The Catastrophic History of You and Me

I just wanna share to you my favorite book by Jess Rothenberg.

Book Review:

I opened this book with no expectations at all, and boy was I surprised, nay, blown away by it. Full of pop culture and 80's references, humor, romance, and heartbreak, this novel is memorable in every single way. That it uses the lyrics of songs as the titles for each chapter is just one of the many things that made it special.

The story follows Brie, a teenage girl who has died but remained on Earth because she has unfinished business with the boy who literally broke her heart in two. Before she can find peace, Brie must go through the stages of grief. The first thing that made me love her is how strong she is. Her situation and everything that's happening is heartbreaking, yet she manages to stay focused and come back after breaking down. Brie is also a very relatable character and I could empathize with her grief and pain and anger.

Of course, some of her strength and growth comes thanks to Patrick, the hilarious heartthrob ghost who promised to help her get revenge. He's always there to tell her when she's being irrational and there to lift her spirits up and make her see the light (sry about all the puns lol). This might be Brie's story but we also get glimpses of Patrick life and these were all just delicious treats along the way. Seriously, he's top quality YA Crush material and together with Brie, they make one of the best YA couples I've seen in a long time.

Then the ending was full of stomach dropping twist and incredible turns! I mean, holy crap! I finished this book pacing in my living room because I could not sit still. Definitely one of my top favorite 'one shot' books ever and I'm definitely keeping a sharp eye out for more Jess Rothenberg novels.