I really enjoyed this book. It was light and fun and I wanted to know what would become of Carrington and Nate's ill-fated love. The secondary characters were also interesting and fun and helped move the story along. The main issue I had was with the introduction of the supernatural - it didn't add anything to the story and I felt disappointed that Hayes thought the time travel story couldn't have stood on its own. I was also a bit concerned about how she would reconcile the age difference between Carrington and Nate and I'm still not sure I was convinced by the ending (it felt a bit rushed and random) but at least it wasn't as gross as it could have been. I would definitely read this again for the fun factor. Carrington lives with her divorced, alcoholic mother who is stuck in 1986. When Carrington attends an '80s themed dance at her own school, she has some weird moment in the girls room, and when she wakes up, she is back in 1986. This book is a nod to Peggy Sue Got Married, Back to the Future and Freaky Friday, complete with crimped hair and Jellies. Carrington, not understanding why she was sent back in time, and having no where to go, winds up living with her teenage mother, and heading to the local nerd herd to have them help her solve her predicament, and give her an answer to how she traveled thru time, and how she can return home. When Carrington falls in love with Nate, the totally hot leader of the nerds, she starts to not want to return home, and yet at the same time, wants to pack in a lifetime of living into the unknown amount of time she has left in the 1980s. This was a cute, albeit strange book. There was a chapter that made me think of Season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the book did stray into some very awkward and confusing territory, but all in all, it was a short read (I read it in a day), and entertaining.
What do You think about Totally Tubular (2000)?
Such a cute unique story. I didn't think it was going to be as good as it was. I loved it.
—neko1098
"The Devil's Arithmetic," with an 80's twist
—leslie
