SO FUNNY!!!! LOVED LOVED LOVED!
Kelsey Finkelstein is starting high school, only she's determined to stand out this year! What she didn't consider is that she might stand out, just not in the most flattering ways. First her arch-nemesis Gemma moves away, only to be replaced by new arch-nemesis & upperclassman Julie Nelson. Then one of her besties, Cass, steals her long-time (and newly single) crush Jordan. Her dreams of becoming star left wing of the JV soccer team are dashed when she is made (gasp!) goalie, ouch! The spring musical goes equally off track when she get a lead (!!!) but then discovers it's for a male part (a gross fat wolf-man male part). And through all of this she keeps winding up in picutes in the school paper, only the shots are rather unfortunate. She meets new friends, fights with her current ones, has disappointing encouters with boys, and not to mention dealing with her parents and super-annoying sister! How will she ever survive this crazy year?

Kelsey is my new best friend. I loved her so much... so much! This book is so freaking cute and funny I can't even say enough about it. I love it when a book makes me laugh out loud (it's so rare!). When she said"
"Apparently, she can't find her Annie costume (could someone have hidden it behind the washing machine? I wonder...)"
I almost fell off my chair laughing! But seriously, the best part of this book is it's so realistic. Teens do drink, they mostly don't have absentee parents, they think about sex and wonder when and if they should be doing it, they don't have unlimited access to credit cards and high fashion. I love a book that has that honest feel.
It's a must read for YA-ers!

My blog:
http://pinkpolkadotbookblog.blogspot.com/ ( )

If you're looking for a sweet and genuinely funny read, Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters is just the ticket! Seriously, I'm kicking myself for not getting to this sooner. It has stolen my heart! Kelsey Finkelstein wants nothing more than to make a mark in her new high school. You know, stand out. What she doesn't realize, is that she'll stand out alright! Just not in the way she was hoping. I loved traveling with Kelsey as she navigated the horrors of high school, complete with evil older girls and unbelievably hot guys. This book was just too cute for words!

Kelsey, Cassidy, JoJo and Em are just so much fun! They really took me back to my high school days. Here is a group of girls who do literally everything together. Kelsey especially stole my heart, and who can blame her? She's funny, sarcastic, and absolutely hilarious! I loved the way that she always seemed to be able to take everything in stride. Sure, there are points where she overreacts just like any normal teen. Still, she always managed to see the lighter side (and cause me to laugh) and things were off and running again. I adore this girl!

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters is the prefect mix of light-hearted reading and real teen issues. Zeitlin shows that girls Kelsey's age are faced with a lot of issues, but that they still have the power to make good decisions. Kelsey and her friends do drink and party in this book, although they do it in a mostly responsible way. Once in a while they do make the wrong choice in a situation, but they always learn from it and move on. Honestly, Kelsey reminds readers that high school isn't the easiest place to be. However with the right head on your shoulders, and the help of some great friends, it's totally do-able!

Add in the craziest (and cutest) build up to a relationship that I've ever seen, and you have a book that just blew me away. I absolutely loved Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters and I know that you will too! Go get yourself a copy and dive in. You won't regret it!
( )

Fourteen-year-old Brooklynite Kelsey Finkelstein is just about to embark on her high school debut and dreams about all the good things in store. This year will be different: she will be the soccer star and her crush will fall madly in love with her. With her three best friends at her side nothing can stop her. But when things don’t go exactly as planned, hilarity ensues in the form of embarrassing photos, awkward kisses, and a high school production of Fiddler on the Roof you’ll never forget.

I love a book with humor in it and Freshman Year and Other Disasters had me in stitches right from the beginning. It’s the perfect light, funny read that you can get through in one sitting. It’s a little more over the top than my first year of high school but it is easy to relate to Kelsey, and gives me a taste of what’s to come with my own daughter approaching these years.

Kelsey’s voice is so funny, honest and sarcastic and the situations she got herself in were laugh out loud hilarious. She is a teensy bit self-absorbed but her voice rings true to her age. Kelsey rolls with the punches through each cringe worthy obstacle that’s thrown at her and that makes her such an endearing character. My heart just went out to her with all the trouble she finds herself in.

