Blog Tour Review: A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

Welcome to the blog tour for A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody! I read this book several weeks ago, and I absolutely loved it. Today I am sharing my review!

A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Publication Date: August 2, 2016

Rating: 4 stars

Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

When I made the wish, I just wanted a do-over. Another chance to make things right. I never, in a million years, thought it might actually come true... 

Sixteen-year-old Ellison Sparks is having a serious case of the Mondays. She gets a ticket for running a red light, she manages to take the world’s worst school picture, she bombs softball try-outs and her class election speech (note to self: never trust a cheerleader when she swears there are no nuts in her bake-sale banana bread), and to top it all off, Tristan, her gorgeous rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her. For no good reason!

As far as Mondays go, it doesn’t get much worse than this. And Ellie is positive that if she could just do it all over again, she would get it right. So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her. But it seems no matter how many do-overs she gets or how hard Ellie tries to repair her relationship, Tristan always seems bent set on ending it. Will Ellie ever figure out how to fix this broken day? Or will she be stuck in this nightmare of a Monday forever?

From the author 52 Reasons to Hate My Father and The Unremembered trilogy comes a hilarious and heartwarming story about second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances. Because sometimes it takes a whole week of Mondays to figure out what you really want.

What I Liked:

I've read one book by Brody - 52 Reasons To Hate My Father - and I really liked it. So I was looking forward to reading this new contemporary by Brody, especially when I saw that it had an interesting twist to it. Experiencing Monday over and over? That sucks! Until Ellie gets it right.

Ellie had a really bad Monday - she runs a red light, she forgets an umbrella, her election speech goes terribly, and her boyfriend breaks up with her. She just wants a do-over, and surprise! She wakes up the next day and it's still Monday. She does not realize it at first, but it becomes clear that she is stuck on Monday again, and it's just her that is experiencing this. But day after day, Monday after Monday, Ellie's boyfriend still breaks up with her. And the next day is still Monday. Will she be stuck experiencing this Monday, or will she get it right?

Brody definitely knows how to write a wonderful contemporary novel! Light and cute, this story was well-developed and intriguing, deceptively long though it read very quickly. I was eagerly turning pages, trying to figure out why Ellie kept experiencing her terrible Monday.

Ellie is a overachieving student, who is on the student government, will be on the softball team, has top grades and hard classes, and revels in her busy academic and social life. You can tell she's a dedicated student, as well as girlfriend. I liked Ellie a lot! She's in denial when Tristan breaks up with her, because he doesn't give a good reason as to why. As much as I didn't like Tristan, I liked how hard Ellie fought for her boyfriend. 

Each Monday that Ellie experienced was very different from the first. The original, first Monday was awful. The second Monday was confusing. The Mondays after those were different, each crazier than the previous. Ellie grows a lot during and after each Monday. While this book takes place in just seven days, Ellie matures a great deal after each day. It's like she isn't allowed to go to Tuesday until she gets it right. 

I already mentioned that I didn't like Tristan, and it's hard to like him. He's a secondary character, with a role that seems important to the story. But it's clear that he isn't as important as we think, because he doesn't have a ton of depth. The male character that DOES have good depth...

Owen. Owen is Ellie's best friend since middle school. Ellie picks him up in the morning to go to school every morning, which is where we see most of their interactions. Owen is the first and only person that Ellie tells about her repeating Monday situation. I liked him a lot - he's a little strange and quirky, but he's a perfect friend and a sweet guy. And (spoiler) a great love interest.

As we know from the synopsis, Tristan keeps breaking up with Ellie. But for the entire book, she's trying to get him to stay with her. But you can tell, as the book goes on, that she becomes less interested in Tristan and his antics. And she starts to realize that she has feelings for her best friend. I didn't see this as a love triangle, but that's subjective. 

The ending is pretty great! I liked seeing Ellie's growth, in her academic life, her personal life, and her familial life. I especially like the romance in the end. But this contemporary novel had it all! Such a great story with positive relationships and a cute romance.

What I Did Not Like:

I wanted more Owen time and less I-need-to-stop-Tristan-from-breaking-up-with-me time. Not that what was written was bad! But I wanted more with Owen. Oweeeeen!

Would I Recommend It:

If you like cute contemporary, this is a great one! Jessica Brody seems to write some great stories, contemporary especially. I recommend this one, or 52 Reasons to Hate My Father!

Rating:

4 stars. This one was a long one, but a good one! It's as light and feel-good as you think it might be. I might not be in high school anymore, but I really connected with Ellie and her struggles, and I loved seeing her grow. Here's to Mondays!

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About the Author:

Jessica Brody is the author of several popular books for teens, including the Unremembered trilogy, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and The Karma Club, as well as two adult novels. She splits her time between California and Colorado. Find out more at jessicabrody.com.

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