Laurel Gans is on tour with CLP Blog Tours. I was really curious to read Waitlisted, because the main character is a college student. I was a college student not too many years ago, and my MC in the book I published is the same age, so I thought it would be fun to see her mindset. Kacey Barlow has her well-planned life turned upside down when her college tells her they booted her from the grad school roster. Kacey thought her slot was already confirmed, but with too many students, UI was forced to make some cuts, and Kacey is on that receiving end. Not wanting to disappoint her parents or be embarrassed in front of her friends, Kacey decides she will just have to get into grad school on her own. Problem – she has trouble concentrating on the work she needs to do. Problem – the test she has to take is really hard. And problem – TV shows just keep getting in the way of her studying! Will Kacey be able to make into grad school, or will she be the disappointment of her family?
I was a little on the fence about the book. I enjoyed all the dental talk and could understand Kacey was worried about letting down her family. Gans has a fun and fast way of writing that kept me pulled into the story, even when I wasn’t a huge fan of the main character. That I think speaks highly of the author. My problem with Kacey was that she seemed very lazy and sometimes I wondered if she was compulsive liar. I actually identified with her roommate, Natalie, much more. But even though I didn’t always see eye to eye with Kacey, I wanted to read her story. I wanted her to get into grad school. I was rooting for her – seriously. And I have to say that all rests with the author. I really salute Gans and Waitlisted, and will happily read more of her books. I hope one comes out about Natalie – I really loved her character and would love to read more about her!
[Rating: 3.5]**Everyone who leaves a comment on Laurel’s tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Waitlisted before February 20 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**
More Reviews from Samantha:
Year of the Chick by Romi Moondi
Recession Proof by Kimberly S Lin
Thanks for the review Samantha! I’ve actually thought about writing one from Natalie’s point of view!
I thought the book was brilliantly written. Is Kacey perfect? No…but the idea is that she’s a kid who has some growing up to do. We’ve all been there. I found myself cheering for her through the story. All in all, I loved the book and can’t wait to see what ideas Gans has for us next!!
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Yes! I would love to read it 🙂
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thanks for stopping by! I’ll be looking forward to her next book as well, loved her writing style!