Greyhound Buses are Prime Reading Locations

So, I made it through the storm (the BLIZZARD) and into New York yesterday. Only it took me almost 8 hours for a trip that normally takes 4. Hmph. Anyways, I was freaking out right before I left because I've been looking for my copy of Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown (the book he wrote prior to The DaVinci Code) and couldn't find it ANYWHERE. I recently watched the movie version of The Davinci Code (the book was way better) and was in the mood for some Vatican conspiracy theories. I was running late for my bus, the weather sucked, and I needed a book to travel with. I can't travel without a book. So, surprisingly, my Mom appears with two books. One of them entitled, Bass Ackwards & Belly Up, by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain.

My first bit of news is that I managed to finish the entire thing by the time I got to NY. The second, is that I actually really liked it! The novel follows four girls, all best friends, from Boulder, Colorado in the ending days of the summer following their high school graduation. It's all very Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-esque (perhaps a tad more mature), filled with scenarios that are precious and tragic and funny and so cute, but rare to occur in real life. The difference with this book though, is that it's also filled with unhappy endings. And disaster. And quirks. And cliffhangers. All the things that not only make a great teen fiction novel, but that add just the right amount of humanity to the story to make the reader, well, keep reading. It's the perfect balance between fairy tale (best-case scenario), nightmare (absolute worst-case scenario), and reality (duh, real life). And isn't that the whole point?

Meet Sophie, Harper, Becca and Kate. All have a plan. A post-high school plan. Except, a few days before said plan is set to be executed, EVERYTHING changes. Deceit, lies, adventure, love, heartbreak, soul-searching, friendship and some pretty crappy hostels in Europe follow. I don't really want to start talking about the plot in detail, because then I'll give the entire story away. And that would ruin all the fun.

So, instead, I'll link you to the Barnes & Noble synopsis, which is vague enough to not give the story away, but detailed enough to give you an idea of what's going on.

My favorite character is Becca. Becca is talented, slightly insecure, a bit of an emotional wreck, but she loves her friends fiercely, and to no limits. Even when infidelity (sort of) and betrayal threatens to rip them apart. Plus, prior to certain events in the book, she is practically unable to love (or so she thinks--a revelation I've recently found floating around in my own head). She makes snap judgments (and really bad ones) sometimes and overall, she's just a work in progress. She has a shitty home situation, but she deals with it in a passive way, something I would do. She runs from her problems, and channels the energy into things that she feels in control of. Things that the drama can't touch. Then, she solves it all in a totally cliche scene in a restaurant but, thats just a minor detail.

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Now, scram! Get to reading!

(There's a sequel, but I don't own it yet. But soon, my friends. SOON!)