Review: From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer + Valerie Thomas

From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer + Valerie Thomas

Reading Level: Young Adult

Release Date: May 15, 2012

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Pages: 480

Summary: In the span of forty-eight hours, socially awkward valedictorian, Kylie Flores and conceited jock, Max Langston, who've never spoken in four years of high school, will find themselves kidnapped, taken over the Mexican border, married and falling in love. Kylie's best friend, Will, Max's girlfriend, Lily and Max's wingman, Charlie are the unlikely cavalry charged with rescuing them. Against all odds, this crew must find their way back over the border in time for graduation and for Kylie to give her long awaited valedictorian speech, without killing each other en route.

Hilarious and poignant, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER blends high-octane adventure, romance and coming of age. No one is exactly who they seem here and by the end of their road trip together, they will all be changed in ways they never could have imagined.

FROM WHAT I REMEMBER was recently nominated for a YALSA Reader's Choice Award. Film rights bought by Paramount Pictures.

My Review: Grippingly entertaining, From What I Remember, made me smile from the beginning along with a great amount of laughter until the end. The witty story line and charismatic characters developed a balanced combination of friendship, family, love and just downright craziness. The ups and downs that were presented throughout Kylie and Max's journey to Mexico were so visually written in the moment that I found myself feeling like I was right there with them.

Kylie, an intelligent and quirky protagonist grabbed my attention from the get-go. I enjoyed the fact that she started out as a socially awkward character and then slowly turned into this badass girl, that embodied this fiery bravery that I wish I had in scary situations. Max, started out to be a typical jerky jock, but later turned out to prove Kylie wrong with the whole, "Don't judge a book by its cover" statement.

The turbulence with being being kidnapped and going over the border to an unknown territory would literally freak me out. Yes, they were both scared, but holy crap did they handle it well! The budding relationship between the two was increasingly exciting to watch. I am forever rooting for the underdog to win over the popular guy in school. Don't you love when that happens? *Sighs* Also, Kylie's best friend, Will, was hilarious. He had personality to last you for days. Plus, he was a great friend to Kylie, most friends don't exist like that anymore, so it was refreshing to read.

All in all, I flippin' loved this book. I seriously have no complaints about this novel. Stacy and Valerie are a team that could write anything and make it sound sincere and comical at the same time. I cannot wait to see what they both come up with next!

My Rating:  (4.5)

Author's Info:

FROM WHAT I REMEMBER...is the second novel by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas. Their first novel, KARMA BITES, was a middle grade novel published by Houghton Mifflin in 2010. Kramer is a former film producer and currently writes movies, tv and magazine articles. Her television credits include LIZZIE McGUIRE and LESS THAN PERFECT. Her film credits include LABOR PAINS (writer), JAWBREAKER (producer) and IGBY GOES DOWN (producer) among others. She's at work on a new movie for Twentieth Century Fox. In addition, she's written comic pieces for ELLE, MARIE CLAIRE and THE LONDON SUNDAY TIMES as well as a variety of other publications. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and three children.

"I'm a writer of young adult novels. I spent many years working in the film industry as a producer and screenwriter until I escaped to the relative calm of the book world."

For more info on Stacy and Valerie, visit there sites:

-Stacy's Twitter

-Stacy and Valerie's Website

-Stacy's GoodReads

-Valerie's GoodReads

-Facebook