Roomies by Sarah Zarr and Tara Altebrando Review

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
December 24, 2013
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 288 pgs.

What it’s about:

All Lauren wanted out of college was a single. A room to herself. A little privacy, a luxury she rarely gets in her house full of kids. So when she receives the e-mail from UC Berkeley notifying her of her roommate assignments she is disappointed. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, Elizabeth receives the same information and excitedly zips off an e-mail to Lauren, setting into motion a summer of electronic communications. Both young women are excited and nervous about leaving home. While they each try to juggle new relationships while managing old ones, they find themselves turning to each other, virtual strangers, for support. As the summer progresses and their lives become more complicated they are forced to ask themselves if they have what it takes to share a dorm room.

Why you might like it:

Are you curious about what it will be like to leave home? Worried about heading off to college? Well, you may be able to relate to Lauren and Elizabeth. Do you enjoy a little romance in your books? You’ll find that here too! Do you like novels that are written in the form of letters or journal entries? I do! And of course, if you are a fan of Sara Zarr and/or Tara Altebrando, you won’t want to miss this one. I really enjoyed getting to know each of these characters. Each had complex and challenging situations to work through. Their hopes, fears, and excitement about college felt genuine. I felt that the authors managed to work in a number if “issues” in without being heavy-handed. They touch on issues of sex, infidelity, inter-racial relationships, and homosexuality. This is definitely a book for a more mature reader. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it to the reader looking for books about post-graduation.

Want more like this?

For the new to college experience check out Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Just One Day by Gayle Forman,  The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle, and the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty. I am still pretty new to the whole New Adult category, but I think this fits nicely. I would love to see more books with college bound characters.

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

Mondays With Megan 1/27/14

Happy Monday! I took a long weekend and am back to work nice and refreshed and thank goodness, because there is a lot to be done! First and foremost, decorating the teen room for Valentine’s Day. Because, why not? And because my awesome coworker pointed me in the direction of these cute and nerdy library-themed candy heart decorations. I also need to spend some time mulling over this year’s ALA Youth Media Award Winners. And of course, I also need to get busy on my Monday Reading List!

 

 

Finished:

• Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando was quite fun. Through an exchange of emails, two young women assigned to be college roommates get to know each other. Full of the worry and excitement of leaving home for the first time, this was a charming story. This will inevitably be compared to Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, which is fair enough.
• Sabriel by Garth Nix was a little confusing and slow to start. Sabriel is the daughter of the Abhorsen, the powerful necromancer charged with keeping the dead where they belong. When he goes missing Sabriel must leave the comfort of her boarding school and venture into the Old Kingdom to find him. This is the first is a trilogy and I did not love it, but Nix is a compelling storyteller and I am confident things will pick up. I will certainly give Lirael a shot.
• The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer follows a group of people who meet at an art camp in 1974. The six teens forge a bond that lasts a lifetime. This one slowly drew me in and I ended up really liking it.
• Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg is due out in February, so I will have a review up later, but I will say it was wonderful! I loved the alternating POV and banter between Levi and Macallan.

Current Audio:

• I am so excited to have Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen in my car. Her books are so dreamy and magical.
• On Playaway I have The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. I am a little late to the party and romances seem to be the theme…just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Currently Reading:

 

• Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis has lots going for it-it’s a dystopian book, written by a fellow Ohioan and there is a blurb on the (totally awesome) front cover by Michael Grant. I just started and hopefully I can tear myself away from The West Wing long enough to get into my book.
• The House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini. This book is HUGE and the house is pretty creepy.
• Finally, I just downloaded an ARC of This One Summer, a new graphic novel by cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki.

On Deck:

  

Another blast of Arctic cold is heading my way. Maybe tomorrow will find me snuggled up with a book instead of at work?

Happy Reading!

˜Megan