Think John Hughes on paper

Title and author: Ditched: A Love Story By Robin Mellom

Date: January 10, 2012

ISBN: 9781423143383

Source: NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.

Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first.

Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.

Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom. 

And then ditched her.

Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together — stain by stain on her thrift-store dress — exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car...

But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.

Filled with humor, charm, and romance, Ditched: A Love Story by debut novelist Robin Mellom will have readers dreaming of love on their own prom nights.

My Thoughts:   

This is one of my favorite reads of this year. It is clever, it is fun, and it is a stroll down memory lane. Think Pretty in Pink meets The Hangover meets Say Anything. This novel is a true page turner. Readers will find themselves captivated by the events as well as a bit grateful that their own prom nights did not end up like this one. Or did it? 

Justina is a delightful character. She wants one thing – to be herself. Okay, she wants more than that. A side of Ian would be lovely, but when she wakes in a ditch and begins to piece together the pieces of prom night, Ian may no longer be an option. 

Ditched contains a cast of likable characters. From Ian to the ladies in the convenience store and even the characters readers are meant to despise will find a place in your heart because all of them fill a void in the night, a void in the reader’s mind, a void that will be pieced together page by page.

The strength in this novel lies with the plot development. Mellom is skillful in her weaving of this story. The pacing is lovely, and it did not lull in a single spot. All moments revealed in the novel were a necessity for the satisfying conclusion to this modern brat-pack tale. 

Moments of triumph, of heartache, of laughter, of reminiscence are packaged between the pages. The most valuable lesson readers will walk away with at the novel’s end? Never listen to your mom when it comes to color coordinating for prom.

A great, wholesome read for teens and lovers of YA, Ditched must be added to your “I must read this” pile. It is worth every single page.