Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Title: Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters

Author: Meredith Zeitlin

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Release Date: 3/1/12

Pages: 288

Reviewed by: Sabrina

Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.

Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Kelsey’s hilarious commentary throughout her disastrous freshman year will have you laughing out loud—while being thankful that you’re not in her shoes, of course…

My Thoughts

Kelsey is excited to get into high school and is determined to make freshman year the best one of her life. Of course, things never go as planned. 

Kelsey's feelings were over-the-top and her daily troubles were a bit exaggerated. She's sarcastic and loyal. Not to mention that she is awesomely funny, hyper, and positive (or at least tries to be). That's what I loved about her. She is a girl that that takes everything in a stride and doesn't let anything slow her down. You can't help but root for her to make it out of that disastrous year.

Some of her relationships with characters change significantly throughout the story, subtly making her change the way she acts. She makes mistakes but learns from them. As she fights through all the high school drama, she learns a few lessons from crappy crushes to backstabbing friends and a new student.

What I really didn't like was some of Kelsey's actions. Most of them seemed too irresponsible to me. But it  was a very enjoyable read. The plot was simple, yet I was still excited to read her adventures. It's the kind of ridiculous, cute fun that I half wish was back in YA novels. And...

...can I say that I thought that Kelsey and Ben's relationship was super sweet? 

So please check out the really awesome cover and trailer! I absolutely loved both. Special thanks to Anne Walls for giving me a copy.