Review: Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Title: Love and Leftovers
Author: Sarah Tregay
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: HarperCollins Teen (Dec. 27, 2011)
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Description:

 My wish
is to fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy, daydream-worthy
love.

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you've lost it?

Love and Leftovers is a beautifully written story of one girl’s journey navigating family, friends, and love, and a compelling and sexy read that teens will gobble up whole.

My Review:

I love books written in prose. There is just something so magical about them. They always seem so beautiful to me and for whatever reason they seem to stick with me a little more than I think the story would if it were written in a traditional manner.

I haven't read anything written in prose for awhile so when I saw that this book was going to be that way I snatched it up the day it was released and knew I would have to read it soon.

This wasn't a book to buy and then wait months to read it, no, this was something I knew I would want to read now. And while it did take me a few days to get to it, I am so happy that I didn't wait too long to read it.

I actually started reading this from my phone late at night after everyone was already tucked into bed either sleeping or watching TV so I only read it in short spurts but that was okay with me because it meant that it would last all that much longer. It meant I wouldn't devour it all in one sitting like I tend to do with books like these.

However, it also meant that I wouldn't want to quit reading it when I really should have, which I learned the hard way when I first starting reading it (already way past my bedtime to begin with) finally looked at the clock and saw an hour had gone by and I really needed to get to sleep.

So my first thoughts on this book, as I sat reading it in bed, way too late at night, was that it was a really cute read. Maybe not exactly what I had been expecting but I still really enjoyed it.

I have to say that I love that part of this book took place in my home state. It made it even better for me to read about places I have seen and been. I could totally relate more I think to the main character.

It was nice reading about a teen that didn't automatically fall in love with someone just because they were popular or cute or whatever. It was nice seeing someone learn what love was first and to find out who they were, before even really thinking about being in love and taking that leap.

Yes, Marcie wanted to be in love but first, she needed to discover what that meant exactly and in light of her mom's recent heartbreak, if it was even something she wanted for herself.

It was great watching Marcie grow and learn and make mistakes along the way. It was nice reading about someone that wasn't perfect and it was nice to see that her friends were that way too. They all felt very real to me and like someone I would have wanted to be friends with even.

Overall this was a nice read that I truly think anyone that enjoys the genre and reading in verse would like.