Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas
Published by HarperTeen on March 11, 2014336 pages
Synopsis
Sixteen Candles meets Sliding Doors in this hilariously charming and irreverent YA debut. Fans of realistic teen fiction like Lauren Barnholdt's Two-Way Street and Sarah Mlynowski's Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) will love Ask Again Later's pitch-perfect tale of prom night drama—with a twist.
Heart LaCoeur has zero interest in a messy high-school romance, no matter what her name suggests. That's why she's decided to avoid prom angst by going with a group of single friends. And that's why, when two surprise prom invites derail her brilliant plan, Heart takes the only foolproof, drama-free solution: a coin flip—that somehow gives her the chance to live out both prom nights. Heads or tails, where they both end up might be the most surprising thing of all. . . .
Unlike most girls, Heart LaCouer never cared about bringing a date to prom. The plan was to go with friends and enjoy the night with them. Suddenly, Heart is struggling with two unexpected prom-vites. Deciding whom to go with is extremely hard- so why not flip a coin instead? Ask Again Later is a crazy story of heads or tails, prom night fiascos and happy-ever-afters.
Sometimes, it’s the small victories that keep a person going.
Heart seized my interest from the very first sentence. She was undeniably witty and I easily loved the way she was written. Aside from Heart, I think the rest of the characters were quite an interesting bunch. The No Drama Prom-a Crew, a.k.a. Heart’s friends were generally awesome, especially Schroeder, whom I loved. Phil, Heart’s brother, and his friends were not the best crowd but I got a kick out of reading their exploits. Phil wasn’t exactly the best brother either, in fact he kind of deserved a kick in the head, but I liked that the author took time to explore sibling relationships.
Liz Czukas’ writing is effortlessly smooth and natural. It’s also very funny and full of humor. There is no resisting a book that makes me laugh so much! The heads/tails factor was also very ingenious of her! I had some trouble getting what was happening (damn me for being slow and for not reading the plot summary beforehand) but then there was that “OHH” moment and I finally understood that there was two storylines featuring the two sides of the coin. It was the first time I’ve read such a story but I think it was pretty clever.
“I don’t believe in fate… I don’t like the idea that I can’t control the outcome of something. Your choices should be the only influence in your own life.”
I loved the last parts of the book, where things started converging and moving towards a delightfully sweet outcome. Let’s just say I was rooting for Heart to end up with that person from the very beginning and things turned out pretty much the way I wished they would be. The romance, while not realized from the start, was lovely to watch. The setting of prom night made the whole thing even better.
“You’re, like, the least available person I know. Why did I have to fall for you?” The Martian butterflies chewed at my stomach. Best to fall back on my classic strategy of humor and sarcasm. Always a safe bet. “If it makes you feel any better, I can’t seem to get over Johnny Depp. Talk about unavailable.”
It’s no secret that I love reading light contemporary romances. In fact, I exist to read that kind of stuff. Needless to say, I really enjoyed Ask Again Later and I’m looking forward to reading more from the author. If you’re looking for a giggle-your-heart-out prom love story, I utterly recommend that you read this one!
Rating:
8 Responses
Yes! I’m looking for a light contemporary but I hate it when there’s too much drama in it — hopefully this one doesn’t suffer from unnecessary drama syndrome. When you said that there’s 2 storyline about different sides of the coin…it reminds me of Pivot Point. I haven’t read that one but I’ve heard that it has 2 outcomes about a decision too. And yay about sibling relationship! I like light and fluffy contemporaries but it’s nice to have some depths. Great review, Hazel! :D
I don’t think there was any unnecessary drama here at all. There were a lot of prom-sasters but everything mostly was warm and fuzzy and adorable, really. I still haven’t read Pivot Point as well! I didn’t know there were 2 storyline/outcomes for that one. I really need to pay more attention to plot summaries and reviews, haha. I hope you enjoy it if you read this one! Thanks for dropping by, Kezia! :)
HAZEL. Oh how I’ve missed your blog <3 But anyway, I'm so happy to see that you highly enjoyed this one because I have an e-ARC of it as well! It looks so adorable (don't worry, I live for cute contemps as well). And YES to the sibling relationships! Although you didn't like Heart's brother's group of friends, I'm glad you were still able to enjoy it as a whole. And yay for the romance working out! I'll have to move this one up on my TBR since you loved it so much! Wonderful review, Hazel :)
This sounds like a cute a fluffy read. I really need to get into the contemporary genre because it’s becoming so popular and I haven’t read one yet. I love a story that is humorous and this story definitely seems like something I would like I’m keeping a look out for this one. Great review!
I’m glad to see that you liked this! I just got an ARC and I’m planning on reading it when I’m in the mood for a fluffy, silly contemporary novel.
Great review!
This book sounds like a cute contemporary romance. I like the quotes you chose. <3
I feel sick to the bones because I only have this on ebook and I would really love to get a copy of it…
But the story is very promising! And ur review hazel, is awesome!
I really adored the cute romance in this one and having the two different alternate realities as well! It’s not often contemporary YA can become a favourite but this one I really loved. Lovely review!