Review: Get Happy by Mary Amato

Release Date: October 28th 2014

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Genre: YA Contemporary

Format: eARC

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

My Rating: 2 Umbrellas

Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

 

In this poignant, realistic, contemporary YA by a state master list star, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Gayle Forman, a young songwriter builds a substitute family with her friends in place of the broken family she grew up with.

A hip high school girl who loves music, writes songs, and is desperate for a ukelele, learns to her shock that her father did not abandon her years ago and has been trying to keep in touch. She begins to investigate him, only to discover that he has a new life with a new family, including the perfect stepdaughter, a girl who Minerva despises.

 

This book is not what I thought it would be. Yes, there’s your typical teenage angst; but the it seems like the music lyrics overrode the whole plot. It’s a very short read to begin with, so to flood the pages with music lyrics and notes, puts a damper on the characters and the story as a whole. I could not find it in me to actually care why Minerva was at the helm of this story to begin with.

Minerva loves music. It’s the love of her so called shattered life. All she wants is a ukelele. She gets a job at Get Happy, a seemingly basic entertainment joint for kids. So, she dresses up in costumes and performs at kids birthday parties. After finding out that her father didn’t actually abandon her, she starts her own little investigation. So she figures out that her step-sister is already someone she despises.

There’s really not much to tell because all of the plot points never get resolved in my opinion. Minerva comes off as a selfish character. There is not one redeemable quality about her, and the pettiness just put me off. I can’t recommend this book to anyone, especially lovers of YA Realistic Fiction. Sure, if you enjoy reading about bitter female leads, then jump right in. Minerva is that girl. The girl who hates that the next girl is living her dream life. This one is a no go for me, sadly.