‘Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters’ by Meredith Zeitlin was yet another awesome read by a supremely talented author. Contemporary realistic fiction is my favorite genre, and Zeitlin is incredibly adept at crafting a world that is chock full of all those annoying irritations that constantly creep up when you’re least expecting (or wanting) them to occur.
Main character Kelsey Finkelstein is understandably miffed at the realization that her freshman year is not going to go just as she planned. At every possible turn that could go one of two possible ways, the more awful way usually pans out. From not getting the position she wants on the soccer team, to crushing on a guy who may just turn out to be not all she’s made him out to be, to having a falling out with a good friend, to being the scapegoat for all of a junior girl’s issues, Kelsey has her work cut out for her as she tries to strike life anew and wipe the proverbial board clean so she can make her mark.
Little help comes in the form of a boy who likes her, yet doesn’t seem to get the hint. When she agrees to go out with him for a concert – as friends, of course – he takes it to mean something else altogether, wreaking more havoc on Kelsey’s already fragile teen life. After what happens on their date, his revelation to her after the fact is all the more startling and aggravating, which only heightens readers’ desire to see Kelsey turn things around and finally do well for herself. There is also some staff photographer from The Reflector, the school newspaper, seemingly following her around and snapping what have to be, in Kelsey’s mind, the worst possible shots of her that could ever be taken. Her run-in with one of the staff reporters, Ben, makes for a nice cycle of events that occur throughout the story as related to Kelsey’s desperation to be done with guys and anything else that is throwing her for a loop.
Bright spots do occur for Kelsey, no matter how dire life may seem for her throughout the novel. She makes friends with one of the new, popular girls. Even though she questions this friendship at times in terms of why Lexi would bother hanging out with her, their friendship is true and a welcome distraction from the angst that Kelsey finds herself in the middle of far too often.
Having already read ‘Sophomore Year Is Greek To Me,’ also by Zeitlin, I can say with utmost certainty that she is now ranked among my favorite authors. Her style is fun, focused, and extraordinarily relatable. I loved the way Kelsey asked questions about almost everything, making her identifiable as any young girl who over-analyzes everything that happens to her. I look forward (with tons of anticipation) to reading more of her young adult novels when she releases them – which will hopefully be very soon!
You can find ‘Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters’ by Meredith Zeitlin here.