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Roomies Sara Zarr Tara Altebrando Books

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Roomies Sara Zarr Tara Altebrando Books

Read on November 11, 2013

Book Info
Kindle Edition, 288 pages
Expected publication: December 24th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ASIN B00CO7FI0E
edition language English
other editions (6)
Source:Netgalley EARC

Book Buy Links
AMAZON
B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

My Thoughts

Elizabeth or EB to her friends and Lauren share one thing in common, they are both looking forward to leaving home to attend college now that they have graduated high school. Their lives are very different as Elizabeth is an only child and Lauren has a houseful of younger siblings that she is helping her parents take care of while working to save for college.

The way the story uses different POV couched in the emails exchanged between EB and Lauren, interactions with their friends and the girl’s innermost thoughts as their summer countdown to start of college provides the reader with unique insight as well as showing that using technology can be a freeing way to share oneself but at the same time not as satisfying as actual physical one on one communication.

The changes both Elizabeth and Lauren go through over the summer include finding out not only do they actually have a lot more in common than they thought at first but that the very differences in their lives give them something to be thankful for, even when they do not feel that way. Having grown up in a household with only one parent and as an only child EB envies the chaotic but love filled home life described by Lauren, while Lauren on the other hand feels at times that she would have been much happier without brothers and sisters.

It always amuses me when people feel that someone else has it better than they do, it is only when they are admitted “behind the scenes” that they understand that it is not always true as appearances can certainly be deceiving!

Those crazy hazy summer days between high school and college are captured perfectly and both Lauren and Elizabeth's perspectives prior to leaving home are captured eloquently as well.

[EArc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review]


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Roomies Sara Zarr Tara Altebrando Books Reviews

Roomies by Tara Altebrando and Sara Zarr gives readers a cute bit of insight as to what life is like during that period between high school and college, when you're anxiously waiting to meet your roommate.

The novel follows Lauren from Jersey and EB from California, who have just received notice that they will be freshman roomies. From their first correspondence with one another, there seems to be hesitation, and all does not appear well. However through continued emails, they begin to form a relationship without having met one another.

While the novel started a bit slow for me, it picked pretty quickly. I enjoyed seeing the development of their connection to one another, as it felt very real--never forced. Cheers to Altebrando and Zarr for seamlessly joining the two girls' sides. The voices were authentic and the two flowed together nicely.

Since I knew my college roomie from high school, I enjoyed reading EB and Lauren's stories. While I liked both main characters and most of the secondary ones, I often felt disconnected to the book, and sometimes reading it seemed like a chore. I really wanted to love Roomies, but it did not capture me liked I hoped, and I felt a little let down. Overall, it's a good book, and I can see why others loved it; it just wasn't for me.
At the end of June Elizabeth from New Jersey and Lauren from San Francisco receive their roommate assignment letters from the University of Berkeley. Elizabeth an only child who lives with her divorced mother immediately sends off an email to Lauren to introduce herself. They begin a friendship though emails that also allows them to be sounding boards where they tell each other things they don't tell their friends in person. If Elizabeth didn't send the first email Lauren probably wouldn't have ever sent it because she is so busy taking care of her 5 younger siblings all under the age of 5 or maybe it's under the age of 7.

The books covers the excitement of preparing to go off to college and being on your own but also the sadness of leaving best friends and family behind and also leaving your first important love behind.. The chapter are labeled San Francisco and New Jersey so we know which girl is speaking. I think this book will speak to a lot of high school girls going through the similar circumstances. I liked the way each girl would sometimes rewrite her email or sometimes hit send without thinking. I also liked it that the whole book wasn't told by email.

I gave this book 3 stars because I think young adult readers will like it but reading it as not a young adult I still had minor quibbles with it.
When a chapter shifts to Lauren and focuses on her being a babysitter for her siblings I lose all in interest in the book too sticky for me. In the first email Elizabeth tells Lauren that her mother will buy either a microwave or mini fridge what does Lauren want to bring? Lauren chooses the microwave because it will be easier to get a cheaper one second hand. and after all she comes from a family of eight and can't ask her mother for any money. It's a major issue to get this microwave and I was almost ready to quit reading. After she gets the microwave from Goodwill we learn she has a checking account and also a saving account and wants to buy her father a backyard gas grill because he is such a good dad and he has to cut his own hair. The girl does too much.
Elizabeth has the "bad" parents. Her mother dates a married man and her father left because he's gay. And her mother said that he only pretended to like football to hide he was gay. He's been a deadbeat dad since he left and lives now in San Francisco. And there is one place where it says Elizabeth lives in Philadelphia not New Jersey but I do think it will appeal to high school readers.

I read the little blurb on that said the authors became friends in 2006 and admired each other's work but I still would like to know more about why they chose to write this book together. The book stands alone but the ending says sequel. Read as a net galley copy.

.
Read on November 11, 2013

Book Info
Edition, 288 pages
Expected publication December 24th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ASIN B00CO7FI0E
edition language English
other editions (6)
SourceNetgalley EARC

Book Buy Links
AMAZON
B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

My Thoughts

Elizabeth or EB to her friends and Lauren share one thing in common, they are both looking forward to leaving home to attend college now that they have graduated high school. Their lives are very different as Elizabeth is an only child and Lauren has a houseful of younger siblings that she is helping her parents take care of while working to save for college.

The way the story uses different POV couched in the emails exchanged between EB and Lauren, interactions with their friends and the girl’s innermost thoughts as their summer countdown to start of college provides the reader with unique insight as well as showing that using technology can be a freeing way to share oneself but at the same time not as satisfying as actual physical one on one communication.

The changes both Elizabeth and Lauren go through over the summer include finding out not only do they actually have a lot more in common than they thought at first but that the very differences in their lives give them something to be thankful for, even when they do not feel that way. Having grown up in a household with only one parent and as an only child EB envies the chaotic but love filled home life described by Lauren, while Lauren on the other hand feels at times that she would have been much happier without brothers and sisters.

It always amuses me when people feel that someone else has it better than they do, it is only when they are admitted “behind the scenes” that they understand that it is not always true as appearances can certainly be deceiving!

Those crazy hazy summer days between high school and college are captured perfectly and both Lauren and Elizabeth's perspectives prior to leaving home are captured eloquently as well.

[EArc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review]