A Midsummer's Nightmare Paperback – June 4, 2013

When I read The DUFF a couple of years ago, I really, really liked it, though I didn't expect to because of the title. However, my memory being the mostly useless contraption that it is quickly faded. Jenni of Alluring Reads reviewed The DUFF a few months back and completely panned it. She pretty much loathed the book, and that stunned me. While Jenni and I certainly don't always agree, we often do, and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about A Midsummer's Nightmare. Well, I still don't know for sure about The DUFF, but I loved this one.For one thing, Keplinger writes like a teenager so well. Both here and with The DUFF, I don't think anyone open-minded can deny that she has the lingo and cadence and emotional landscape down. In a lot of books, I mentally age the characters up in my head, because their circumstances (absent parents, not actually attending any high school classes) and way of conversing just do not necessarily seem teenage. In Keplinger's, even though her characters do things I may rather wish a 14 or 17 or any age person wouldn't do, I never feel for a moment like they're not teenagers.To be entirely frank, though, this book did begin with a pretty major disappointment for me. I was convinced that this book was inspired by Shakespeare. For some misguided reason, I even though I had read a synopsis and that it was set around a high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ummm, seriously, what the hell? Where does my brain get this stuff? That's not what it was about at all. I confess. I was VERY wrong. However, that title! It promises Shakespeare, and I wanted it okay.However, A Midsummer's Nightmare did turn out to be inspired by a classic work of fiction, just not the bard's. Actually, Kepliger got some amount of inspiration from Catcher in the Rye, a book I personally really did not like. The connection, while not an incredibly strong one, lies in the mental state of the heroine, who shuts herself off from emotions by making bad life choices. She doesn't see the point in friends, because people are just phonies anyway. I'm quite proud of myself for having picked up on the reference before I read the blurb. Also interesting is that her step-family's last name is Caulfield. Nice one.Roughly the first half of this book really hurts to read. It's a good hurt, the kind John Mellencamp might approve of, a straight punch right to the emotional gut. Whitley makes so many bad choices. She gets completely wasted, hooks up with whatever guy she can find, and avoids any sort of real emotional interaction. In the opening scene, Whitley wakes up on the morning following graduation to discover that she's in someone else's bed, having had sex with some (admittedly quite attractive) guy whose name she does not even know. Worse still, he wants to chat, when she just wants to get the hell out and not talk about it, so she tells him she never, ever wants to see him again, which, conveniently, shouldn't be too hard since he's moving.Her parents, in stereotypical YA style, neglect her. Whitley's mother and father divorced six years previously, and she was glad of that, but her mother never got over it, still ranting and raving about how awful her father is to this day, and her father only spends time with her once a year. Still, she lives for these summers with him. Unsurprisingly, Whitley wants to throw a fit when she discovers that her father has sold his quirky condo by the beach and moved into a suburban monstrosity of boredom. With his new fiancee. And her two children. One of whom is that guy she had sex with the night of graduation. Apparently, his name is Nathan.Whitley has always been called unflattering things for her drunken, boy-seducing ways: slut, skank, easy, whore. That never really bothered her before. In this new small town, with less people to blend into, the label really starts to hurt, particularly when someone she cares about calls her a whore or when she discovers a Facebook group formed to talk about her lewd behavior. Obviously, this is a hugely touchy subject, and I was really concerned about how it would be handled. Thankfully, Keplinger, after setting the stage and delivering a harshly truthful depiction of how cruel teens can be, sends precisely the message that I was hoping for. Since I know these issues can be an automatic DNF for a lot of people, I want to share Nathan's apology for having called Whitley a whore:"'I'm sorry for what I said to you that day.' Nathan's hand slid from my elbow to my wrist. 'It wasn't okay for me to call you a whore. It's not okay for anyone to say that. Not the people online. And definitely not me.'"What Nathan said was not okay, but he owned up, and he stepped up from there on out to make sure that she never lets her think he truly feels that way. When she doubts herself or blames herself for an attempted rape, he reminds her over and over again that it was in no way her fault. Honestly, I loved Nathan. He messed up in anger, yes, but who doesn't? He wasn't violent, and he apologized wholeheartedly, and was completely supportive from that moment onward. Of course, he also happens to be both nerdy and built, so...can I have one? Seriously, he wears shirts that say things like "MAY THE MASS TIMES ACCELERATION BE WITH YOU" or that have the hand sign for live long and prosper. Also, the boy can kiss. Seriously, if you like hot kissing scenes in books, Keplinger has got your back. Just make sure you have some sort of fanning implement handy.Even better, as much as I loved the way that Nathan and Whitley's relationship slowly evolved, that was not the central plot line of the book. A Midsummer's Nightmare focuses more on Whitley overcoming her issues with her parents, and learning to not be so self-destructive. Just for the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with her sleeping around or getting drunk occasionally or being a loner, except that those things did not make her happy. She needed to grow, and, as much as she hated it for a while, being thrown into a different family environment was the shock to her system that she really needed.Keplinger's characterization rocked. Whitley, of course, rocked, confident and broken and funny and bitchy and insecure. However, the others did not take a backseat to her. Nathan, of course, gets quite a bit of development, but I've already talked about him. Bailey, Nathan's younger sister about to start high school, hero worships Whitley. Bailey begins as obnoxious to both Bailey and myself, but grows to be this irresistibly adorable kid. After a rocky start, Whitley does actually help Bailey open up and feel a bit more confident. Also, I have to say how much I loved Whitley's first friend Harrison. He is gay and utterly tenacious, simply determined to make Whitley accept him as a friend. The boy has style and totally has her back, but is also not a stereotype at all. There's a real affection between the two of them that is touching. Even Sylvia, the soon-to-be stepmother gets some good characterization. The only exceptions are Whitley's parents, but that has to do with the plot arc more than anything. Basically, I cared so much for Whitley, Harrison and the Caulfields; I rooted for them so hard.Any book that can make me feel such a full gamut of emotions and leave me grinning like a fool afterwards, in that insane post-book bliss, has earned that five stars.

