SAVE THE DATE, by Morgan Matson, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, June 5, 2018, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)
Save the Date, by Morgan Matson, has been sitting on my “write review” shelf for almost three months. Why so long? Save the Date is the book I started as my mom entered palliative care, and it’s the book I finished after the funeral.
Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.
The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.
Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future. — Synopsis provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Save the Date, as silly as it sounds, became my escape every time I opened it. Finally reviewing it feels as if I’ve come full circle. And while the book will never hold a spot on my Top 10 list, it will always hold a special place in my heart.
If by reading the synopsis you think that Save the Date sounds like a Netflix movie, you’d be correct. It has all the elements of those romcoms we all love to quietly binge watch. Charlie is the peppy, smart and adorably clueless protagonist you’d expect her to be. There’s slapstick humor and heartfelt moments throughout.
Morgan Matson’s forte is setting a scene. It really is a cinematic experience as you read. I even found myself “casting” characters as they made their entrances.
Save the Date is lots of fun. It’s quick and lighthearted and worth reading if you have the time.
