I Don't Even Know...

40 Thing I Want To Tell You
      by Alice Kuipers

5/5 Starry Eyes

First, a quick summary provided by Goodreads:

"Amy (a.k.a. Bird) seems to have the perfect life: loving parents, a hot boyfriend, the best friend ever. She even writes an online advice column, full of Top Tips, to help other teens take control of their lives. But after a new guy shows up at school, Bird can’t seem to follow her own wisdom. 

Pete is the consummate bad boy. He’s everything Bird is not: wild, unambitious and more than a little dangerous. Although she knows he’s trouble, Bird can’t stay away. And the more drawn she is to Pete, the more cracks are revealed in her relationship with Griffin, her doting boyfriend. Meanwhile, her parents’ marriage is also fracturing, possibly for good. 

Bird is way out of her comfort zone. All it takes is one mistake, one momentary loss of control, for her entire future to be blown away . . "

I don't even know how I feel about this book.... Other than the fact that I absolutely loved it!! So much, in fact, that I managed to finish it within SEVEN HOURS. That must be some new record for me, haha.

40 Thing I Want To Tell You is about a girl named Amy, called Bird by her friends and family, who has her whole life's plan worked out for her. Just when she's about to finishing thing up in her final year at high school, things start falling apart for Bird. Her parents are fighting more than not, things between her and her boyfriend who seems perfect for her aren't going so perfectly, and when the new boy arrives in town, everything begins crumbling down with one stupid mistake.

First things first, I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book! I can't tell you how amazing it is in looks, as well as how perfectly it matches the story it contains.

I absolutely love the voice of Bird on her online advice column. Her "Top Tips" were absolutely wonderful and struck very true, and I still can't believe that she managed to give all of those people such sound advice with everything that was going on in her life. The voice of Bird was so powerful that I even felt a tad depressed from reading her story - but in a good way - in a way that leave the readers head spinning long after they've finished Kuipers final chapter.

40 Things I Want To Tell You flowed very easily from page to page in such a way that I couldn't put it down once I had picked it up. You can really feel the wedge between Griffin and Bird right from the start, but just like Bird, I was unable to identify what had put that wedge there.

If anything, this book has taught me that not everything is set in stone, even if it may seem that way. One unexpected moment can change your whole life's plan, whether it be for the better or for the worse. The best thing you can do is hang on for the bumpy ride. :)

My one and only concern for this book was the price of it... I mean, $15 for a paperback? Sheeeesh. I'm not made of money, you know. However, did that price stop me from purchasing this truely amazing book? Clearly not, and it was so obviously worth it.