Review: Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca

Last Year's Mistake   by Gina Ciocca

Before:
Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...
After:
Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to.
Told in alternating sections, LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE is a charming and romantic debut about loving, leaving, and letting go.

Publishes in US: June 9th 2015 by Simon Pulse
Genre: YA contemp
Source: Simon teen via edelweiss
Series? no

Buy it: Amazon IndieBound Book Depository

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    I wanted to read Last Year's Mistake because I liked the sound of the main character Kelsey and how it seemed that David, who she used to be close with and something happened and Kelsey's family moved, but he came back into her life. I was cheering for David before the book ever started, just for the record. I like the friends to  in-love, and it is that and what sounds like second chance love mixed together. 

     I connected with the before Kelsey a little more to start with because she seemed down to earth. I am a lot like her in that I feel some social anxiety and worry that new people won't like me except for those rare times that I connect right away and then it usually lasts, which was how she met David. The "after" Kelsey seemed a little more focused on looks and a bit more social, and of course from the synopsis we knew it would be love triangley because she is dating a new guy Ryan. He seems nice enough although he is super insecure when David comes on the scene, but we all get the feeling that it might be for a good reason. 

    Family is a good focus in this one, and I liked how close Kelsey was with her family. They did things together, and she seemed to be pretty open with them, especially in the every other chapter of before. David was close with his Dad, and in the before they were dealing with his grandfather who drinks a lot. We get to see a vulnerability and realness with David as he talks with Kelsey about it and escapes with her family, 

   And yes, it is is angsty, and it takes a long time for Kelsey to admit the fears she's had, and really be herself and only change what makes her happy. She is pretty caught up in what other's think and sometimes she is right about her negative suspicions, but I do like that when she moved, she did open herself up to trying new things and looking past the labels and she found a great friend in Candy, and Ryan really was good to her, his issues just lay elsewhere, and Kelsey would never admit that she was still hung up on David--not even to herself. 

    While the book deals with some pretty heavy subjects, some of the more petty drama and back and forth did make the book move really quickly. I read it in two sittings, and was left feeling pretty hopeful, and seeing a lot of growth and self realization in Kelsey. 

    The ending made me happy, but I did long for more time for them to be happy and out of the drama surrounding, but I can hold out hopes for a sequel because while the themes of this book were wrapped up, there were some questions and obstacles to overcome.

Bottom Line: Fast paced, emotional, drama-filled.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever ended friendships because of misunderstandings?