A Really Awesome Mess, by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

A Really Awesome Mess, by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Publication: July 23, 2013, by EgmontUSA

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)





Goodreads Summary: A hint of Recovery Road, a sample of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and a cut of Juno. A Really Awesome Mess is a laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching/heart-warming story of two teenagers struggling to find love and themselves.

Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.

Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.

Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.

Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they might even call each other friends.

A funny, sad, and remarkable story, A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for.

Review:

"I could swear I heard Mohammed say, "Hey baby," as he closed the door. Who the hell called their mom "baby"? Well, I guess if he didn't have issues, he wouldn't be here."

  If you're looking for a knockoff of It's Just A Funny Story, then pick up this book. But keep in mind that this is not even close to being classified as a "favourite" for me. It was good, but really nothing special. It's just a plain, predictable contemporary read.

  

    How original was this. *unpleased poker face* A good book should be original, and should be different than anything else in this world. But this was just an under-classified mental-hospital related novel. It did have its good things and its bad, but that was the thing that bothered me this most. 

     The concept was kind of boring, I must say. It was just about two teenagers's lives through time in a mental hospital. No biggie. They got in when they did something horrible, and they all think they're angels. Justin was sent because of a scandal that his dad found him in and Emmy was caught bullying a guy because he sent a compromising photo of her onto Facebook. When they meet, they find that they have a connection through their friendship and something more.

      Despite Justin (who I will get to in a second) and the concept and idea, I really enjoyed this book. It was hilarious, witty and some sorts of fun. The plot started off great from the beginning and I was very excited to see what would happen next that dealt with the romance. :) Yes, if you knew the way I judge books from before, you'll know that I'm a sucker for romance. I wasn't really bored at all. The plot was very fast-paced the whole time through and although the events weren't the most catastrophic or suspenseful, it was a good story.

       The characters were pretty great, if you ask me. But the only one who really made everything suck was Justin. He made me want to do this to the book:

          Like he was so pointless the whole time. He was so clueless and didn't know how to live a life. All he thought about was Emmy, who's romance with him wasn't anything special. Something about him just made me loathe him and made me angry and frustrated with the whole book.

           The side characters were just awesome. Muhammad and the rest of the crew were just all kick-ass and sarcastic and hilarious! I loved them all!

           This book was okay, nothing really special. It was definitely bearable to read with, and is recommended to those who want something light and fun!