If you’re looking for a good book to kick off the summer add this one – Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes – to the list. Seriously.
When I say I laughed and cried I honestly mean it. I actually cried a few times reading this book, but the end had me sobbing.
But let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
Synopsis
Anika Dragomis is the 3rd most popular girl in school and with that comes certain responsibilities. Like not falling hard for the biggest dork in school, Logan. But she did. Because of course she did. He came back to school after summer break riding a Vespa and rocking a leather jacket – how could she not fall for him?
Throughout their clandestine relationship Anika finds herself being drawn to helping the underdogs and trying to break out from under the overbearing Queen Bee of her school. But when Logan goes off the rails and shows Anika a darker part of himself, Anika finds herself on a date with Logan’s polar opposite – the hottest guy in school and something of a legend.
And while she’s loving the effect that being on Jake’s arm has on her social standing, she isn’t loving how she feels about leaving Logan in the lurch. But will her change of heart be too little too late?
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So, back to my review. GUYS SERIOUSLY. Go read this book. You can grab it now on Kindle for $9.99 and it’s totally worth the splurge.
Like I said, I laughed and I cried. The story is told through Anika’s eyes and she’s witty, sharp, and completely endearing. And – of course – a bit of an odd-ball. If her name (Anika Dragomir) didn’t give it away, she’s of Romanian descent and there’s lots of little jabs and jibs about her father being a suspected vampire (he isn’t… I don’t think).
While reading the book I was totally transported back to high school and that weird power dynamic that seems to exist only between girls – where the popular girls somehow managed to exclude everyone and yet everyone looks up to them. In this book the ladies rule by fear, particularly the Queen Bee. And Anika’s just about had it, which makes for a few interesting moments where she undermines her BFF and immediately fears for her life.
A word of caution about this book: If you’re planning to throw it in your bag (or download it on your Kindle app) for a day at the beach bring plenty of sunblock, because you aren’t going to want to put it down to go in the water. And keep your sunglasses on so you can shed your tears discretely.
Stars: 4 out of 5.
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