A Midsummer's Night Dream is my favorite Shakespeare story. When I saw the title for this book, I was immediately intrigued even before I even saw the book cover (shocking right?) or read the synopsis. Thankfully, the book cover was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for that summer story and the synopsis only left me craving more!After constantly fighting, her parents end up divorcing when Whitley is young. Her brother moves far away and starts his own family and her mother moves her and Whitley far away from her old hometown. Whitley acts out my acting out and partying, drinking and even hooking up with random guys. But her mother is still too depressed and bitter about the divorce and she does nothing but bitch about her dad and mope around the house. At a graduation party, Whitley once again has way too much to drink and ends up sleeping with a strange guy. The morning after is awkward and to make matters worse this guy asks her for her phone number and wants to see her again. Whitley turns him down (none too nicely) and flees from his house.Whitley only sees her dad once a year-during the summer and they usually spend them in his bachelor pad/condo, barbecuing, drinking together and hanging out at the beach. Desperate to get away from her mother, Whitley can't wait for to spend this summer with her dad. But her dad has a few surprises for Whitley. Turns out he sold his condo, moved to a city called Hamilton, bought a new house and is engaged. Whitley now has to spend her summer vacation in a new house and live with her future stepmom. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse, she meets her future step-siblings- Bailey and Nathan, the guy she slept with on graduation. Whitley and Nathan decide to forget about what happened between them. Only, Whitley can't seem to forget about that night.Annoyed that her father has barely spent any time with her since she arrived at Hamilton and desperate for his attention, she acts out again. But her father still doesn't pay attention to her, even when some scandalous pictures about her get posted online and everyone in town is spreading rumors about her. Nathan, Bailey, her almost stepmom and her new friend Harrison all try to help Whitley, but it's not their attention she wants. Will anyone be able to save Whitley before it's too late?Although Whitley made a lot of wrong choices and she was mean at times, I felt myself sympathizing her and I couldn't help but love her anyway, and hope that she got her act together. I thought she was a very realistic character, everything from the way she talked and the things she did are closer to what someone her age might do. Beneath that slightly mean girl was someone who just wants to be loved. Nathan was sexy, sweet and nerdy and the perfect person to balance Whitley. Their chemistry was crazy hot and their scenes were funny, sweet, tender and totally swoon-worthy! I was worried that I might be a little bit weirded out by their relationship since they're going to be step-siblings, but I actually had no problem because they're not actually related. Bailey and Harrison were such great secondary characters too! The only thing I felt was missing was that her problems with her mom were left unresolved.A Midsummer's Nightmare was one of my most anticipated reads for this year and I went into it with high hopes. Thankfully, it did not disappoint! I've heard really great things about Kody's other books- The DUFF and Shut Out, and after reading this I must now go add them to my TBR pile. A Midsummer's Nightmare was a fun, sexy read that dealt with some serious issues, which was a nice surprise for me.Cover love: I think this cover is gorgeous, but is it just me or does the girl remind anyone else of Adriana Lima?4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars!Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from A Midsummer's Nightmare:-I nearly fell over at least twice before I was dressed. Judging by the way everything was scattered, we'd had a pretty crazy night.Good for me, I guess.-"You kids have fun," Dad said from the sofa, turning a page in the novel he was reading. "Get to know each other. You're family now."Yeah, I thought. Family who've banged each other.-"Fine," I Said. "Let's make a deal: You throw a party, let me get wasted, and I'll stay at your house that night.""God, Whitley. You're practically auditioning for a starring role on Intervention."-I felt the weight of his words sink into my stomach. He'd wanted something special, someone special. Instead he got me.-"What makes you happy?"That was the million-dollar question. Because I honestly had no idea. Drinking made me happy, but there wasn't a major in alcoholism, to the best of my knowledge.-"I told you. I don't want to be that kind of guy. I don't just want sex, Whit. I want more. I want everything. I want you.""Nathan...""I'm not settling for less, Whitley," he said. "And neither should you."-I kissed him again, so hard this time that he fell backward against the pillow, with me landing on top of him. He wanted me, too. I could tell by the way he kissed me back, his lips parting, his tongue finally sliding next to mine. It sent a surge of excitement rippling through my limbs.-It felt so natural as his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me into him. Like we fit together. It all came so easily. The way his lips found mine, even with both our eyes closed. The way his palm seemed to meld perfectly against my shoulders. Like pieces of a puzzle, and this time I belonged.***Check out my YA book blog to read my reviews and author interviews:Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed

Not going to lie, at first I didn't really enjoy it, I thought that she was so horrible and her negativity was depressing that I almost stopped reading but after a while I understand why she was like that and how she overcame that! I thought this was a great book with a really interesting plot and looked at some really deep issues that many can relate to. Anyway definitely recommend this book

I would give this 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the book. Characters were good. I just felt at times there was too much explaining of feelings and things became quite preachy. Good but not one I'd want to read again.

I really enjoyed this book! I couldn't put it down once I started reading it! The delivery service was brilliant and arrived quicker than estimated. The quality of the book was like new just like they said. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone!:)

Great characters, overall great story, not been this addicted to a book for quite a while. Can't wait to read more :)

A midsummer nightmare is a brilliant read. It was fun, funny and emotional. I balled my eyes out. Along with Kody Keplingers other books, I would definitely recommend this!