high school friend several times, but never asks what classes she's taking until Thanksgiving break? What? I read less than 60 pages of this, so maybe it gets better, but I'd rather spend my time reading something that does not both bore and annoy me.
What do You think about An Off Year (2009)?
the main character reminds me SO MUCH of my best friend which is probably why i liked it so much.
—zaynab
A good read about a young woman who isn't sure if she wants to go to University.
—zorro
