Review: The Ivy by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur

Title: The Ivy
Author: Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur

Genre: YA fiction

Publishing Information: August 31, 2010 by Greenwillow Books

Where I got it: E-book library

One sentence: Freshman year at Harvard is a whole new ball game for California girl Callie Andrews.

Themes: Romance, college, parties, secret societies, secrets, drama

Main character: 4/5

I liked Callie immediately because I could relate to her. She made mistakes, she acted unwisely, she was a bad person sometimes; but it was all incredibly realistic. I enjoyed how Callie changed throughout the book; sometimes for the worse, but I think it was reasonable. The only thing that I would have liked to see is more character development on her part, sooner.

Secondary characters: 4/5

The roommates were extremely interesting and funny. I enjoyed Mimi and Vanessa in particular because they were both strong, witty and flawed, but lovable. Dana was definitely one-sided and a weak point in the novel- I feel like the authors used her as a critique of extremely religious people, which was unfair. I liked the fact that I didn’t hate almost any character except Lexi, because you don’t normally hate people in real life, you just dislike decisions or parts of their personality. Gregory was definitely my favorite- ultra sexy!

Writing style: 4.5/5

I loved the mixed media component of the writing, especially the yearbook comments at the beginning; they were a clever way to introduce us to the cast of characters. The first couple chapters were a little front loaded with information, but after that, the writing pace picked up and carried on at a good clip, which made it a fast read.

Plot: 4/5

I love the fact that this is about college-life. I really feel like there is a deficiency in YA fiction of good, college-age novels. While most of the conflict was nothing new, it was entertaining and I loved the secret society aspect brought in by the authors. I know some reviewers found that the party scenes were over-the-top, but as a current college student, I found them to be extremely realistic.

Ending: 2/5

Ugh, another book falls into the trap of ending on a cliffhanger because it’s in a series. I was even more frustrated because I was on a roll reading and really getting into it. Also, poor Callie at the end! Everything is going so wrong, which made me sad after I finished.

Best scene: Where the gang gets high. Seriously, the silliest scene ever.

Positives: Strong characters, interesting and fun plot, writing style

Negatives: The ending!, predictability,

First Line: Dearest Froshlings: peons and future leaders of America, Move-in day is officially here, and the upperclassmen cannot wait to welcome you to Harvard: our humble abode.

Cover: Very simple, but the red ivy draws the eye and fits so well with the title.

Verdict: I really loved this entertaining college coming-of-age story

Rating: 8.1 / 10