Main Character: April Berman
Love Interest: wouldn’t you like to know?
Series: n/a
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn’t have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn’t jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe “opportunity” isn’t the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: “Lied to Our Parents”). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up “Skipping School” (#3), “Throwing a Crazy Party” (#8), “Buying a Hot Tub” (#4), and, um, “Harboring a Fugitive” (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn’t-have-done at a time.

I have never read Sarah Mlynowski before but after reading this book, I need to check out her backlist. Ten Things We Did was chock full of good stuff. It was funny, it was thought-provoking, it was fluffy and deep at the same time. Good stuff I’m telling you. And at time realistic – despite the unrealistic set up.

First, April’s parents are divorced. Her mother cheated on her father and in her freshman year they called it quits. Soon after that, she met Noah. So she’s been with him for over two years. She is now heading into her second semester in her junior year when her father drops a bomb on her – they’re moving to Cleveland. April is dead set against going. First of all, all of her friends are here. Her boyfriend’s here. She doesn’t want to start off in a new school. She devises a plan to stay with her friend Vi. And Vi quickly lets her know her mother won’t be around much so they concoct this big massive LIE so that April can move in. It’s actually pretty smart, this plan they come up.

Also going on in April’s life is her plan to lose her v-card to Noah. She thinks she’s more than ready and they plan for it to happen after Noah gets back from his New Year’s trip. And then Noah comes back from his trip and he’s acting weird and distant. No big deal – April’s busy with Vi and her other friends to really notice at first. She’s also hanging out with Vi’s friends more too, including a senior named Hudson.

But back to April’s decision to become sexually active. First, her and Vi visit Planned Parenthood to discuss birth control options. April actually calls it Un-planned Parenthood. I love it! So she decides to go on the pill as an extra safety measure to go along with condoms. She excitedly tells her boyfriend and here’s how it goes down:

“April, I’m excited. It’s just…we never talked about that. I thought we’d just use…you know. Other stuff.”
Other stuff? If we were old enough to use them I would think we were old enough to say the words.

OMG SO TRUE! I love how April is making all these decisions and it’s opening her eyes to world. Like when Vi brings up going to PP, April admits to herself she never even thought about what would happen if she got pregnant. Living by herself and making all these decisions is forcing April to grow up. But she’s still just a teenager and sometimes you need to learn things the hard way. Let’s just say there are consequences to her having sex with Noah.

I just thought this book was refreshing. It was still funny and light at times but it also handled these topics with a deft touch. I like when a YA character has this much self-awareness. She doesn’t bury her head in the sand. The hi-jinks her and her friends get into are a blast and a half as well.

Now, because there is lots of discussion about sex, I would say this book is meant more for more mature teens.

Ten Things We Did gets a B+ from me!

..and that’s your scoop!