Review: A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Format – Hardcover

Pages – 291

Publisher - Poppy

Buy this book – Amazon

From Goodreads:

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night.   Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about.

My Thoughts:

This is my first book by Kody Keplinger, but after reading this I can say that it definitely won’t be my last. 

Whitley is a very complicated character; she’s a party girl who drinks too much and hooks up with random guys and she also has some serious daddy issues.  Although, I can understand why she’s acting out…she feels like she doesn’t have anyone who cares about her.  Her mother is angry and distant, her brother moved across the country and has a wife and daughter of his own and her father has a new family; one that she doesn’t feel part of, so she drinks to numb the pain.  But by the end of this book I can see how much she has grown as a person. 

One of my favorite characters is Nathan; he has got to be one of the sweetest guys ever and he is so perfect for Whitley.  I love that he doesn’t let her wallow in self pity but instead he pushes her to be better and to not worry about what other people think. 

Another favorite is Harrison; I love his sense of humor and I’m glad that he worked his way in to Whitley’s life.  She really needed a friend (even if she didn’t realize it).  Last but not least we have Bailey, who wouldn’t want a little sister like her?  She’s incredibly sweet and she really looks up to Whitley.

Also, I have to say that I love the fact that Whitley chooses the University of Kentucky as her college (After all, I’m a Kentucky Girl)

I didn’t expect A Midsummer’s Nightmare to be as emotional as it was, I admit that I teared up a few times and my heart broke for Whitley.  If this book isn’t on your TBR list, you should add it.

My Rating: