Cover Story: Deflated
Drinking Buddy: After Prom Party
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (language, drinking, sexual situations)
Talky Talk: A Thousand 80s Comedies
Bonus Factors: Time Travel, Blended Family
Bromance Status: Party Like it’s 2029
Cover Story: Deflated
Cute, minimalist cover. I’m not sure you’d get a good idea what this book is about from looking at it, though. I’d assume it was about a regrettable, post-prom hookup.
The Deal:
Charlotte Wu has had an archnemesis for all four years of high school. J.T. Renner, the jerk who stood her up for homecoming, freshman year. The student council president who shoots down all her ideas for prom. The handsome, likeable, popular kid who just. Grinds. Her. Gears.
While putting up prom decorations, Charlotte falls off a ladder and lands on Renner. And they wake up in bed together. Their bed. In their house. It’s now the year 2037. They’re 30 years old, living together, and engaged. Their wedding is in about a week.
After convincing herself that she’s not living her worst nightmare, Charlotte has to take stock of the situation. Obviously, there’s no way in hell that she can marry Renner. They’re just going to have to call off the wedding while they try to get back to their teenage selves. But with all their friends and family planning a big combo bachelor/bachelorette party, they’re going to have to pretend to not hate each other for a bit.
Drinking Buddy: After Prom Party
Charlotte is a mega Type A personality, who makes lists of the lists she needs to make. Everything is pre-planned, including finding a hot guy to prompose to her. Renner’s ‘whatever’ attitude drives her nuts. As do his rugged good looks.
But she’s also unforgiving. She never lets Renner explain why exactly he ditched her on the night of the dance. She refuses to speak to her father after her parents divorce. She simmers about how shabbily her best friend Kassie treats her, culminating in them not speaking after high school. For a lot of this book, it seems like she hates Renner out of habit, rather than conviction. They’re actually members of the same social circle, and that rivalry has got to be trying for everyone else.
Maybe a couple of weeks in the future might give Charlotte a chance to take stock of life and possibly even enjoy herself.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (language, drinking, sexual situations)
Charlotte only has had a couple of boyfriends, and that never went anywhere. Unlike that jerk Renner, who’s probably slept with a hundred girls. Not like Charlotte is interested in Renner, especially now that he’s thirty, with a beard and big muscles (not to mention her own surprising new C cups). And even though they’re living together and, well, share a bed…
Talky Talk: A Thousand 80s Comedies
Even from page ten, you could tell where this was going. No book character hates someone with no red flags that much, unless they’re going to end up together. And I could tell that there would be a compelling explanation for Renner’s past misdeeds (even homecoming), and that, surprise, surprise, he’s always carried a flame for Charlotte as well.
But that didn’t bother me. It was an original twist on the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope, and I was with this pair the whole way. Though I did feel the author’s heavy hand with a lot of convenient interruptions every time things were about to get honest.
Bonus Factor: Time Travel
So Charlotte and Renner go from being high school seniors to thirtysomething yuppies living in a big house in their hometown. They even teach at the same school. Charlotte’s friend Nori, whom they take into their confidence, fills the pair in on their future.
Personally, I wouldn’t like that. Their lives turned out fine, but now they’ll have no surprises for the next decade plus. Um, spoiler alert.
Also, Charlotte realizes that not only does she hook up with her biggest rival, but they turn into one of those couples, with the framed Valentine cards and cutsie nicknames. Couldn’t she have just died falling off that ladder instead?
The author did a good job of portraying the near future, with self-driving cars and advanced computers, but nothing too Back to the Future-y.
Bonus Factor: Blended Family
So Charlotte’s father has left his family to be with some slut. Charlotte doesn’t talk to him anymore. But just before she travels in time, he calls with a bombshell. His girlfriend is pregnant and they’re getting married. His fiancee would like Charlotte to spend the summer with them, so she could get to know her. Um, hard pass.
But in the future, Charlotte realizes she has two (!) little half-sisters who kind of idolize her. Her new step-mom isn’t going anywhere. Should she just grin and bear it?
Bromance Status: Party Like it’s 2029
An original plot and likeable characters. I see a future where I read more from this author.
Literary Matchmaking
Maurene Goo’s Throwback features more time travel shenanigans.
As does Rachel Lynn Solomon’s See You Yesterday.
And Justin A. Reynolds’s Opposite of Always.
FCC Full Disclosure: The publisher sent me not one, but two copies of this book. Or maybe they only sent me one and I experienced it twice. In neither timeline did they send me money.
