Review: Over You by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Klaus

Over You by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Klaus
Pages: 304
Expected publication: August 21, 2012 (HarperTeen)
Source: ARC from the publisher
Rating: Beam-worthy
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After the grand explosion of her relationship, seventeen-year-old Max Scott developed what every girl in the history of the world has been waiting for: a way to get over being dumped. Now Max is the go-to guru for heartbroken high-school girls all over NYC. But when her ex unexpectedly shows up in her neighborhood, Max’s carefully controlled world starts to unravel. With her clients’ hearts hanging in the balance, Max will have to do the seemingly impossible: get over him once and for all.

Brilliant at bringing humor to the trials and tribulations of the lovestruck, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have crafted a tale that will resonate with any girl who has ever been in love or had her heart broken. It brims with smart observations, features a pitch-perfect teen voice, and will attract fans of Jenny Han, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Barnholdt. Readers are sure to fall head-over-heels for this sharp spin on breaking up, making up, and getting even.

My Review

Looking back on Over You, what I remember most is how much I laughed!  Co-authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Klaus have created a fabulously funny story, which threw me at first, considering this book is about getting over a break-up, which is usually a rather traumatic process.  But then again, not every girl has Max Scott to help her through that grieving process!  I was drawn to Max right away, with her take-charge personality, and all her life and spark.  She was the perfect narrator to carry this light-hearted story, that nonetheless managed to touch my heart!

I fell hard for not only Max, but also for the supporting cast of characters.  I could tell that authors Klaus and McLaughlin took time to develop even the minor characters, which I greatly appreciated!  I had to feel for Bridgett and the others that Max helped, and I found myself genuinely liking Ben, Max's love interest.  Max's best friend Zach was a great character, and a good friend to her, and through him, we got to see a few of Max's walls come down.  Max was such a tough character, but at the same time, she was also so obvious to so many things, including several GOOD things that she had right in front of her. 

I enjoyed the plot of Over You - from seeing inside how Max ran her  business (the appropriately titled Ex Inc), to realizing over the course of this novel that Max, for all she was great at giving advice, wasn't paying attention to her own advice.  I was frustrated with her at times for that, especially when her own ex, Hugo, comes back into her life...but that whole storyline showed that even the strongest of us have our weaknesses, and I was glad to see where that arc ended up taking Max.

Over You has its moments of hilarity, but in the end there were also several moments where I felt keenly the friendship between Max and Zach, and the start of something really awesome between Max and Ben.  Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Klaus have written the perfect story for summer - a definite beach read - about heart-ache, healing, and second chances.  Normally this sort of book might have been too fluffy for my taste, but I did enjoy it for what it was.  My only big gripe is that the point of view changed around too suddenly at several points, and I'm hoping this is just something that was edited out of the ARC, because it often didn't make sense why/when it happened, and that kept me from fully getting into Over You.  And there were definitely a few moments where I sort of had to suspend my disbelief at the way things happened or worked out. 

But definitely check this one out if you're looking for a cute, quick read that will make you smile! 

Other books by these authors:

The Nanny Diaries
Between You and Me

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Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill 
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