Gimme a Call [Hardcover]

Sarah Mlynowski (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 27, 2010

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?

Fans of Sarah Mlynowski's Magic in Manhattan series will love this hilarious novel with a high-concept premise .

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—Devi, 18, wastes her high school years devoting her time to her boyfriend, Bryan, who breaks up with her. As a result, she loses her girlfriends and only gets accepted to Stulen State (aka Stupid State). By happenstance, she drops her cell phone into a fountain, and, when she retrieves it, the one person she can call is her 14-year-old self, giving her the opportunity to fix her life. With every alteration freshman Devi makes, senior Devi's life changes as well. Temporary consequences include her former best friend trading an eating disorder for a plastic-surgery obsession, and her parents getting divorced. Some decisions bring about good results, like being accepted to Harvard, but with each calamity senior Devi puts more pressure on freshman Devi to fix the future. Mlynowski contrasts the priorities of both Devis, giving them each a distinct presence. Readers will quickly realize that freshman Devi has more poise than her older counterpart. The overbearing senior is fixated on getting into a good college at the expense of running freshman Devi ragged. Meanwhile, younger Devi focuses on adjusting to high school, her crush on Bryan, and being a good friend. In the end, both girls learn to live more balanced lives and that altering destiny isn't worth the hassle of cleaning up the mess it makes. Mlynowski fans will not be disappointed with this blend of chick-lit, light fantasy, and comedic mishaps.—Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

When Devi’s high-school sweetheart breaks up with her right before their senior prom, she is devastated. Not only is she dateless but she is also friendless and relegated to a mediocre college because she has concentrated on her boyfriend instead of academics. Where were her priorities? In a fresh twist on time travel, she contacts her freshman self via cell phone and proceeds to change their future. Of course, one small change leads to others, and both girls begin to wonder about the wisdom of this collaboration. Mlynowski has given herself a complicated, challenging story, and she is particularly effective in conveying the differences in maturity and perspective between a freshman and a senior. The on-again, off-again friendship and college plotlines are a bit less polished. Still, Devi is likable regardless of her age, and the author taps into a universal fantasy: Who hasn’t coveted a do-over in at least some aspect of life? Filled with tech-savvy details, this gives a contemporary feel to a timeless YA dilemma: how to keep friends and academic priorities while cultivating a love life, too. Grades 7-10. --Frances Bradburn

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press; 1 edition (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038573588X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385735889
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,169,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah is the author of both the WHATEVER AFTER and MAGIC IN MANHATTAN series, as well as MILKRUN, FISHBOWL, AS SEEN ON TV, MONKEY BUSINESS, GIMME A CALL, TEN THINGS WE DID (AND PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE) and HOW TO BE BAD (along with E.Lockhart and Lauren Myracle). Sarah's short stories and novellas include A LITTLE BIT BROKEN, A NICE FLING IS HARD TO FIND, KNOW IT ALL and CRUISIN'. Sarah also co-edited the bestselling chick-lit collections GIRLS' NIGHT IN and GIRLS' NIGHT OUT and co-wrote the first ever guide to writing chick lit, SEE JANE WRITE.

Sarah's books have been translated into twenty-one languages and optioned to Hollywood. She was born in Montreal but now lives and writes in New York City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing glass of lemonade May 9, 2010

By Sonia

Format:Hardcover

After wasting four years of high school slacking off with her boyfriend, Devi Banks wishes for a second chance. She never took academics seriously, let old friendships drift away, and didn't get involved with any of the school's extracurriculars. Her boyfriend, Bryan, dumped her before college, so now Devi has nothing meaningful left, except a life at Stulen State College, a.k.a. "Stupid State". Devi desperately wishes to redo the past four years. Her wish is miraculously granted when she accidentally drops her cell phone in the fountain, and now, the only number it can call is her own, three and a half years ago on the first day of freshman year.

Once she gets over her initial incredulity and convinces her younger self what's happening, Devi realizes that she can use this situation to her advantage - the chance of redoing her life that she's been dreaming for is literally sitting in her hands. She now has the ability to tell the younger Devi what to do - after all, what better advisor is there than your future self?

I won an ARC copy of Gimme a Call from a Random Buzzer's giveaway and was anticipating its arrival. Sarah Mlynowski's Magic in Manhattan series was superb, so this book was bound to be good! The sypnosis looked quite original, and when it came, I immediately buried my nose between the pages. This fun novel has a great barrel-ahead momentum, which is refreshing, and like most Sarah Mlynoski books, I finished it in one sitting. It was funny, crazy, sad, and downright entertaining - everything any chicklit novel should be. Yet even with the interesting premise, I felt that this novel had unfulfilled its potential and my expectations.

