I read this book on a Disneyland trip when I was finally given a chance to rest. I really liked this book. It reminded me a lot of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, only better. I was interested in it from start to finish, and there was really never a dull moment. The story follows four friends who decide not to go off to college and, instead, set out to follow their dreams. Sophie goes to California to attempt to become an actress. Harper stays home while she tries to write the next great novel. Kate travels Europe to try and find what her dream really is, and Becca goes to college to ski for a college team. Following these four friends lives as they attempt to follow their dreams is often hilarious and definitely entertaining.
Reviewed by Emylee for TeensReadToo.com
Harper Waddle, Sophie Bush, Kate Foster, and Becca Winsberg, four best friends who bonded in middle school during a fateful trip to the bathroom, have reached a pivotal moment in their lives. The summer after their high school graduation leaves them ready to pursue their much anticipated futures; Becca, a spot on the coveted Middlebury College ski team; Harper, an acceptance into her dream school, NYU; Kate, a future at Harvard with her beloved boyfriend; and poor Sophie, stuck at home attending community college. Unfortunately, none of their plans really coincide with each other.
Harper, however, is living with a big secret. One so big that it causes her to ditch her college plans in pursuit of her "dream." This act of liberation starts a whirlwind of commotion during the last few days of the girls' summer, and by the start of the new school year, only Becca has stayed true to her original plans. Fueled with ambition, daring Sophie leaves their small town of Boulder in hope of hitting it big in Los Angeles, impeccable Kate forsakes Harvard for Europe, and Harper is determined to write the next "Great American Novel."
Now separated by state lines and oceans, and linked only by letters, lists, and the occasional telephone call, Harper, Sophie, Kate, and Becca are left to discover what growing up is all about, reminiscent of THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS trilogy.
BASS ACKWARDS AND BELLY UP is a humorous tale about the path to maturity, narrated from each girl's own particular journey, and illustrates the sometimes haphazard route one follows in pursuit of a dream.
