The Date to Save by Stephanie Kate Strohm

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The word is out…

Brooks Mandeville, quarterback: Friday is the homecoming game and dance. It is a very big deal.

Natalie Wagner, marching band clarinet: Our band’s halftime show performances are legendary, even if our football team isn’t.

Cinthia Alvarez, Academic Battle team member: Our Academic Battle team has won five years in a row. This Friday, it’ll be six.

Tanner Ericksen, sophomore class candidate for vice president: Holly has to win the election for class president this Friday!

Holly Carpenter, cheerleader, Academic Battle team member, class president candidate: Friday? Everything is on Friday? How can I be in three places at once?

Colin von Kohorn, editor-in-chief of the Prepster: This kind of scheduling incompetence could only have come straight from the top.

Angelica Hutcherson, reporter-at-large: I talked to everyone and my article is going to crack this story wide open…

This is what happens on the wildest day in the history of high school, as told by the people who survived it!

If you’re ever looking for a book that will leave you with just the biggest smile and giddiest feeling when you close the book for the final time, look no further.

Strohm has easily become one of my favorite contemporary authors. She forever brings the funnies, the heart, and so many likeable characters. I forever will be enthralled with this two little book series that not only takes a supremely cool twist on a book format but brings highly memorable characters and just the happiest feeling.

Technically, you can read this as a standalone, but in order to get the most impact – and just because I really want you to read the first book – I do recommend picking up the first one. You will get to truly appreciate the surprise appearances and cameos of our first book characters and also get the little inside jokes that were just amazing. I felt like I was a little miner with a hot pink pick axe picking for gold each time they appeared, and I give so much kudos to Strohm.

Lol, omg, this book has reduced me to little mining references now?? Dear gosh, help us all.

As I said, there are still a few characters from the first book, but we have pretty much a whole new cast and they were amazing. Angelica was good, but to be honest, the side characters really shown for me. I loved Colin, Becca, Tanner E., Holly, Bash, Cinthia, Natalie, Principal Patel, just everyoneeeeeeeeeeeee. Ben was a swoonboat. Every little random side person that would appear was just amazing. I can’t even begin to explain, but just know that Strohm is a queen of coming up with the comical side character. It’s hard to even come up with a favorite, but I honestly think Colin might be it??? He had an overreacting arc and he was just so fleshed out and HILARIOUS. I loved him.

Ariel might just cry because of all the fluff she sees.

As I said, Angelica was good, and I did enjoy her voice. However, to be honest, I didn’t quite connect with her as much as I wanted to which I did take half a crown off for. However, I still thought she was great. She kicked butt, and she was smart, stuck to her love of words, and you felt for her always being overshadowed by the swoonboat of her brother (it’s okay to say swoonboat since he was the love interest in the first book, and I’m not just casually falling in love with main character’s brothers now or anything). But she was still a great main character and I loved going her journey with it, but I did want a bit more from her.

The storyline was great as well. I did take that other half a crown for the beginning part, because I didn’t think it went together as well as the first one did? I always knew where that one was going, but it did take a while for this one to pick up where it wanted to go and how it got there. Once everything was found out, it was brilliant and it was amazing and it was just so much fun. FUN I DARESAY. Funnies were being had and comic genius was implemented while being totally heartwarming at the same time.

The romance was adorable as always. Just fluffs upon fluffs. SO MUCH FLUFF.

Overall, this was a wonderful follow up to a fantastic first book. It had the same heart, hilarious moments, and feeling of being lighter than the fluff it was giving me. There were two minor things that left me missing a little something, but it was still such a great read. This little two book series will definitely go down as one of the greatest in YA contemporary for me, and if you’re looking to start off summer right, please pick this up! 4 crowns and an Ariel rating!

What do you think? What books bring all the fluff for you? Have you read this series yet? Let’s discuss in the comments below!