Hot Mess by Madeline A. Rosenberg Pages: 245
Series: Tragic Love #1
Genres: Young Adult
Goodreads
Anna McCormick seems like a cliché from her basic coffee orders to her relentless drama; however she is more than meets the eye. Join the journey of Anna and Trevor Sullivan through the laughs, tears and heartbreak. Meet the Clairetown crew - each character is more interesting than the next! Warning: you may not be able to put this book down!Anna McCormick is every girl after a break up- she is vulnerable and seeks attention in the wrong places. She is easy to love and hate at the same time. Trevor Sullivan is almost too good to be true. He seems like he is perfect on the surface, but there is much more to him than meets the eye. Benji Shaw is the "perfect" boy next door. He has a bit of a hero complex and wants to fix everyone's problems. Tanya Rosen is the quintessential popular girl- everyone thinks she has so much confidence but really she is just as insecure as the next girl. The book takes an unexpected turn and I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
Hot Mess is a classic teen drama story. The characters are immature and their behavior is so typical for anyone who has spent time with teenagers. Overly dramatic, overly sensitive, and overly narcissistic.
What I enjoyed of the story was the honest depiction of high schoolers. As a high school teacher, I could actually SEE several of my students in these characters. Rosenberg is spot on with how some teens behave. The drama about the popular crowd, who is dating who, and who is cool is the only thing that matters in some of their worlds. There are some age appropriate big topics that are tackled as well: drugs/alcohol, suicide, cheating. These are things teens face in high school and the teens in the story face them as well.
The timeline was a bit disjointed. You go from past to present to different times in the past, etc all between chapters.
Having said that, the book was a tough read for me because the characters were such typical high schoolers! The manufactured drama and narcissistic personality disorders were just not enjoyable characters for me, as an adult who spends her days trying to turn these narcissistic, egocentric almost adults into productive members of society. So, I give the book 2.5 stars. I feel that if I gave it to some of my 9th or 10th graders to read, they would be like “Oh my God! This is my life!”. It reads like a TV show dramedy. Think 90210, Gossip Girl, and the likes. I think Rosenberg has a good future in this market of readers. I am realizing that I am SO not that market of reader.
Honestly, I read so little YA, I am not even sure what to recommend….
Hot Mess
So sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this one. I enjoy YA a lot when I’m in the mood for it, but I don’t enjoy the over the top drama kinds. This one doesn’t sound like it’s for me. Hope your next read is better
I had a few my senior students read it and they were like “Oh my gosh, this is just like _________. She be doing the same stuff!”. So, authentic, yes. Annoying? yep!