A new life is just a phone call away!

Devi’s life isn’t turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn’t join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.

Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn’t some wacko—she realizes that she’s been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she’s already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self?

Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything?–From Goodreads

I first learned about Sarah Mlynowki’s newest book, Gimme a Call, when my Twitter feed filled up with people writing notes to their high school selves. Young adult authors and book bloggers alike were relaying some hilarious and heart-wrenching advice. You can see some of my favorites here: #Gimmeacall.

I knew right away that this is the kind of book I would enjoy. I used to watch Early Edition all the time, a show about a guy named Gary who gets tomorrow’s newspaper today. Gary is constantly plagued by the burdens of the future, wanting to fix all the bad things he knows are going to happen. With each change he makes, the newspaper changes as well. Of course, sometimes the change is for the better, but other times Gary only manages to make thing worse, or discovers that no matter what you do, some things will turn out just the same. I’m always fascinated by people’s ideas about what they would do if they knew how the future was going to turn out, or how they would live their lives if they had the chance to do everything over again.

Mlynowski’s book explores many of the same ideas. When Devi discovers that she can make calls back to her younger self, she instinctively wants to fix everything that has gone wrong. Ultimately, though, she comes to realize that she is best off letting her past self make her own choices. Mlynowski’s writing is true to the teen voice. The book is at times hilarious, and at others melodramatic, but no more so than the average adolescent experience. I loved the premise of Gimme a Call from the beginning, and was satisfied with the twists and turns the book took all the way up until its surprise ending. I think everyone stops to consider the path their life has taken and wonders what if…but if you haven’t, this book is sure to get you thinking.

Giveaway Details

Now that I am done reading Gimme a Call, I would like to pass it along to someone else. To enter this contest, simply leave a comment telling me one thing you wish you could tell yourself when you were younger. One randomly chosen commenter will win a hardcover copy of the book. The deadline for entering this contest is June 1 at 12:01 AM.

Please note that this giveaway is U.S. only and you must be 13 or older to enter. Make sure you leave an email address or blog link for me to contact you if you win. While you do not have to be a member or subscriber to win this contest, I would encourage you to do so in order to get information about some other upcoming giveaways.

Filed under: Book Review, Contest