I tried, I really did.
To start, 10 Blind Dates was one of the best books I read last year. I read and reread. It was a perfect blend of humor and family.
This book however...
Like I said, I tried.
Overall, this book was just too over the top for me to believe anything that happened.
I am not trying to brag but to say my qualifications, I am in the top ten graduates of my class. Sophie is in the top of the top, meaning first or second in her class. I can assure you that if she actually is that high, she will not be skipping classes. She will be in every class, every single day, working her behind off to get the best grades possible. She will not be showing up late or ditching. She will not not turn in her work. She will be the model student that every teacher adores. That is my first issue with the book.
The second is her mom. Now, Sophie is 18. She is about to head off to college. Her mom seems to think that she is a 10-year-old kid left home alone. I know that some parents are over the top, but this was just too much. You would think that with her being 18, her mom would not be sitting on her phone ALL DAY STALKING every move she makes. Seriously, her mom even had to text her what clothes to wear. Ugh.
This one just missed the mark for me by a lot. I will not be returning to try and finish the book.
(Oh, can I mention that the cover is in a very different style than the companion novel?)

1/5

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not requried. ( )

This book started out interesting, but it didn’t stay there. This is a family story about meeting their expectations versus your expectations for yourself. Learning about the family was interesting, but when it gets down to the main part of the book where they must get their PE credit in order to graduate on time because the teacher didn’t turn in a report. This is where I stopped caring about this book. Maybe it was the narration style, maybe it was the book, but I had no desire to find out what happened at the end. I did make it 22% of the way through. ( )

I typically don’t read many YA books, but I knew I had to read this one as the Seniors in this story, are set on going to my alma mater LSU!! Geaux Tigers!!

Olivia, has a week before she becomes class Salutatorian when she discovers that an off campus PE class has her failing. She is afraid to tell her parents, so she decides to take care of matters in her own hands, plus some help of friends, so she can earn enough credit for the PE class and help with a Golf Tournament.

This was a blast from the past book for me, as that final week she had tons of Senior parties and activities scheduled. Plus, her not being open and honest with her parents is a tough lesson we all have learned as a teen.

Recommend to anyone who wants to reminisce on those final Senior high school days and teaches a great coming of age lesson! ( )

Absolutely loved this book. It can definitely be read as a stand alone. We get to catch up with the Fab Four, with the story focusing on Olivia and everything she has to go through in order to get those last few credits in order to graduate from HS. When the story is told from the POV of Charlie, Wes and Sophie, I was laughing out loud. The lengths that family will go to in order to help someone you love can be outright hysterical! The shenanigans were hilarious. ( )

I really enjoyed 10 Blind Dates and the Messina family, so I was thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for 10 Truths and a Dare. While I didn't enjoy this one quite as much, I still liked being around the Fab Four, catching up with Sophie and Wes, and seeing more of Charlie's antics. (I really hope the next book is about him!) I didn't mind the Evil Joes, since there presence also brought Leo into the mix.

My main issue with this book was the conflict. I've never been a fan of lying in books, since telling the truth usually resolves all of the main character's problems. In Olivia's defense, she didn't want to disappoint her family and friends, but I think they would have been happy to help. I doubt it would've been the one thing she was remembered for, and thought the lengths she went to were a little excessive at times. She even convinced Wes, Sophie, and Charlie to go along with her insanely complicated plan, which had them lying to their friends and family to cover for her. Since I love how welcoming and boisterous their family is, it bothered me that they would chose to lie instead of asking for help. I really wanted Nonna to figure it out early on and bust them.

I also didn't like how involved Olivia's mom was in her day-to-day life. It felt a little over-the-top. I understood her wanting a location or tracking app on her daughter's phone while they were away, but they live near 100 other family members that could have checked in on their daughter. The app felt like an invasion of privacy, and her commentary felt too intense most of the time (Charlie and Wes were understandably bothered by it). She would offer suggestions on clothing and honestly knew way too much about her daughter. Maybe this just wasn't my experience growing up, but I find it hard to believe that a parent would behave this way all the time.

I did enjoy the sweet romance that builds throughout the book, and didn't mind the slow-burn since everything else was so chaotic. The tender moments between the two of them made me smile and reminisce about what it was like to be young and in love with someone new. Everything is exciting; each stolen moment worth cherishing.

I wish my senior parties has been this elaborate! They definitely sounded memorable and like they'd be a lot of fun. I think it's great the parents were involved, too. Although, I'm not sure how the keg made it into the one toga party, haha. If this had been my high school experience, I think everyone would have ended their senior year on a high note. I can totally understand why Olivia wanted to make it to them despite everything else she had going on. I'm bummed on her behalf that she didn't get to fully enjoy them with her friends.

While the Fab Four are still my favorite characters in this book, I did like seeing more from Olivia's other friends. I wish she had opened up to them a little earlier, since it was clear they cared about her and were concerned about her whereabouts (she kept missing parties, was late to events or had to leave early, and always gave vague excuses that weren't believable). I think they deserved better from their friend, just like her family deserved the truth from the start. Overall, it was a quick read that only took me a day to get through once I finally had time to sit down and read it. (★★★⋆☆)

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