*REVIEW* Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)

Synopsis:

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

This book was SO cute! I wanted a lighter read after the last book I read, and Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) was exactly what I needed! This book had me smiling, laughing, and totally rooting for the main character, April, as she gained some independence, learned more about who she is, what she wants, and what life is really about.

The book begins by introducing us to April, a junior in high school who has just learned the horrible truth--her dad and stepmom are moving to Cleveland and expect her to uproot her life in the middle of junior year and come along for the ride. Considering her mom had moved to Paris not that long ago, and April had chosen not to move then, she cannot IMAGINE uprooting her life now to move to CLEVELAND. Ohio. Away from all her friends and Noah, her boyfriend of two years. Her boyfriend who April is about to do THE deed with. How can she leave now?

To the rescue? Her friend Vi. Vi's mom, Suzanne, has gotten a role in a traveling production, leaving Vi alone at her house. Vi is stoked about the idea of having a housemate and not having to live alone the rest of her senior year of high school. A plan forms, deviousness ensues, and April's dad is tricked into thinking that April will be staying with Vi and her mom in a completely supervised environment.

Hilarity ensues as the girls are left to their own devices and make some very interesting choices. From an overflowing dishwasher, to a Hula purchase, to an expensive emergency vet appointment for Donut, the cat they adopt, things are never quiet at casa de April and Vi. Add to the mix boys and you never KNOW what will happen. Oh and Noah, the amazing boyfriend? Things might not be exactly as they seem in that department.

I don't want to spoiler any more of this book so I'm leaving it at that! Just know that this is a super fun read and you won't be disappointed. By the end, you'll be so flippin' proud of April and the growth she achieves. She may have learned some of it the hard way, but April learns that in life, some risks are worth taking and that playing it safe rarely gets you true happiness. Enjoy! *XOXO*