Reivew: The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando

Title: The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life
Author: Tara Altebrando
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publishing Date: July 5th 2012
Pages: 239
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction 
Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audio

  

An all-day scavenger hunt in the name of eternal small-town glory

With only a week until graduation, there's one last thing Mary and her friends must do together: participate in the Oyster Point High Official Unofficial Senior Week Scavenger Hunt. And Mary is determined to win.

Mary lost her spot at Georgetown to self-professed "it" bully Jake Barbone, and she's not about to lose again. But everyone is racing for the finish line with complicated motives, and the team's all-night adventure becomes all-night drama as shifting alliances, flared tempers, and crushing crushes take over. As the items and points pile up, Mary and her team must reinvent their strategy--and themselves--in order to win.  

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. Everything from the title to the cover to the book blurb just sounded so cute, and it was very very cute. I really enjoyed this book. It was fun from page one, with just a tad bit of heavy issues, loads of teenage drama, a smidge of romance, bunch of laughs, and tons of adventure, this story was a blast. 

It's the end of senior year and before they all say goodbye four friends decide to join the annual senior scavenger hunt. (so awesome) The scavenger hunt has two parts and lasts all day and night. With lots of competition, it is Mary's biggest desire (at the moment) to win the hunt, the prize, and hopefully the boy. Along the way the hunt no longer becomes just for fun and Mary learns a bit about friends, boys, and family.

I loved it! This book was so much fun. There wasn't a moment I wasn't lost in the story, filled with excitement, and crossing my fingers for the outcome I wanted.  The writing and the characters are what made this book great. There was nothing special about the setting, it was your average small town, average high school, average family... but the writing made it all feel so real. (even the unbelievable parts) The story was fast paced and the writing had the perfect flow to keep the story going along with the speed of the hunt. 

Mary was an OK character at the very beginning. Typical high school girl who wasn't popular but was not an outcast. She had her group of friends and she never stood out, for the good or the bad. Her friends were definitely a goofy crowd. Her best friend, Patrick, is the geek of the crowd and won my heart. He was annoying at times but he did have a little bit of an excuse. Dez is just fun, he brings so much flair to the group. Winter is the pretty girl, the fun one, the one that seems to always be put together. Together they make quite a group of friends. They all have their own dynamics with each other and all get along very well, for the  most part. They find the good and the bad while on this crazy ride. 

The hunt was crazy filled with simple finds all the way to very complicated tasks. Mary gives it everything she has to win. She is determined and in the end she believes winning is all that matters. What she learns along the way is family is good, friends are the best, boys are dumb, life is more than High School, and she doesn't want to say good-bye. 

This book was well worth the time to read. I  had lots of fun and it was a great pick me up book and a great light, funny, fast read. If you are looking for a break in those dark and devastating  reads or if you just like to laugh, give this book a go.