Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Review: The Big Crunch

The Big Crunch
Pete Hautman
2011; Scholastic; ISBN 978-0-545-24075-8 (hardcover)

Summary: Imagine a love story without love at first sight or swelling music or eyes meeting across a room.  June and Wes meet when June moves to town.  Used to being a new girl thanks to her father's consultant business, June tries to not get in too deep.  Wes doesn't know what to make of the new girl he can't stop looking at.  It takes a few collisions before June and Wes admit that they're perfect for each other.  At least, perfect for right now.  But as another move looms for June, the couple has to figure out how to keep their love from being crunched.

Pete Hautman crafts an engaging romance in his newest novel.  June's reflections on another town and school offers insightful looks into teen life.  Wes comes across as a teenage Everyman: smart, thoughtful, but still prone to avoidable mistakes.  Their romance slowly builds, giving each character a connection they didn't know they were looking for.  Yet their romance is a realistic one; the novel ends at the moment when June and Wes realize that they may not be together forever.  They both know, however, that this first love will always be a part of them.  Like Wendelin van Draanen's Flipped for middle-school readers, The Big Crunch is a romance that can be enjoyed by older teens of both sexes.

3 comments:

Fourth Musketeer said...

I really enjoyed this one. A teen romance with no zombies, werewolves or vampires that has appeal to both sexes!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed your "short & sweet" review of this book. I read a little about it yesterday and now I think you've pushed me just over the edge to pick it up to read.

Thanks for the recommendation!

Melissa Rabey said...

Fourth Musketeer (great name!): I totally agree. In particular, I really liked that this one could work for both sexes.

Jessica: Thanks for the compliments! I used to do longer reviews, but over the last year or so, I've fallen into doing short & sweet and I think it allows me to do more reviews. I'm really glad the review helped give you the push to keep reading!