Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald


Release Date: January 24, 2012
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Buy: Amazon ❘ The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Can a twelve-step program help Sadie kick her unrequited crush for good? Abby McDonald serves up
her trademark wit and wisdom in a hilarious new novel.

Seventeen-year-old Sadie is in love: epic, heartfelt, and utterly onesided. The object of her obsession - ahem, affection - is her best friend, Garrett Delaney, who has been oblivious to Sadie's feelings ever since he sauntered into her life and wowed her with his passion for Proust (not to mention his deep-blue eyes). For two long, painful years, Sadie has been Garrett's constant companion, sharing his taste in everything from tragic Russian literature to art films to '80s indie rock– all to no avail. But when Garrett leaves for a summer literary retreat, Sadie is sure that the absence will make his heart grow fonder - until he calls to say he's fallen in love. With some other girl! 
A heartbroken Sadie realizes that she's finally had enough. It's time for total Garrett detox! Aided by a barista job, an eclectic crew of new friends (including the hunky chef, Josh), and a customized selfhelp guide, Sadie embarks on a summer of personal reinvention full of laughter, mortifying meltdowns, and a double shot of love.

We've all read novels about falling IN love, but then every once in a while, a rare gem comes along that's about the opposite. Getting Over Garrett Delaney was that gem. Boy, if you thought falling head over heels for a boy was hard, imagine how hard it is to stop liking him. Or maybe you don't need to imagine. Trust me, we've all been there. Luckily for Sadie, she's got the help of her friends to get her though the ultimate Love Detox.
I've never read any of Abby McDonald's novels before, and this was probably the first book of hers which I've ever heard of. Her writing made me laugh, made me empathize and totally had me wishing for a group of people to help me through the hard times. She, mark my words, is totally a contender for one of the Queen of Teen contemporary. No kidding, she has the same familiar touch as Meg Cabot, Sarah Dessen and other Q of T's do, with her own little specialities. I've got to get my hands on her other books now!

Alright, ENOUGH about me ranting about how much I love this author. Onto the book!

Perfect. That's all that I can really sum it all up. The characters in this novel were per-fect. Flaws? sure. But that just made it so much better. I felt sorry for Sadie, and even though she was quite pathetic at times, mooning over Garrett, that was actually understandable. Like I said, we've all been there some time or the other. I love how we can see the stages of development, as she moves further away from the life she evolved around Garrett to become her own.
Speaking of Garrett, he is one character who you know from the beginning you're going to hate. Another thing I love about YA contemporary authors– you know exactly who's going to end up with who, and who to hate, but you still love the ride the author takes you on, no matter how obvious it turns out to be. (Anyway, back to Garrett) he's pretty obnoxious, I guess, and something about him ticks me off. He's always interrupting Sadie, he's always being judgmental about things that she does. It's just too... narcissistic. Hate characters who always want it their way. *Growls*

I love the twelve-step program. Like, some of the chapters in which she takes on the detox have the tips at the beginnings. It's a lot of fun reading about Sadie's transformation– it's like a complete new makeover! (She's All That, anyone?) There's something about a character becoming more of themselves that totally inspires me to do so as well. I thought about the steps and tips that the book gives and I thought it sounded awfully familiar to what I have done in the past. God, I had no idea how lame I was. Oh well, that phase is over and hopefully shall never come again.
The little twists in the story were quite enjoyable as well. Nothing too serious to make your eyes pop out, but definitely some little-heart stoppers in there. The ending was totally satisfactory. Just like a YA contemp novel should be.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney has definitely been one of the best contemporaries of the year so far, and I'm looking forward to more of what McDonald writes. Totally sweet, totally hilarious, and totally heart-warming, fans of How to Be Popular and Something, Maybe will fall hard for this gem.

If you like this, try...

• Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty ◆ Goodreads
• That Summer by Sarah Dessen ◆ Goodreads
• How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot ◆ Goodreads
• Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott ◆ Goodreads