Review: Freshman Year And Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

E-book: Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin 

Pages: 286

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Sent from G. P. Putnam 

Expected Publication Date: March, 2012

*May contain spoilers

Short Synopsis: Kelsey Finklestein is about to enter the world of high school, as a freshman. She wants to make some changes and get noticed. Starting off with getting the position she's always wanted in soccer. But Kelsey soon learns that not everything can go according to plan.

My Thoughts: A little bit too juvenile for my taste, but a cute, entertaining read about growing up.

Kelsey Finklestein and her friends are about to start high school, and is super excited and can't wait. She decides that this is the year to make her mark. She's always been good at soccer, and without her arch nemesis, Jemma Bradley around, Kelsey decides to try out to get her position on being left wing. But one wrong move, and Kelsey has already made an enemy on the soccer team, named Julie, who is a junior. 

Aside from her soccer horror fiasco, which seems to be following Kelsey every time Julie is involved, Kelsey thinks she's finally starting to get noticed by her long time crush, Jordan Rothman when he finally asks her and her friends to a party. And if things weren't bad enough, Kelsey keeps getting photographed in the school's paper, in the most embarrassing ways. And don't forget her number one fan and stalker, Keith Mayhew to look out for. Things don't turn out the way Kelsey hoped it would, when Jordan decides to get involved with one of Kelsey's friends, Cassidy. Can Kelsey and her friends survive freshman year with all these other unnatural disasters? 

Entertaining characters, with great plot twits. It was a little juvenile for my tastes, and took a while to get into, but once I kept reading, I was pretty hooked. Kelsey's life is like a journey through a roller coaster. The most unexpected things happen, which Kelsey has no control over.

She has two great supportive friends, Emily and Jojo that helps her through all her drama and ups and downs. Zeitlin does an excellent job of disliking the characters, Julie, and Jordan. I really disliked Cassidy throughout most of the novel, but was glad that they were able to sort things out, but I also felt like she should have been the bigger person and apologized to Kelsey as soon as she found out that Jordan was cheating on her.

I enjoyed reading the playful banter that Kelsey and Ben had, and loved the chemistry between the two, and was a bit disappointed that their relationship did not escalate a little further. I kind of felt like the novel ended in a weird way, like there should have been a little more to the story, or at least a 'To Be Continued' at the end, if this is a series. Overall, an entertaining read, that will leave you wanting more.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 3.5/5