Title: Save the Date
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 5, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.
The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.
There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.
There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.
Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.
Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.
You guys, am I broken? I didn’t love a Morgan Matson book and I feel like I let myself down. I went into Save the Date with so much hope and high expectations. I loved the premise of a wedding bringing a huge family together, but OHMYGOD there was so much drama and mishaps . . . AND GAH, I had such a hard time processing a 432-paged story with so many characters, very little romance, so many feelings, and just SO MUCH drama. And with so many characters not fully developed, I could not connect with any of them. But even though Save the Date didn’t work for me, there were a few “RAVES” I would love to highlight. Although this wasn’t the summer rom-com I was hoping for, I’m sure other contemporary readers will enjoy the wedding shenanigans that pursue.
-There’s a cute dog named Waffles.
-The Grant family is very unique (and large), and I loved that a comic strip, created by the main character’s mom, is showcased throughout some chapters.
-The wedding planner’s nephew is a breath of fresh air whenever he shows up in the book.
-There are hidden Easter eggs and references to Taylor Swift, Stranger Things, and some characters from Matson’s previous books make a cameo appearance.
-J.J., one of Charlie’s three brothers, is hilarious, and I think he needs his own book.
rants and raves of a bibliophile 