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4.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST LAID PLANS OF....., July 28, 2009
We all know what can happen to "best laid plans", and that surely happened to the carefully structured goals of Ryden Malby. It's not that she didn't deserve for those plans to work out - they just didn't.
She worked so very hard in high school, keeping her eye on the prize - a generous college scholarship. That she got. She also towed the line in college (well, pretty much), and graduated Now, is the great reward, what she's been working toward - finding a nice apartment and geting the job she's always wanted, editorial assistant at a top publishing house.
Whoa, lucky streak just ran out despite her efforts. The job goes to a college rival who also happens to be good looking, and smart. What to do? No choice but to move back home. And, while home may have been where the heart was, it's different now that she's a young adult and sharing space with a really eccentric family which includes a penny pinching Mom, a strange younger brother and a grandmother who makes us laugh but embarrasses Ryden.
There is good friend, Adam, and a really cute next door neighbor. Thank goodness for those distractions as her stack of job application rejections is mounting.
This is a story obviously geared for young adults, and delightfully read by Llyana Kadushin. The film version starring Alexis Bledel with Carol Burnett and Michael Keaton is due out on August 21, 2009. Enjoy!
- Gail Cooke
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Cute Read!, February 26, 2010
This review is from: Post Grad (Paperback)
Post Grad opens up on the eve before Ryden Malby's college graduation, where Ryden and her best friend, Adam, are playing a typical game of "Who would you rather be?" Ryden is anything but nervous about her upcoming graduation, since she has an amazing, if she must say so herself, plan for the future.
First, do a great job in high school. Then, get a fantastic scholarship so she doesn't bankrupt her parents. Next, don't do anything appalling to lose said scholarship. Finally, graduate and get a sweet job at a publishing house in Los Angeles; Happerman & Browning, to be exact.
As the weeks go on, Ryden still doesn't have a job at Happerman & Browning, well, make that at any publishing house. She loses her chance at having a cute little apartment. And last but not least, she has to move back in with her parents. They are crazy people and she's always tried to distance herself from them. Ryden wonders if life will ever be the way she wants it to be.
To be truthful, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this novel. A sweet quick novel, yes, but not the addicting read that it turned out to be. It had me constantly flipping the pages, laughing at Malby's quirks and wondering what would happen next. The whole Malby family and Adam, of course, were a great set of well rounded characters. I especially liked Ryden because we are both similar in our overachieving ways. Though, the plot was predictable at times, it threw a few twists that I didn't see coming. Overall, Post Grad is a great read for the summer. I look forward to seeing the movie adaption of this, which comes out this summer, as well as reading more by Ms. Cassel.
Grade: B+
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Hope the movie is better., June 25, 2009
This review is from: Post Grad (Paperback)
I had the book on my wishlist before I knew it was going to be a movie too. I decided to read it and if I liked it enough, I'd see the movie. Well, it was way shorter than I expected it to be. There wasn't much developement of the characters in my opinion. The whole book sort of flew by quickly and I wish there was more substance to it. Perhaps the movie will have that... or not. Either way I'll still see the movie because I'm a fan of Alexis Bledel.
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