There are many realistic high school issues dealt with in the book that gives it a little more substance. Friendship drama is something I’m familiar with from high school, and the friend issues that arise in the book are easy to relate to and handled in a refreshing way. Sex and drugs also come into play and Kelsey finds herself in some uncomfortable situations. It may seems like fourteen is a little young for these issues but I didn’t find how it was addressed to be unrealistic.

In addition to the friends and boys in Kelsey’s life she also has some great scenes with her mother. Their relationship is true to life with their arguing over where to shop and having heart to hearts about Kelsey’s issues. And Kelsey joking about how it was when her mom grew up throughout had me laughing. The challenges of being a fourteen year old and a parent of one were evident in the book.

This book would make a great read for someone about to start high school or for a funny look back on those years. At least it would make you feel better that you didn’t have as many embarrassing incidents as Kelsey. The writing is super sharp and funny and I couldn’t stop laughing when I tried to describe the high school musical production scene from the book out loud. Freshman Year and Other Disasters is Meredith Zeitlin’s debut novel and you can find it in stores today. ( )

Originally posted on Little Book Owl

In the mood for plenty of laughs? Keen to pick up a really entertaining book? Then Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters is PERFECT for you!

Meredith Zeitlin's debut novel for 2012 is a fun, entertaining read that keeps you simultaneously giggling and cringing throughout. There sure are plenty of disasters, alright, a continuous string of amusing situations that Kelsey finds herself in.

The pacing of the book was pretty good - a very easy, quick read. The pacing at the end, however, was a little too fast for me. I felt that it ended really abruptly and seemed a little rushed. It is a shame because I would have liked to have more of a chance to savour the events that occurred in the last chapter.

Kelsey is your average teenage girl who manages to find herself in so many torturous and embarrassing situations. Everything
bad that could possibly happen, happened. I felt so bad for Kelsey! Yet, she manages to handle them humorously without losing a sense of who she is. She is a very realistic and relatable character - wanting to make a name for herself in high school, but unfortunately manages to do so in the worst ways possible.

At the start I was a little confused between Kelsey's three best friends, JoJo, Cass and Em. Eventually as their personalities and characteristics are unveiled, I was able to easily distinguish between them all. They are all very different characters, and each cause their fair share of drama and/or entertainment. ( )

In Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters, we follow new Freshman Kelsey Finkelstein through her first year of high school. All Kelsey wants is to make her mark and to have a really great first year. Unfortunately for Kelsey, things do not work out exactly as she has planned them to.

I really love Kelsey’s character. She kept me in stitches with all the mishaps that happen on her first year of high school. I can totally sympathize with her on some of the things that happened; as I definitely remember my freshman year all too well. Her best friends; Cass, JoJo and Em were all wonderfully well thought out characters as well! I really enjoyed the relationships that these four girls had.

All of the ‘disasters’ that poor Kelsey went through definitely make the book a hilarious read. From her first kiss, to being back-stabbed by her best friend over a boy, to a school play gone wrong; it all adds up to some really funny situations. Add in some pretty emotional teenage drama, a great storyline and it all comes together into a really fun read.

The only part in the book that I had an issue with was all the underage drinking. Call me a prude, but I am not a fan of drinking at all. And being a mom of a 13 year old, I would definitely not want my daughter drinking at that age. I understand that all kids experiment, and that’s ok, but I just felt that it went a little overboard. I do, however, think that the author sent out a good message about the other issues that teen’s face; sex, drugs, homosexuality, etc. (Please keep in mind that this is just me, and I know many people will not feel this way!)

Overall, this book is definitely one of the funniest books I’ve read so far this year. The teenage drama and the fun characters definitely kept me hooked. I am definitely looking forward to reading more work by this author in the future. This really was a great read!

http://www.thereaderbee.com/2012/03/review-freshman-year-other-unnatural.html