Last Year’s Mistake by Gina Ciocca

Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca
Published by Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse on June 9th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, YA, Young Adult
Goodreads

Before:
Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...

After:
Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to.

Told in alternating sections, LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE is a charming and romantic debut about loving, leaving, and letting go.

I received an early copy of this book from the publisher, this does not influence my review. 

Last Year’s Mistake is about David and Kelsey, two former friends who ended their friendship on bad terms. When David re-enters Kelsey’s life, she has to figure out whether or not her feelings for him have ever really gone away. Basically, this book is just amazing and I read it all in one sitting. Last Year’s Mistake sucks you in and won’t let you stop reading all the swoony moments.

Before their sophomore year, Kelsey and David were practically joined at the hip. But a misunderstanding ruins their friendship and they haven’t spoken for over a year. But when David returns to Kelsey’s life after she’s moved to a new city and started over, Kelsey has to relive her memories of David. And while David and Kelsey may have a rocky past, does that mean their future will be just as complicated?

The plot of Last Year’s Mistake was extraordinary. Alternating between Before and After, it really drags you in and refuses to let you go. Kelsey was such a great character and even though she’s made mistakes, I could really connect to her. The misunderstandings between her and David may have seemed petty, but I could totally understand about how they might seem like a big deal to her. I enjoyed that by the end of the book, Kelsey grew as a character and she learned from her mistakes.

The romance was definitely swoony. I loved every interaction between David and Kelsey and gahhh I just wanted to yell at them to kiss already! Although some readers will be a bit iffy about a certain spoiler: View Spoiler »there was some cheating in this book. Although I could never condone cheating, I was somewhat okay with it in this case? The characters in this book are both flawed and do make dumb teenager mistakes, including cheating- in this case. They do own up to their actions though so does that make it okay? Yes/no? Let’s leave the existential questions out of this review for once hm. « Hide Spoiler.

I did have to lose half a star for this review because there was no visible diversity. No LGBT classmates, no non-white characters, just nothing. I liked this book and it was definitely swoony but I’m not sure how I feel about the lack of diversity. (I just get more and more conflicted as this review goes on!)

Overall, Last Year’s Mistake is a drama-filled romantic read that I declare perfect for the beach! I recommend it to those looking for a romance where the characters grow and learn from their mistakes. Oh and for those who like swoony kisses.