(ARC) Book Review: Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas

Ask Again Later
by Liz Czukas
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Published: March 11th 2014 by Harper Teen
Format Acquired: ARC from publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!)
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.

Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend really be?

Tails: The theater geek...with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart's interests--even if he wants to share all his feelings?

Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all...

Ask Again Later is the kind of book that you'll immediately associate with the word cute. It's the first adjective I thought of when someone asked me for my opinion of the book. You can even tell just by looking at the cover.

I honestly had a hard time getting into the story at first. I liked the characters (with the exception of Heart's brother - he's a douche) because they're all so witty and quirky. Especially Heart. She's kickass if you ask me. It had all the elements that make a cute story but I wasn't so amused at first. Heart just had too much bad luck.

You see, she had two prom dates. No, she didn't juggle two dates at once. For some reason she was able to go to two proms when she flipped a coin to decide which date she'll go with. Same events happened but a little differently based on who she's with. In addition to that, she somehow gets the feeling of deja vu whenever certain events overlap. Towards the end, the story met at one point. I don't quite understand how it happened but it did. It's confusing but as long as you don't over analyze, you're good.

Going back, two prom dates meant twice as much chaos. Something's bound to go wrong on prom night, right? Heart definitely had her share of bad luck... over and over again.  I get that it's part of the coin toss magic but it was too repetitive for me. Some parts were really funny (albeit cringe worthy) that I laughed out loud but some were just meh.

What changed my mind was when the love interest started dropping hints here and there. It was too cute for me to resist. I started enjoying the book more. It's like the guy was the only constant thing between two very different events. It was endearing how they got together. Heart was so clueless that it was frustrating but when she finally allowed herself to break her no dating policy, it was soooooooo cute! (there's that word again)

If you're looking for a fun YA contemporary, then you should definitely read Liz Czukas' Ask Again Later. Some parts were a bit cliche but overall it's undeniably enjoyable.