[Review] How My Summer Went Up in Flames - Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Title of Book : How My Summer Went Up in Flames
Author : Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Publisher : Simon Pulse
Published date : 7th May 2013

First she lost her heart. Then she lost her mind. And now she’s on a road trip to win back her ex. This debut novel’s packed with drama and romance! Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.

To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…

I read a free copy of How My Summer Went Up in Flames at Pulseit.com. I'm a bit skeptical before because the previous book which was available at Pulseit.com is also about road trip. But I decided to give it a try anyway.

Rosie's action sounds a little bit crazy to me, at first. I mean, burning your ex's stuffs. Ha. I've never met someone who's ever burned her/his ex's stuffs. Have you? But as I learn more about Rosie, I find her action funny. Because of her cray-cray action, she joins the road trip to stay away from her ex and to clear her mind. Her character develops in the book. The thing that I like is, unlike characters from some cheesy books, Rosie doesn't grow up magically in one turn of events. It does take time. She learns things through her trip. There's a time when she wanted to take a bus to get home leaving the boys but changed her mind because she learned the consequences of her action.

How My Summer Went Up in Flames is fun. A trip with three boys? I know how funny boys could be when they are talking and making jokes to each other. Reading about how Rosie tries to enjoy her trip with the boys is entertaining. I laugh while reading the book.

About the romance ? hmm ... Sometimes, when I read a book, I can predict who will end up with who. But with this book ? I don't know. It's either I can't predict or I just simply don't want Rosie end up with anyone. As I read the book, I'm growing fond of the boys. So I like to think about them as brothers. Silly, I know. Anyway, How My Summer Went Up in Flames is a good summer read.