Review: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

Title: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick
Author: Joe Schreiber
Publisher: Houghton Miffin Books for Children
Release date: September 19th 2011
Pages: 190
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Sarah
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Perry Stormaire is a normal high school senior—he is busy applying to college and rehearsing with his band—until he agrees to go to the prom with the Lithuanian exchange student who is staying with his family. It turns out that Gobi Zaksauskas is not the mousy teenager that she seems but rather an attractive, confident trained assassin. Instead of going to the prom, Perry finds himself on a wild ride through the streets of New York City as Gobi commandeers the Jaguar his father lent him for the prom in order to take out her targets. Perry learns a lot about himself—and ends up with some amazing material for his college application essays.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

No, this book is not deep or complex, and some aspects are definitely underdeveloped, as is to be expected at only 190 pages. Some parts don't even make sense, and none of it is realistic. But... I didn't care, because Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is just so much fun!

To say the plot in Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is fast-paced would be an understatement. It is non-stop action! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, couldn't wait to see what crazy situation Perry and Gobi would get themselves into next. The stuff they do is ridiculous, and no, it's not exactly realistic, but it was so much fun to see how these two escaped one almost-got-shot situation after the other.

The characters are good. They're not the most complex ones I've ever read about, but they're well-developed enough for a story like this one. Perry is a nice guy and easy to relate to. Gobi is a character I found myself constantly surprised by - I never saw any of the stuff Perry figured out about her coming. And the dynamics between Perry and Gobi are great - the way they talk to each other brought a smile to my face.

It's not a huge part of the story, but I did really enjoy the family aspect. It's understated, but the storyline of Perry finding his own way and standing up to his dad is definitely there. I really liked seeing how Perry's relationship with his dad evolved, even though the book is set over such a short amount of time.

I also love the way the book is set up. At the beginning of each chapter, there's an essay prompt and what college it comes from. Maybe it's just because I'm so depraved of new adult books that any mention of college makes me happy, but I really liked what that aspect added to the story.

The ending was a little confusing, for me. If this were a stand-alone, I wouldn't really get the point of that last scene. But I've heard there's going to be a sequel, so it makes sense, since that last part does add some intrigue!

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is pure fun. If you're looking for a quick, entertaining read that doesn't take too much effort or thinking on your part, give this one a try!