Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) [Hardcover]

Sarah Mlynowski (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 7, 2011

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I flew through this novel and wished it didn't have to end." --Sara Shepard, author of Pretty Little Liars

"Not just a delicious love story but a deeply textured look at a young woman's quest for self-knowledge. Hilarious, moving an flat-out fun." --New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle

About the Author

Sarah Mlynowski is the author of Gimme a Call and the Magic in Manhattan series, which kicked off with Bras & Broomsticks. She is also the co-author of How to Be Bad and has written several novels for adults. She currently lives in Manhattan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (June 7, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061701246
• ISBN-13: 978-0061701245
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,311 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

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Such a fun book! May 23, 2011

By Sab H. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

It starts off in a The Hangover-like way when April is jolted awake by her police siren ringtone (her dad's) to find a guy (who is not her boyfriend) laying next to her, and a mess of a house (beer cans and chips everywhere) and two barely dressed guys (one wearing a tiara) sprawled and snoring on the couch. And her dad calls to say he's fifteen minutes away as a birthday surprise. Can you tell I was hooked from there? Because I could barely blink.

The writing was easy going and the characters were very likable and fun. I was slightly flinching throughout the whole book from how real everything seemed. I was not a huge fan of the time-hoping bits. April went back and forth between time-frames and it felt a bit disorienting from time to time, but it did fit with the plot quite well, I just felt transitions could have been slightly smoother and clearer. But it worked.

It was unbelievably fun to read. I would laugh out loud from time to time and slap my hand on my forehead on other times too. April made so many understandably stupid decisions, that you just want to reach out and shake her, while knowing you might have done that same thing. Sarah Mlynowski is a genius on realistic teenage portrayal.

Overall, a very sassy tale of things we shouldn't do that ironically make our lives that much enjoyable and cool. A book you should not miss if you love fun contemporary YA.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ten Things We Did September 12, 2011

By Jennifer Rummel - YABookNerd

Format:Hardcover

April doesn't want to move with her father and his wife to Cleveland. She doesn't want to leave her friends. She wants to finish high school in the same school. She can't bear the thought of leaving her boyfriend of two years - especially since they were going to lose their virginity together the very night her father tells her the news.

April and her friend Vi come up with a plan. She'll stay at Vi's house for the year. The only problem- Vi's mother won't be there. She'll be touring with a theater production.

They cover it up with a gigantic lie. Vi pretends to be her mother and over the phone convinces April's father that everything will be just fine and that she'd LOVE having April stay with them.

April's terrified of her father learning the truth. But that doesn't stop her from moving into the basement. April and Vi have the place to themselves and nothing to stop them from living out their wildest dreams.

Will they get caught?

My Thoughts: I love Sarah Mlynowski's books. As usual, I was hooked! I didn't want to stop reading. I loved April and her crazy ideas. I loved watching her get into and out of scrapes. I loved watching her relationships develop and change. I couldn't stop turning the pages! If you haven't read this or any other of Sarah Mlynowski's books - RUN out and get them!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Funny and Endearing Story July 7, 2011

By Narcisse

Format:Hardcover

This book is so much fun! It's funny, it's sad, it's gritty, it's fluffy. It's everything. Seriously.

April's voice is authentic and honest, and her character has depth and is realistic. She's a good girl at heart, but gets into some teenage trouble here and there - some of it minor, some of it less so. She's a great example of an average teenage girl. The supporting characters around her are awesomely done as well, from Vi the adventurous housemate who is perhaps a bad influence, to the crazy neighbor who is always spying on them. And of course there are boys, from moody to goofy to mysterious. Each character has his or her own distinct personality, which really makes them all come to life on the pages.

The plot moves along pretty quickly. It begins with April waking up after a party, with the house destroyed, hungover people passed out in random places, and her father calling to tell her that he's stopping in for a surprise visit. Oh crap, right? It then backs up and tells the story that explains exactly how April got herself into this predicament. Throughout the book, April and Vi get themselves into some interesting situations that will make you laugh some of the time and have you doing mental facepalms on their behalf the rest of the time. And of course, there's a bit of relationship drama, as well. Though they do get themselves into some ridiculous and potentially disastrous circumstances, April and Vi also learn from these things that they probably shouldn't have done, and they grow in the process. Both girls also have some issues, particularly with regards to family and relationships, but their problems do little to darken the mood of the book and the tone is kept mostly light rather than angsty and tormented.

If you love teenage girl shenanigans and hilarity and/or amusing coming of age stories, then you need to read this. It makes for a wonderfully quick (and mostly lighthearted) summer read, as well.