Review: Awkward by Marni Bates

Title: Awkward
Author: Marni Bates
Publisher: Kensington Teen
Release date: December 27th 2011
Pages: 300
Genre: Young Adult contemporary romance
Source: Bought

Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she's the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous - not to mention unwelcome - attempt at CPR. Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that's when life gets really interesting...

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars 

I really don't know why I keep reading these books - I should know by now that younger YA just doesn't work for me anymore. The fact that me and Awkward didn't click isn't the book's fault; it's mine - typical high school stories might be fun for some readers, but I just don't want to be reading them anymore.

The set-up is the cliched high school setting, and the  story is entirely predictable. We have the awkward geeky girl as the main character, her two best friends for comic relief, the bitchy popular girl, the popular and "nice" guy she's admired from afar forever, and the other guy she's never considered as a love interest. Right from the start, you can tell where each part of the story is heading. And I know it's my fault, because just from the description you know this story is going to be predictable and full of cliches, I am just so, so sick of this set-up and these stereotypical characters. I feel bad about it, but I couldn't really see past that throughout the book, which is why I never really got into it.

That being said, there were definitely parts of the story that were entertaining. The whole idea is so out-there and crazy that you can't help but be intrigued. Especially the stuff relating to Mackenzie's new-found fame, the scenes with paparazzi, interviews, rock stars, etc., are very entertaining, and that's what kept me turning the pages.

Really, the problem here is the age thing: Awkward is geared towards younger YA. The tone is too melodramatic and teenager-y for me, and the cliched characters and predictable story made it hard for me to like this novel, but it's a quick, entertaining read that could be a good match for the younger set of YA readers.