(bestbookEVA book review): The Catastrophic History of You and Me

The Catastrophic History of You and Me

by Jess Rothenberg

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 
BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 
But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces? 

Rating: 3.8/5 stars

Romance Swoon Scale: 3/5 stars, Adorable, Gooey, Sweet
Published: February 21st 2012
Series: No.

Swear Words: Not really. No.

Action: Yes- not intense fighting, but a lot of action in its own sweet way.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy-ish, Romance, Contemporary, Chicklit

The Catastrophic History of You and Me (TCHOYAM) was magical. It was truthful and heartbreaking. It was funny and heartwarming. It was just... So so good! 

The story: 

This book is about Brie. A fifteen year old girl who goes through the five stages of grief in magical yet sorta truthful ways and in the end, finally gets what she deserves.

First of, this book helped me so much. I went through a rough friendship-ending thing last December 2011 and I was still not over it. I'm probably still not- but Brie and her thoughts and story helped a lot. Finally somebody who actually understood. On a scale of 1 to 10, where I was ten before- this book helped bring down the sadness to a possible freakin' 7!

Characters and shizz:

I loved how honest TCHOYAM was. 

Bries voice was so freakin' perfect- the perfect amalgamation of teenage girl. Her tone was sarcastic, funny at times, and gah, I loved it. 

I could totally see her being my friend.

“News flash, Bozo. Don't ever tell a girl to relax. It only makes us madder.” 

― Brie, from The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Also, she actually acted her age, and had friends! 

Not some weird girl/s who took advantage of her and who Brie couldn't/didn't confide in- but actual best friends, and three of them! 

I loved her friends and whatever stories Brie shared about them- they reminded me of a time when I had my own circle of girlfriends and made me miss them so much. (None of them live in the same city as me now since I had to move, and one of em moved to Canada and etc).

The whole fiasco with Jacob was also so perfectly understandable. Whatever choices Brie made were something I think a lot of teens would make.

I also really liked Patrick. He was however the unrealistic bit of the story, which had to be there, otherwise it would have sucked and been sad. I mean, there would have probs been a nice ending if he had been eliminated, but an okay one, not gooey and cute. 

The Patrick twist is probably why this book didn't get a whole full 4 star rating. The big twist with him in the end seemed so- disconnected and outa the blue. But whatever- it was cute, and I got over the unbelievability, so it wasn't that bad.

Other things I loved:

-How each chapter began with the perfect song title describing it! Such perfect song choices!

-Hope. 

One thing I especially loved other than well, everything was how hopeful it was. While reading it you think of how the pain you've been through (or, if you haven't ever, the pain Brie goes through) is definitely bad, but you can and will get through it.

The ending was maybe a bit too perfect- but its okay, I wont hold the Jess Rothenberg against it. Sometimes happy endings are exactly what one needs. 

Overall The Catastrophic History of You and Me was adorable, super duper hopeful and a lovely, lovely read.

People who should read this book: Happy ending lovers, people who've suffered a breakup, romance lovers, people who want to read a happy teen book with sad undertones laced with hope and best of all- a ton of love.

From Jess Rothenberg's website: I like to think anyone who’s ever had their heart broken will enjoy the story—whether they happen to be thirteen or thirty-five. Nothing like a broken heart to reconnect you with your inner fifteen-year-old!

Some awesome quotes from the book, all by Brie:

-“The trouble is, sometimes words are like arrows. Once you shoot them, there's no going back.” 

-“Love is no game. People cut their ears off over this stuff. People jump off the Eiffel Tower and sell all their possessions and move to Alaska to live with the grizzly bears, and then they get eaten and nobody hears them when they scream for help. That’s right. Falling in love is pretty much the same thing as being eaten alive by a grizzly bear.” 

-“Turns out, hell's not so much a burning, scalding pit of fire and misery. It's actually much, much worse than that. Hell is when the people you love the most reach right into your soul and rip it out of you. And they do it because they can.” 

-“There’s no such thing as too much Disney.”

xx

Chicklitgirl