Book Review: Awkward

Title: Awkward by Marni Bates

Release Date: Jan 1, 2012
Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 300 pages
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary: Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she's the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous - not to mention unwelcome - attempt at CPR. Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that's when life gets really interesting...

One of my bookish resolutions for this year is to read more contemporary books and I’m so happy I started with Awkward. This book is funny, sweet and highly entertaining. In other words, it's my type of contemporary YA book.

Mackenzie is a girl with issues. Her father cheated on her mother when Mackenzie was a kid and she blames herself for the divorce and her dad’s subsequent abandonment. As a result, she does not trust men, rely on anyone or allow others to pay her way. Ever. Because of an embarrassing and traumatic childhood incident, Mackenzie goes through great lengths to not attract attention in school, to be invisible. 

Mackenzie’s character is, as the title of the book implies, very awkward but she is also very funny. She does not really filter her thoughts, says whatever comes to mind and when she gets nervous, she babbles random facts. Her faux pas are cringe worthy and funny at the same time, especially the entire incident that gets her on YouTube.

While fame propels Mackenzie into unfamiliar situations, she tries to handle them with grace and sometimes fails (with hilarious results) but that’s a part of the beauty of this book. I love that Mackenzie is a smart girl that prioritizes her grades and her relationship with her family and friends even after she becomes famous. 

While Awkward is about an ordinary girl who sky rockets to fame overnight, it’s also about self-esteem, perception and about Mackenzie getting over her hang-ups stemming from her father leaving the family. There is also a sweet, well developed romance in the book that I absolutely love. 

While I thought some of the secondary characters, especially Mackenzie’s friend Corey, were a bit cliché, it did not take away from the story. Awkward is a funny and modern contemporary romance that will appeal to both teens and adults. While the book appears to be a standalone novel, Invisible, a book set in the same world as Awkward is scheduled to be released next year. I’m looking forward to it.

Content: Mild profanity, kissing and underage drinking.

My Rating: Really Good!

Book deal alert! Awkward (ebook format) is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble for $2.99. Get it quick before the price goes back up!