Review: The Trouble With Destiny by Lauren Morrill
Title: The Trouble With Destiny
Author: Lauren Morrill
Pages: 272
Publisher: Delacorte
Publish Date: December 8, 2015
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis: It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey...
With her trusty baton and six insanely organized clipboards, drum major Liza Sanders is about to take Destiny by storm—the boat, that is. When Liza discovered that her beloved band was losing funding, she found Destiny, a luxury cruise ship complete with pools, midnight chocolate buffets, and a $25,000 spring break talent show prize.
Liza can’t imagine senior year without the band, and nothing will distract her from achieving victory. She’s therefore not interested when her old camp crush, Lenny, shows up on board, looking shockingly hipster-hot. And she’s especially not interested in Russ, the probably-as-dumb-as-he-is-cute prankster jock whose ex, Demi, happens be Liza’s ex–best friend and leader of the Athenas, a show choir that’s the band’s greatest competition.
But it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After the Destiny breaks down, all of Liza’s best-laid plans start to go awry. Liza likes to think of herself as an expert at almost everything, but when it comes to love, she’s about to find herself lost at sea.
I received this book for free via Trendsetters in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my decision in any way.
Cover: I’ll admit that I was not looking forward to The Trouble With Destiny. The blurb didn’t appeal to me, and I hated the cover. I do not like the cover at all. I haven’t liked it since I first saw it, I still don’t like it after reading it. I find it ugly. It doesn’t work for me. The colors aren’t eye catching, and there’s a bit too much going on with all of the geometric shapes. I don’t like it. This is not the simplicity that I am naturally drawn to.
Characters: Liza was pretty cool, though she does have an unhealthy obsession with Demi and besting her. All of her actions pertained to two people, Lenny or Demi. It was like she couldn’t think for herself when they were in the room. Other than that it was great to be inside of Liza’s head. Her thought process was interesting, and she got herself into crazy situations. She was funny, and I really understood the stress she was put through. Her character was very well written.
Huck was weird.
I loved the character, Sophia. I felt as if she added exactly what this novel needed, an old women to step in and help keep the peace. She gave amazing advice and was just an amazing person in general. She was funny and kept the mood lighthearted even when everything was looking down.
Plot: I’ve been growing on these lighthearted, contemporary novels. They are just what I need in my life when everything is getting stressful. The blurb was a bit confusing. I thought they were supposed to get stranded at sea, but they didn’t so I have no idea how I came up with that. I guess that’s what comes to mind when I read a story set on a boat. The plot was good. There was a plot twist that I never saw coming. I kind of wish it wouldn’t happen but oh well. It was interesting. I’ve never read a book about a band geek before except for Paper Towns but that doesn’t really count.
Ending: I totally saw it coming. I’m just awesome at guessing endings. I ruin the surprise. Want to know who likes Liza? It’s………… you really think I’m going to tell you? Read the book silly! It was a nice, if cheesy, ending. Everything works itself out. There should have been some drama for a sequel. Like everyone’s stranded in the middle of the ocean trying to survive with only instruments. That’d be a cool read lol.
Overall: Surprising, I liked The Trouble With Destiny. It was very light hearted with some humor thrown in. Also, it was a quick read. I didn’t have high hopes, but it exceeded my expectations. Maybe I shouldn’t judge books based on the covers. (Not gonna happen because I’m a #BasicBookBlogger.)
About the Author
Lauren Elizabeth Morrill is many things, including, but not limited to, a writer, an educator, a badass roller derby skater, a former band nerd, an aggressive driver, and a die-hard Mac person. She also watches a lot of TV, eats a lot of junk food, and drinks a lot of Coke. It's a wonder her brain and teeth haven't rotted out of her head.
Lauren is the author of Meant to Be, Being Sloane Jacobs, The Trouble With Destiny, and the forthcoming My Unscripted Life (October 2016), all from Random House.
2 Comments
Great review! Sometimes a lighthearted read is just what one needs to de-stress at the end of the day. I try to read one after I read a really heavy or emotional book to balance out my soul.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's always nice to mix things up. I've been attracted to more and more of these contemporary novels since I need a break from sci-fi. They're just really nice and great de-stressers after school work.
DeleteThanks for the comment!
-Kayl