Pretty in Punxsutawney: A Romance & Comedy That Repeats!
ABOUT the BOOK
Author: Laurie Boyle Crompton
Publication Date: 2019
Publisher: Blink Books
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary YA Romance
Source: publisher provided ARC – thank you, Blink!
BUY or FIND the BOOK ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
FIND the REVIEW ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★ pretty in punxsutawney
Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Crompton | Book Review
STORY | For three months, Andie has been busy falling in love. She’s spent almost the entirety of these days hanging out with Colton, the perfect boy of her romantic-comedy movie dreams. As the new kid in Punxsutawney, Andie knows no one apart from Colton, and Colton’s annoyingly strict boss. You see, it’s at the movie theater where Colton works, and therefore, is the place Andie’s movie-perfect-romance dreams blossom.
As the new girl on the first day of senior year, Andie has everything going down as perfect. Colton is going to pick her up, and together, this last first day of school will be a dream. But then reality invades and the next day, Andie wakes to find she is trapped in the same first day of school. Determined to find love and a way out of this loop, Andie uses her favorite 80s films, and the school cliques, as guides.
REVIEW | Prior to receiving this one in the mail, I really hadn’t heard about this novel. Unusual since I do really like its publishing house (Blink Books). But then a book friend talked about it, and soon after, I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. Stories that have some form of “repeat” plot aren’t my favorite (I DNF’d Before I Fall), but with its cute cover, I had to give ‘Pretty’ a chance.
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This story is as adorable as its cover art suggests. Inside these pages we meet an eager, likable heroine who experiences ups and downs. This is true of both her emotional, internal state (she does get a bit salty at times) and her attitude. Given the fact that she lives in a time loop that doesn’t seem to end, it’s easy for the reader to sympathize with her. Her experience makes life go from exciting and full of promise to drudgery and despair. Her common thought process changes from the possibility of new friend and first kisses to will this day ever end?
What I like about this story is that every day Andie is inside this loop, the day is a little different. I like that the majority of the story sees her trying to make the best of this unfortunate situation. Instead of “sleep walking” through the day, she makes the attempt to change something. I like the relationships she inspires between people, and the way she challenges herself. That said, I also feel like the end is a little bittersweet in the sense of where she is mentally. SPOILER She doesn’t believe she’ll be welcome given how she decides to end her repeated time loop. I kind of like to think positively, and feel like she will be accepted versus’ shunned.
If you enjoy Groundhog Day-esque stories or “classic” romantic movies (complete with an understanding of the meet-cute), then you will likely enjoy Pretty in Punxsutawney. It’s full of cute moments, and endless possibilities for its heroine.
Love #YALit and the romcom?! Make sure you add this YA novel to your TBR: Pretty in Punxsutawney - A Romance & Comedy That Repeats! Share on XSincere thanks to the publisher for providing a complementary ARC copy of this novel for review; all opinions are my own.
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