Review | Gimme A Call by Sarah Mlynowski

Title: Gimme A Call by Sarah Mlynowski
Series: N/A
Genre: YA - Contemporary/Fantasy
Publication: 04.27.2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: A new life is just a phone call away!

Devi's life isn't turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn't join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.

Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn't some wacko—she realizes that she's been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she's already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self?

Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything?

Thoughts: I picked this up without reading the back or even recognizing the author. The cover just looked fun and I needed a new audio book for my car. I was caught off guard with how fun Gimme a Call was and the lighthearted way it was written was definitely something I was looking forward to.

I was intrigued from the start, especially drawn in by the characters because they were so normal, so relate-able. Devi, both her younger self and older self, reminded me of myself and I instantly connected to her. She was a silly girl who had no idea what she was going to do with her life, yet is determined to change it once she finds out she can. Not expecting the inevitable consequences, she starts demanding her younger self to do everything differently and really doesn't expect exactly how much each action will change the future. Bryan, her three best friends and her family play important parts in her life, and I thought they were all a great set of secondary characters that I learned to adore just the way Devi does.

The writing is easy to read and I got so caught up in the story, I wanted to go drive somewhere just so I could listen to the story more! I loved that the book alternates from Devi as a Freshman and as a Senior because it I was able to see how differently each one thought from the other, but how much they didn't change; it was definitely one of my favorite aspects of the book. I am looking forward to reading more of Mlynowski's work and will be on the lookout for another one of her books.

I really can't express how much I enjoyed this book. It is a fun take on second chances, growing up and making mistakes, all which are what make life such a great adventure.

Overall: Surprisingly captivating, Gimme a Call is an entertaining, funny book that can be enjoyed by many chick lit and contemporary fans out there.