Review: Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca

Expected Publication: June 9th 2015 by Simon Pulse

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Format: ARC, Paperback, 320 pages

Rating:

Before: Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...
After: Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to.

Readers, as seen on a Goodreads poll, prefer to read a book only based on the cover and the description if it sounded like something they'd like. Thus, Last Year's Mistake is not for everyone. The synopsis could turn you off. Before reading LYM, I brought it at school for my friends to see and if they are interested to read it. A guy friend read the synopsis and said it's 'common' or the usual per se. But I am different, I don't read the synopsis first, I prefer reading a book when I see it many times on bloggers' blogs or Instagram accounts.

Last Year's Mistake is taken from the the view of Kelsey in alternating points of her past and present. After a year of moving from Connecticut, Kelsey's present is perfect—with her oh so hot boyfriend, cool friends and acclivitous popularity. But she's not expecting things to stir when David showed up in her school in Rhode Island being a new transferee. Kelsey then is deranged when she realizes her old feelings on David are trying to appear and imperils her second chance of felicity.

I think it is a mistake that Gina Ciocca wrote Last Year's Mistake with such plot. It could have been deserving of a high star rating because it is diverting and cunning but with a plot that is foreseeable? Naaah. It doesn't click readers. It's just a disappointment.

Other than that, Last Year's Mistake is written well paced. I am one of the readers who love alternating chapters from the protagonist's past and present. Kelsey pulled me into her past—from meeting David, to their fun activities, her melancholic behaviors and to where they are on the present. But on the present chapters, their high school drama is just a bit overwhelming. Spoiler alert; Just highlight the part: While Kelsey is not seeing herself truly, or shall I say, just being blind on what she truly feels, David is hella cute and good on pretending? No, keeping his lips closed. He's one of the boys who speaks for his feelings on 11:59!

It's not that LYM has less moral lesson than I expect to on most books but it touched cancer. Cancer is a very affecting part on the book. It's a small account actually but I have not felt that kind of effect on cancer when reading The Fault In Our Stars. That part will tear you down.

Last Year's Mistake may not be a WOW read but I liked it. And as much as I wanted to recommend it to everyone, I can't. I feel sorry for the plot on being pretty much predictable. But this would be great for others who have not read books with the same story lately or have not yet read. Also for those who like mind-boggling high school dramas.

Interested to read 'Last Year's Mistake'?

Purchase it at: Book Depository, Amazon, B&N

Source: Author · I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content.