Published June 12, 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 325 pages
Borrowed from library
Alice, Tiernan, and Summer used to love Level3. They knew all their songs off the top of their heads and even had an entire shrine dedicated to the boys. That was when they were still best friends. When high school came, the girls broke up and so did their favourite band, Level3. But then, on the day of their high school graduation, Alice finds out that Level3 is getting back together for a one-time only concert. And even though she hasn't talked to Tiernan or Summer since that fateful night back in freshman year, she instinctively buys three tickets for all of them and plans a road trip to get them to the concert.
Before I begin rambling about my thoughts, I just feel I need a disclaimer because I read this book a month ago so the details are not real clear in my mind. Typically I review a book one or two days after I finish it so obviously, this is a change for me. So basically, don't be surprised or confused or upset that most of this review will be me wondering if I got the details right!
Reunited tells the story of three ex-best friends as they reunite on a road trip to see their once-favourite band play live. I was so intrigued by this book because I love road trips and friendships, especially ex-friendships because that means DRAMA and I love DRAMA so everything about this book starting out was a win-win for me. And while I didn't love it (to be fair, I wasn't expecting to love it), it was a nice read.
The beginning was really strong for me. It was quirky and in the same way a person has their idiosyncrasies, this book had its bookish idiosyncrasies which I admired. Whether Tiernan or Summer or Alice were narrating, there was still a consistent and distinctive voice that made the novel very coherent, but also wasn't too overpowering so the individual characters actually had their individual voices.
But once I reached the middle, things started to get a bit shaky. The voices of each character started to get muddled in my head and the crazy situations the girls got themselves into just felt repetitive, even though they were different situations. It was clear that the author was trying to find ways to make it so that the girls wouldn't arrive at the concert but in an explicable way. For me, it was just a tired routine and I feel as if it could have been executed better.
On a sidenote, I thought the author was so smart with setting up a fake-real band website (even complete with two songs) to promote the book. So creative. She had me fooled for a while!
Reunited was an okay read for me. It started out strong but really lost its footing as the book progressed. I thought the triple perspective was often a bit muddled and think it would have been better to stick with one narrator, or maybe even a third-person omniscient one! The ending was sweet though and was satisfying. Even though it wasn't told straight out, the reader knew that there was a happy ever after for the three girls. It's hard not to root for them to be best friends again!
people who are obsessed with a band themselves! You'll understand what these girls have in common. If you like cute contemporaries about friendship, this one is right up your alley!
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