Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
I think Late to the Party was definitely a #thecovermademepickitup, but then the blurb got me hooked. It’s only my second sapphic novel so far, but both times the author did a marvelous job.
SYNOPSIS
Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined.
She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world.
So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids.
But then Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy in the dark, and an unexpected friendship is formed. In return for never talking about that kiss, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and draws her into a wild summer filled with late nights, new experiences, and one really cute girl named Lydia.
The only problem? Codi never tells Maritza or JaKory about any of it.
MY THOUGHTS
Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
Late to the Party was the quintessential coming of age story.
The heroine goes from being a late bloomer and wallflower to finding herself, thanks to wonderful friends. The love story is a slow burn, a new friendship that develops into more. In the end the book is all about falling in love for the very first time.
Overall the novel is well written, and has a beautifully diverse cast. The character driven plot is a bit slow at times, but otherwise it’s an endearing story. Although I couldn’t relate as much, for many other readers it might bring up old memories. I enjoyed it for what it was, a wonderful young-adult novel.
| last thoughts |
It’s interesting that the one feeling I took away from this book was me feeling OLD – lol. I don’t know why, especially since I’ve read many YA “falling in love for the first time” stories before and never felt this way before. Maybe it was the author’s writing style. Whatever it was – the book made me feel OLD!!
So, there go. 😀
my rating:
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Similar books: Something to Talk About
Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
LOL that’s how I’ve been feeling lately when I read YA contemporaries set in high school! I’m beginning to think I’m starting to age out of them 😅
I feel OLD!!!! It’s the second book I read in a short time that made me feel incredibly old – sigh. lol
It’s weird how some YA book can make you feel old. I’ve had a couple of those recently, too. Usually it doesn’t bother me.
I think I have a harder time connecting with the book 😳
I don’t read much NA. I think I’m too old to relate to a lot of the early teen angst. I don’t necessarily feel old but I definitely have the benefit of perspective.
Having the benefit of perspective is a great way of describing it, it definitely makes a difference.