Review : The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi

Summary (from Goodreads)  

Title : The Night We Said Yes
Author : Lauren Gibaldi
Publication Date : June 16th 2015
Publisher : Harper Teen
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A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti!

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave.

Personal Thoughts

For some very strange reason, I thought The Night We Said Yes was going to be a murder mystery. I think it has to do a lot with the cover. Anyways, that's besides the point. The Night We Said Yes was a complete surprise to me, not only because it wasn't a murder mystery, but also because it was a delightful debut novel that I found myself devouring. It has everything that I enjoy in a great YA contemporary book: swoony romance, realistic characters and most importantly, genuine female friendships.

This is one of those books that wouldn't have been as amazing had it not been for the fabulous cast. I loved each and everyone of these characters, from the main ones to the secondary ones. Lauren Gibaldi is fantastic at characterization. She took her time to really build the characters' personalities in the book, making them unique, but also breathing life into them. The book might take place only over two nights, one in the past and one in the present, but by the end of the book, I felt like the characters were life long friends of mine. That's how good the character development was in The Night We Said Yes. The main character, Ella, was instantly likeable. I think the fact that she was so normal, with her strengths and weaknesses, made it easy to relate to her. I felt like I was an Ella when I was younger. There was nothing particularly special about her; she was a sweet, genuine and kind-hearted girl, nursing a broken heart. Ella didn't wallow, however, which made me like her all the more. Despite how Matt left things with Ella, I found it hard not to fall for him. He was cute, geeky and all kinds of charming. While his reasons for not keeping in touch with Ella were baffling to me, he was a character I thought was swoony. I do wish we would have more good boys like him in YA. The secondary characters, especially Ella's friends Meg and Jake. They were both fiery and were different from Ella and Matt, but were still as well-developed as them.

The romance in The Night We Said Yes was enchanting! I loved it so much because it made me giddy. I wanted nothing more than for Matt and Ella to have their happily ever afters and throughout the whole book, I rooted for them, even through the shakiness. It's a romance that's quick to develop, over a night, but I never for once doubted that they were good together. Theirs was an adorable romance that will have readers squealing in joy, on cloud nine, especially because it was a second chance romance too. While the romance was definitely one of the strongest points of The Night We Said Yes for me, I found the friendships between the characters equally magnetic. Ella and Meg's relationship, especially, was one I absolutely loved. They were both loyal to each other, and supportive to the core. This is the kind of female friendship that needs to be depicted more in YA because it is so positive, devoid of any jealousy or fakeness. Jake also made for an interesting addition. He was the one who brought in the humor in the group. He and Meg also had an on and off relationship and despite how volatile their relationship could be, I also found myself rooting for them. Lauren Gibaldi's writing was so strong. It flows really nicely between the past and present chapters, and I seriously could have read her writing on and on because it's the kind that sucks you in and refuses to let you go.

The Night We Said Yes just might be my favorite YA debuts of the year. If you want a book that will consume your every thought with its gorgeous writing, swoony romance and fantastic characters, then read this book as soon as it comes out tomorrow.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5

**Overall Rating : 4.5/5**

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of The Night We Said Yes.