Sunday, May 31, 2015

Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas Review


"Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.

Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend really be?

Tails: The theater geek...with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart's interests--even if he wants to share all his feelings?

Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all..."



Ask Again Later is YA Contemporary and Romance. It is basically a night of prom gone wild and insane, as if prom has been shot at the moon and somehow managed to diverge its path to shoot for the sun. After being asked to prom by two guys, Heart has a recipe for absolute, clear, loud, and disastrous disaster. (I feel the need to make it redundant to empathize how much of a disaster Heart's prom will be.) 

Heads. Basically, this guy asks Heart out using her own brother as his personal messenger. He is on the rebound, and this jock isn't completely over his ex yet. Clear signs of trouble here, but Heart only wants to take him out only out of respect for her brother. 

Tails. The theater geek purposely asks Heart out, because he has a very, very interesting secret that would tell Heart a lot of things about him. He shares a lot of interests with Heart, and he is a much better fit with Heart, but... his secret. 

The story revolves around Heart's love life. Who is "The One" for her? Is it Heads? Is it Tails? Which way would the coin land? Don't know. The synopsis certainly does make Ask Again Later sound like an incredibly interesting and disastrous book, but the beginning is a letdown. The book starts off slowly, very slowly. The book truly starts on the day of the prom. Because Heart decides to go with both of them to the prom, she has to go from Heads to Tails, Tails to Heads. Back, forth, back, forth. It is a pain in the butt, and the transitions from Heads and Tails aren't very smooth. Now, that is a real downside. 

There aren't a lot of strong parts, but Ask Again Later does get better towards the end. The trunk of a car... Okay, now, this is getting into spoilers-zone. But that is indeed a better part of the book, and everything since that part? Much better than the beginning. So the book does improve with time. It improves as readers follow along. 

Overall, Ask Again Later is a funny and entertaining book. Though the beginning is slow, the best parts of the book and the dialogue almost makes up for it. The romance and the mystery of "The One" is definitely intriguing, but it feels overbearing on the plot. I would recommend Ask Again Later to those who are interested in a guessing game. However, it is clear who would win from the very beginning. 

Rating: Two out of Five

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