Bass Ackwards & Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain Book Review

Bass Ackwards & Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
(Paperback, Little Brown)
Rating:

Summer after high school graduation. Four friends college-bound. Until one makes a shocking announcement. In less than a week, three of the four have decided not to go to college and all four are pursuing their dreams. Bass Ackwards & Belly Up is told from the point of view of four girls who decide that college isn't necessarily the best place for them to be. Harper decides to live in her parent's basement and write the great American novel. Kate doesn't know what she wants, but she's going to travel to Europe to see if she can find it. Sophie heads to Hollywood to be an actress. Becca decides that college is exactly where she wants to be, especially because she has a place on the ski team with a world famous coach.

At first, it was hard for me to follow the different stories. I kept getting the girls mixed up. But after awhile, the narratives were easier to follow because each girl was so different. I really liked the premise of the book - that college isn't necessarily the best place to go right after high school. The four girls head in opposite directions of the country (and the world), but they stay in touch and continue to help each other pursue their dreams. The ending of the book was a bit unsatisfying. The only girl that had found her dream was Becca, the one who went to college. The other three girls definitely learned valuable lessons, but they hadn't gotten where they wanted to be yet. Kind of frustrating. But hopefully that will be rectified in the sequel, Footfree and Fancyloose, due out in April. One other small thing that bothered me - the cover only has three girls on it even though the book is clearly about four.