The author should have elaborated on some of the themes hidden beneath the cheery surface of this book.... The more serious theme of making good decisions is partially smothered beneath the book's fluff, and at the end, I wasn't sure whether the older Devi learns her lesson properly. The two main characters, older Devi and younger Devi, seem like completely different people, even though they are technically the same. Younger Devi is likable, witty, and intelligent, and it seems as if she doesn't need older Devi to help her. Older Devi has a personality that is selfish and boring, and she keeps bossing her younger self around. Throughout the novel, I found myself rooting for the younger Devi, which is quite strange, since older Devi is the same person.

If this novel was a drink, it would be sweet and refreshing lemonade, but a little too watery to make an impression on my taste buds. Any girl who is over the age of eleven will enjoy this quick read. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars If only... June 16, 2010

By Shon VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Have you ever wished you could change your future by correcting a mistake of the past? If so, you're not alone. Meet Devi Banks. She's weeks away from graduating high school and prom is around the corner. It's her senior year and she should be happy, right? Well, she's not.

You see, her boyfriend, Bryan, of three plus years just broke up with her. Technically, they're not broken up yet, but they will be when college starts in the fall. Devi heads to the mall to return a present she just purchased for him prior his decision to end their relationship. Angry, confused and hurt she listens (yet again) to his voice message to her. She begins thinking if only she never met Bryan. If only they never were a couple, then she wouldn't feel so miserable right now. It's at that very moment, Devi accidentally drops her cell phone in the fountain and her life changes.

When she recovers her wet phone, at first glance it appears to be working, however when she tries to dial a number it flashes her number on the screen. Devi soon realizes she's able to talk to her freshman self, days before she meets Bryan.

Devi, as a freshman, is skeptical when she receives her first phone call from Devi, as a senior. After several conversations, she realizes she's speaking to her future self. Too make things less confusing, senior Devi is known as "Ivy" and freshman Devi is known as "Frosh". Ivy is able to persuade Frosh into not agreeing to go out with Bryan when he first asks her out. As a result, Ivy begins to notice changes in her life and begins having Frosh alter other areas as well. Finally, Ivy is free of Bryan and their relationship. But is that a good thing? Or what she truly wants?

Gimme a Call is a fun read.... It brought back high school memories and made me think about what I would have changed in my senior year based on my decisions I made as a freshman. Mlynowski did a fantastic job of setting up the plot and never once confusing the reader. It was entertaining to see how much Ivy altered her life through her conversations with Frosh.

Although Gimme a Call is classified as young adult fiction, I think adults would also enjoy this one. It's a good pick for those lazy, summer days. Fans of Mlynowski's previous novels will not be disappointed. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly entertaining, humorous, and fun read that will leave you flying through the pages June 10, 2010

By Teen Reads

Format:Hardcover

In Sarah Mlynowski's latest young adult novel, GIMME A CALL, 18-year-old Devi Banks thinks she is given a golden opportunity when she has a freak accident with her cell phone. After dropping it into a fountain at the mall, the phone calls only one person --- herself. At age 14. Senior year Devi is in agony over a recent breakup with Bryan, her boyfriend throughout high school. She devoted all her time and energy to him, and after the separation finds herself alone with no friends, no boyfriend, and an acceptance letter to a crummy college nicknamed "Stupid State."

After her phone starts malfunctioning, Devi has to convince both versions of herself about what happened. "Hah --- maybe I did just call my freshman self by accident. Yeah, right. Not possible. My neck begins to tingle again. What is up with that? Maybe I'm not such a good judge about what's possible and what's not. I never thought it possible that Bryan and I would break up. So who knows what's possible? Maybe I did make a wish. Maybe it did come true. Maybe I did call myself in the past. Maybe I can keep calling myself in the past...Maybe I'm losing my mind."

Finally, with some more phone calls between the two Devis, an exchange of information, and a couple of experiments, future Devi gets through to her 14-year-old self that it really is her --- past and future. And now is the time to make changes. First up? Bryan. If she had never dated Bryan, she would've spared herself the heartbreak. "The breakup. The breakup that breaks your heart. That's what I want to save her from. I want to wrap her up in a fuzzy coat of denial and protect her. `You fall in love with the wrong guy,' I say carefully...Don't go out with Bryan Sanderson."

Senior year Devi also has a lot of other requests for her freshman self.... She wants her to overload in extracurricular activities so she can get into a better college. She wants her to study, study, study. She wants her to remain close to her friends and bond more with her parents. But will freshman year Devi listen to senior year Devi? And what happens when her future self becomes a too-demanding control freak?

GIMME A CALL is a highly entertaining, humorous, and fun read that will leave you flying through the pages and glancing curiously at your own cell phone from time to time. The light fantasy and time-traveling elements add a truly unique twist --- not to mention that both the protagonist and antagonist are the same character! Read more ›