Pink Polka Dot Books: Gimme a Call By Sarah Mlynowski

It's senior skip day and Devi is spending it at the mall alone. She's returning a watch she bought for her now ex-boyfriend Bryan. She has zero friends because she made her whole high school life around him. She starts thinking about what could happen if she was able to talk to a younger version of herself and warn her away from Bryan. Maybe then she wouldn't be in so much pain right now. After dropping her phone in a fountain, it turns out she's able to do just that.

She tells Freshman Devi to steer clear of Bryan, be a better friend to her girlfriends, and focus on school and getting into a better college. Poor Freshman Devi ends up running around like a lunatic trying to keep up with all the changes that her actions make for Senior Devi... which also makes for some really cute and funny moments!! Eventually Freshman Devi figures out she might just have to make decisions for herself, and Senior Devi realizes that just because something doesn't work out the way you want it to, that doesn't make the experience worth throwing away.

Cute, Cute, Cute... I LOVE SARAH MLYNOWSKI!!! Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) was one of my favorite books last year, so I was really anxious to read another book by her. I was not disappointed! This book was so adorable I just wanted to pinch Freshman Devi's cheeks. But seriously I loved Devi's personality. I love how the author was able to create an older and younger version of the same person and it still felt like the same person. The story alternates between Freshman Devi and Senior Devi's POV, which might sound confusing, but they were different enough that it wasn't. Freshman Devi was so cute and naive that I was hoping somehow by talking to her future-self she would be able to retain some of that. Future Devi was too down and insecure. And then she became too obsessed with getting into the perfect school and getting a scholarship. She was too extreme. I liked how Freshman Devi was able to figure out how to balance out her life in a believable way.

This book is definitely a light, cute, fun read. I recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a light-hearted easy to read book.

Overall: I loved that the author played with the idea of time travel though something like a cell phone. Being able to warn our younger self about things or have a re-do is something we all daydream about at some point in our lives, and I loved how this book put out an overall message that you shouldn't try to erase your life. You need to find balance and happiness, but relationships, heartbreak and other problems sometimes make you who you are.

Add it to your To-Read List!