Class of '98
A.L. Player

Genre: YA Romance

Release Date: November 26, 2013

Publisher: Swoon Romance

ASIN: B00GXOOVIO

Pages: 238

Goodreads Rating: 4.17

My Rating: 4

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Summary:

Jackie Dunn and Matt Stewart barely knew each other in high school, back when she was a blue-haired alterna-kid and he was a preppy jock. High school rules dictated they'd never hang out, or sit at the same lunch table, or God forbid, date.

But when a weird storm transports them from their ten-year reunion back to senior year, they have to work together to figure out a way to get back to 2008.

Stuck in high school, Jackie and Matt agree to tough it out. They agree to do everything exactly as they remember, even though that means staying with the boyfriend Jackie knows will betray her, or playing nice with the girl that will someday be Matt’s ex-wife. Soon, they come to rely on one other, even become friends.

Jackie’s just starting to get used to curfews and term papers again, when Matt hits her with the biggest surprise of all: he’s fallen in love with her. He’ll change the past however he has to if it means a future with Jackie. But Jackie’s terrified they’ll not only alter their lives, but the lives of everyone around them.

Back to the Future meets She's All That, Class of '98 is a young adult/adult crossover that will appeal to teens and adults.

My Take On The Book:

With a tagline like “She’s All That” meets “Back To The Future”, how could I possibly pass up the opportunity to review this title? A.L. Player did an amazing job creating this world. It was really easy to get sucked in and refuse to put my kindle down. I genuinely enjoyed this read with all it intricacies and romance.

The storyline was right out of a movie but written in a way that was completely literary. The characters were strongly developed, there wasn’t a moment that you feel the action was unexpected.

Not only did I fully enjoy reading this book but I would love, love, LOVE to see this translated to film. Before wwe hit those notes, as requested by the author since this is a reunion time travel book here are pictures of yours trully in higschool. Oye Vey! Don't laugh too hard ;) I didn't have a picture from my freshman year, but lets just say I experamented with my hair and I had red bangs and short brown hair.

Sophmore year. Closet raid

Junior Year

Senior Year, yearbook class

My Notes:

For this story I decided to forgo the normal Pros and Cons list because it just won’t work here due to some of my conflicting emotions on more than one bullet. Trust me I tried… and failed miserably lol. It ended up looking like a slew of contradictions. So you’ll still get the normal bullet format but with my thoughts both negative and positive in one bullet.

Jackie. Blue haired alterna-girl. Beautiful and spirited, witty and fun. She’s the epitome of a leading lady and a bit stereotypical in the sense that she wasn’t in the “it” crowd. There was so much to like about her, but I’ll admit to the occasional itch to B-Slap her. Her fear is all consuming and after a while, seriously borders on annoying. She constantly second guessed herself and it was exasperating.

Matt. I really, really liked this guy but he too had his moments of what I call dumbfuckery. He was ridiculously sweet and romantic and utterly daft at times it was frustrating to say the least. Both characters had a case of the yo-yo emotions. Regardless of that, I loved the chemistry between him and Jackie, it was sweet, almost innocent. Fitting better with their high school versions and not quite with their adult versions. I also wish we got a bit more on that and the development of their romance. They were few and in between and while I loved the interactions of other characters, there wasn’t enough of Jackie and Matt together. That on its own made the ‘I love yous’ fall flat to me.

Allison. Lapse of judgment aside, she seemed like a solid best friend who genuinely loved Jackie.

Tommy “9 Lives”. Can he get his own book please? Lol, he was hilariously cute even as an adult. Though he was not a main character or an important sub character, his appearance brightened the page!

The story. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I would love to see this on film. It was very ABC Family, Freaky Friday. With all the element you love about the 90s high school romance flicks. I just wish we got more action and interaction instead of the reflective inner monologue sequences.

4 Quills

Like I said, it was a great romantic high school drama with a splash of comedy. It even had a touch of science fiction (with the whole back in time bit). After reading it, I had to hit up Netflix to watch ‘She’s All That’ and chick-flick it away. A definite giddy page turner that will leave you bummed out that it’s done!

About the Author

A. L. Player teaches middle and high school English in Atlanta, GA. She lives with her guitar-playing, English-teaching husband and their three crazy rescue dogs. Her last name gets about the reaction you'd expect.

CLASS OF '98 is A.L.'s first novel.

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