(This review will be available on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Soemthing Year Old Girl from the middle of August).


I'd been wanting to read The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg for awhile now. I had found it cheap on Amazon and decided to buy it. Although it was a kind of good book, I wish I had seen if my library had it to borrow.

I don't really need to explain the synopsis in my words because the official one seems to describe what the book is about quite well. If I explain it, I'd just be saying the same thing, but not as good.

The title is a mouthful, but I like it. It's one of the first things that made me want to pick up this book. I do believe that the title fits this book perfectly!

The cover is what caught my eye the most! It is absolutely gorgeous! It's also a scene that appears in the book a few times.

The world building was done quite well, and I loved the setting! I love how when Brie dies, she's transported by bus to a pizza place she frequented quite a bit. There's something about that that I just found funny! There's only one time that I felt confused, but I don't want to say anything due to spoilers. Oh, and one more thing. Brie says her family called her by cheese nicknames due to her name. However, Patrick as well as other people she sees in the afterlife due that as well. However, I just don't think everyone would associate her name with cheese, nor would they be so blatant to tease her about it. Other then that, the world building is easy to imagine.

For about half of the book, the pacing seemed a bit slow to me. In fact, I was thinking about giving up on the book altogether. However, the second half picks up the pacing, and it becomes quite an enjoyable read from there on out..

I've always been interested in plots where someone dies and gets to look at their friends and family. Brie wants to get back at Jacob in the afterlife for breaking her heart. She sees the consequences, and we are left to wonder what Brie will do. We also find out Jacob's big secret which I didn't see coming. I also didn't see the other plot twist. I love being surprised!!

I started off liking Brie. She seemed like a really insecure but nice girl. However, I soon found her to be annoying and mean. I understand wanting revenge on someone who has hurt you, but what she did was really uncalled for. I also found her thought pattern to be really vicious and spiteful. I didn't like how she treated Patrick either. She tries to make amends, but it's just too little, too late for me. I did like Patrick and found him to be a rather sweet and friendly guy. The way he spoke sometimes annoyed me, but overall, he was very likable.

The dialogue was very easy to understand and flowed very well. Like I said, there were times I didn't like the way Patrick spoke, but that wasn't very often. I found it interesting to see how Brie's family and friends carried on without her. There's also some swearing in this book.

Overall, The Catastrophic History of You and Me started out a bit boring, but it got better. It turns out to be a sweet story with a moral to it, I believe.

I'd recommend this book to those age 14 who are looking for a sweet read with a great message attached to it.

I'd give The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg a 3.5 out of 5. ( )

This was cute (:

Obviously not quite as cute as this:


But still, cute.

-full review to come..-

Over & Out, T xx ( )

This was cute (:

Obviously not quite as cute as this:


But still, cute.

-full review to come..-

Over & Out, T xx ( )

The Catastrophic History of You and Me was about Brie whose life ends when her boyfriend breaks up with her, and she literally dies of a broken heart. After her death Brie is now in the afterlife and trying to navigate through it all. She meets Patrick who helps her in the after life, along with some familiar faces. Along with going back to the real world for revenge on Jacob and to help her family, as much as she can, get through her death.

I bought this book on a whim because it sounded interesting and it was only 4 dollars. I'm glad I did. I finished the book in one day, I could not put it down. A beautiful, heartbreaking book that made me feel every emotion. From sadness to love to anger. The writing style of Jess Rothenburg is convincing and beautiful. An amazing first novel and I can't wait for more of her books.

In life we have funerals and wakes for the living, they have never been for the dead. And afterwards we always talk about the five stages of grief that loved ones go through. But this book shows the five stages of grief that the dead may have to go through, an idea I never thought of and will give readers a new perspective on the idea of an afterlife. Beautifully written and an emotional roller coaster that everyone should read.

4.5/5 ( )

Ce livre m'a coupé le souffle. Déja, les personnages sont terriblement réalistes, pleins d'humour et attachants. Ensuite l'histoire vous entraîne sur un terrain auquel vous ne vous attendiez pas. Et la fin, tellement belle que vous n'avez pas envie de refermer le livre. Gros, gros coup de cœur. ( )