Review: The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

Synopsis free review, since the review is long. :)

Book Details:

Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pub Date: August 31, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320

My Review:

The Ivy has to be one of my most favorite debut books of this year. It is a story about a girl, named Callie, who is starting her freshman year at Harvard. Callie leaves California behind and with it her parents, best friend Jessica, and longtime boyfriend Evan.

At Harvard we meet Callie's roommates. Each of of her three roommates have their own distinct personality. First there is Mimi who is from Europe. She is a true party girl, but is a good friend. Vanessa is the fashionista in the group. Out of all the roommates Callie and Vanessa have times where they get mad at each other. Will their fights lead Vanessa to make a decision she will later regret? Last but not least there is Dana. She is all about staying pure and clean. Even though she was the most different character I wish Lauren and Rina put more scenes with her in there.

Then there are the boys that live across the hallway from the girls. We first meet Gregory, who is a jokester and takes nothing seriously. But later on we find out that he really does have a caring bone in his body, Then there is sweet and nerdy Matt. Matt becomes good friends with Callie and develops a crush on her. OK, who is a prince is a big and nice guy. He has a crush on Mimi. The last of the roommates is Adam. He spends most of the time with Dana. Then there is the good-looking upperclassman Clint. There one important thing that goes with him, his very popular ex-girlfriend. Who just so happens to be the queen bee of Harvard and can either make you or break you.

I was hooked from page one! The Ivy had me completely captivated. I was dying to know what Callie and Evan did that was so freak-out worthy (although I had an idea of what it was and was right). Who was Callie going to end up dating? Was her and Evan's secret going to get out? Would it ruin her and her chances of getting into a secret society?

Many people found that the lack of parents present in Callie's life was wrong. For me I found it a relief. Parents in books are made out to be the same. So with parents out of the way we get to focus on the main drama of Callie's freshman year.

The Ivy is a good look at how college is like and how students deal with college life. The back of the ARC gave very little info on the book so I had no idea what I was getting into. Turns out that was a good thing, because I loved the surprises. I found myself laughing, cringing, shaking my head with disapproval, excitement, and giddy. This book is a must read. I absolutely cannot wait for book two!!!

5 Stars!