Review: Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on February 9, 2012 | 2 Comments


Review: Love and Leftovers by Sarah TregayLove and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
Published by Katherine Tegen (12.27.2011)
Genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 451 pages
Source: Library
Buy on Amazon


4 Stars

My wish is to fall cranium over Converse in dizzy daydream-worthy love.

(If only it were that easy.

Marcie has been dragged away from home for the summer--from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She's left behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "summer vacation" has become permanent. She has to start at a new school, and there she leaves behind her Leftover status when a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know it until you've lost it?

Love & Leftovers is a beautifully written story of one girl's journey navigating family, friends, and love, and a compelling and sexy read that teens will gobble up whole.

My thoughts

I had absolutely no idea that this book was in verse until I read a review for it a week or two ago, and by that time I had already requested it from the library. I’m glad I didn’t know, because I might not have read it. This was my first experience with verse and not something I would have willingly chosen. At first it was a little hard to follow the broken sentences, but when I got used to it I found it so incredibly addictive! There wasn’t really anything exciting happening for most of the book, yet I was still engrossed and I devoured the story almost in one sitting.
 
This story was so cute and the writing was beautiful. Marcie was a great narrator; she was easy to relate to because she was flawed. She makes mistakes and that made her real. I didn’t like her too much about halfway through – she was a bit shallow at times, overly worried about being popular (typical teenager), but mainly because of what she did. To me there is no excuse EVER for cheating and I kinda hated her for it. But, she paid for it and realized how wrong she was, even if it was belated. 
 
Love and Leftovers was bittersweet at times and went over a lot of emotional and physical issues that teenagers and young adults, particularly girls, have to go through. Friends, family, love, divorce, sex, break-ups, cheating. And, with it being in verse, it really spoke in feeling rather than words.
 
quotes
 
That’s how we spent the day
drizzling sarcasm over the truth
dropping bad jokes like f-bombs
dabbing smiles over sad silences
dribbling giggles into quiet corners
dusting each other’s lips with breezy kisses
dripping good-bye tears into Little Bay.
 
I loved the way she conveyed emotion with lyrical writing. Especially this one:
 
I curl up into a ball
to protect my breaking heart.
My ball isn’t small enough.
I curl up into a little ball.
All alone
fat ugly unloved little ball.
All alone
stupid careless selfish little ball.
All alone
crying confused hopeless little bawl.
 
This is about the part I started to not hate her. I know how that feels and it brought me back to my teenage years.
 
And, my  favorite quote:
 
“The male ego bruises easier than an overripe apricot.”
Yesssssss. :)
 
 

assessment

Plot: 3/5
Writing Style: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Completely realistic.
Pace: 5/5
Very fast paced.
Cover: 4/5
I love love LOVE the Chucks being on the cover. :D
 
Overall rating: 4/5 starfish
Jessi (Geo)

Posted in: Book Reviews | Tags: , , , , ,

Subscribe to Novel Heartbeat to get more posts like this!

2 responses to “Review: Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

  1. Great review Jessi!! :) :)

    I didn’t know the book was in verses either :P But I enjoyed it :) And I totally love the qoute you’ve chose! The little ball – I was so sad in this part of the book! I totally love Sarah’s writing :)

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.