Customer Reviews

Prom Anonymous

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this book, it's one of those that leave you wishing for more-what's going to happen to Chloe and Zach? Will Paul learn how to deal with his mental illness and become the man he is meant to be? What about Laura, is she going to confront Mike about his indiscretion at the prom or just leave him to figure it out for himself? And will Ryan turn out to be the Best Boyfriend Ever? And, Rebecca, will she get a chance to wear that fabulous dress again? God, I hope so.
I felt, at the end of this book, as if I'd known-and loved- these girls all my life. I really liked how different they all were and how much they valued each other's traits-Blake Nelson has, once again, captured beautifully the nuances and importance of fully formed relationships that would (should, at any rate)cause the writers of "Friends" to publicly apologize.
This is a lovely, warm, funny and realistic look at how the friendships and conflicts of youth, with all it's trimmings of burgeoning sex, drugs and the dreaded Proms, impacts all of our lives while retaining a sense of perspective-makes me wish I had paid more attention.
In his fifth book, Blake Nelson has proven himself a major voice among novelists-with his wonderful dialogue, rich characters and near perfect sense of humor, he will, in years to come, be among those favorite writers whose books one can never quite bring oneself to donate.
It's so refreshing to read a YA book that doesn't patronize or sermonize but leaves the reader with a great big smile and a sense of communion with the awkward and important issues of maturity. Nice going, Blake. Thank you.

This book details three best friends' very different experiences with a landmark American high school event... the prom. Laura is pstched to go for the second time (her boyfriend of 14 months is a senior so she went last year). Jace is nervous/excited about finding a date and hoping to go with the cute, Californian, tennis-playing Paul. And Chloe... she got "convinced" by Jace and Laura to go to the prom. She's bringing a blind date. How will these three girls' experienes pan out? Read this TOTALLY AMAZINGLY SUPER-COOL book and you will find out!! Side note: This book was just so amazing that I read it in under 24 hours (while still putting in a full day of school)... that's how good it is. I'm so excited because Blake Nelson is coming to my school in FOUR days to talk about it!

Step One: Dates

Laura has a date for the prom, because she and her boyfriend have been together practically forever. Julia, aka Jace, thinks she might have a date for the prom, if she can ever get up the nerve to put a coherent sentence together in front of Paul, the hot new tennis player. Alternachick Chloe has no intention of going to the prom at all until Laura decides that not only will Chloe go to the prom, she will also pre-screen possible dates for Chloe.

Step Two: Prep

Everyone knows you can't just show up at your prom in any old thing. The dress has to be spectacular, and Laura is going to have that spectacular $349 dress even though she's not allowed to spend more than $200. Chloe emerges from a vintage dress shop as Audrey Hepburn. And Jace? Well, she'll worry about the dress when Paul commits to the prom one way or the other.

Step Three: Prom!

More and more, Laura has felt torn between her boyfriend and her oldest friends. Chloe hasn't even met her date (she did talk to him on the phone once), yet she's written 31 poems about him. Paul finally agrees to go with Jace, though he has some serious reservations --- and I'm not talking about the restaurant kind.

There's a lot of fun and fluff in this novel, but there's also a lot in the way of good friendships and sticking up for the people you care about. Romance and family conflict make this more than just a throwaway book, but it's not going to fry your brain either. Recommended for all promgoers, or for those who wouldn't go to their prom even if you paid them.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

GREATEST BOOK EVER!!!!!! OMG I LOVED IT SO MUCH. A MUST READ FOR ALL RTEEN GIRLS! :)IT WAS GREAT FROM THE 1ST PAGE TP THE LAST. THE KIDS IN THIS BOOK ARE AWESOME!

Chloe Thomas is not a prom type of girl, not at all. She idolizes Sylvia Plath. She wears funky, funny clothes - carefully avoiding anything that could be called a style. Her two best friends, Rebecca and Shawnie, are the two most antisocial girls in her class. Chloe wants to be a poet and she believes that living on the fringes of high school society fosters her creativity. So it's easy to see why prom wasn't even on Chloe's horizon - until Laura and Jace got to her.

At one time Laura Truman, Julia `Jace' Torres and Chloe Thomas were known as `The Three Ts.' From grade school through eighth grade they were best friends, inseparable. Then high school came along and Chloe drifted away. But when Laura and Jace tell Chloe they want to reunite the trio for prom, Chloe surprisingly agrees.

Now the girls are heavily into prom planning. First, Laura has to find Chloe a date. Then there's the matter of the perfect dress. And from there, it only gets more complicated. Blake Nelson delivers the perfect prom novel in Prom Anonymous. It's filled with all the humor, drama and over-the-top emotion that characterizes the event itself - and you don't need the perfect dress to read it.

Read prom in one sitting, alot of fun and was laughing out loud through some parts. Some of it was close to the bone and I was blushing in embarrasment but smiling throughout. Not much more you can ask for from a book. The characters are real, are smart and there is something grand and timeless going on behind the situations and comedy. have not yet read paranoid park and heard good things about it but this one deserves a prom reunion!

It's amazing how successfully Blake Nelson captures the thoughts and feelings of your average teenage girls! Not only does he take you inside their minds, but all of his characters are true to life. Nelson's writing style is also very commendable. Loads of times, he had me laughing aloud, even on the train. The language that he uses fits perfectly with the content, and he doesn't overuse slang, like some contemporary writers do. I love how he shows what lies past the stereotypical American high school scene.

(And I promise that I'm not biased because Nelson's married to one of the best English teachers I ever had.)

This was just like my prom. I went with this girl who didn't want to go and she ended up having the BEST time. I liked the other stories too but Chloe's was the funniest. Lots of hilarious parts. Highly recommended.