Review: Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca

Last Year's Mistake
by Gina Ciocca
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Publication Date: June 9th 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781481432238
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss

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Before:
Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...

After:
Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to.

Told in alternating sections, LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE is a charming and romantic debut about loving, leaving, and letting go. (Goodreads)

When Last Year’s Mistake by Gina Ciocca crossed my path, I knew I would have to read the book out as soon as possible. I seem to be on a contemporary kick as of late, and I just can’t get enough of these books. I love the drama and the realness of it all, so I couldn’t wait to get started on this one.

Kelsey and David were the best of friends. They met the summer before freshman year and instantly clicked. They were inseparable. Then something happened that changed their friendship forever, and not in a good way. So when Kelsey was given the chance to move away and start her life over fresh, she jumped on the opportunity. Now it’s senior year, and Kelsey has the perfect life, until David walks back into her life and all the old feelings come rushing back, threatening to ruin all the happiness that she’s created.

I love that Kelsey and David were best friends in the beginning of the book. I love that bond between two characters, where you can tell there are romantic feelings, but also true friendship as well. Those relationships feel so super special. And while I loved the friendship, I found myself wanting so much more for them. But both of these characters were more than a little stubborn when it came to what I wanted from them. There were times in the book, especially during the flashback parts, where I wanted to grab both Kelsey and David and shake some sense into them. Seriously, the back and forth, push and pull, all the drama between these two characters was insane. I just wanted them to get together and to be happy and in love already. Sigh.

Not only was the friendship between the two main characters in the story great, but also the relationships with their family members as well. I love a book that has really great family relationships. I especially loved Kelsey’s sister, and also David’s dad, who made me tear up more than a few times throughout the book.

The story is told through alternate viewpoints from Kelsey; we get to see what happened during freshman year in flashbacks, and senior year through the present. I really enjoy books that are written this way because there is so much information on the back-story included, and I always appreciate that. Besides the drama, the storyline for the book also includes some topics that a lot of young adults will be able to relate to, including drinking, sex, and bullying. Altogether, this made for a very interesting read.

Overall; I really enjoyed reading Last Year’s Mistake! I enjoyed the friendships, the drama, and everything about the book. I’m really looking forward to reading more by this author in the future!