Review: Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Title: Epic Fail

Author: Claire LaZebnik

Publisher:  HarperTeen

Publication Date: 8.2.2011

Pages: 288

Genre: Contemporary, Remake

Series: No

Source: Purchased from Amazon.com

Rating: B+

Summary (from Goodreads):

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Review:

Finally, a reworking of Pride and Prejudice that would make Jane Austen proud! Claire LaZebnik created a vibrant cast, took Austen’s original novel, but then made the concept her own with a great modern twist. The ending result is fabulous and total entertainment.

I cannot get over how much I fell for Elise and Derek. Something about their connection simply jumped off the pages and grabbed me. Elise was simply awesome. She’s the type of girl I would have loved hanging out with in high school. And yes, while Derek is a bit standoffish and hard to read at times, that mystery only adds to his appeal. Their scenes together were a big part of what kept me reading—I could not wait to get to their next interaction.

If I find fault in anything about this novel it’s the way it sort of fizzled at the end. I felt like it dragged on a chapter or two more than necessary. I’m not sure what, if any, purpose the last few chapters added to the story. I thought maybe something else would happen, but it never materialized. I was left a little confused and let down by that.

Epic Fail is a fast, fun, and adorable read. It’s the kind of book you want to sink into in one sitting and not feel the least bit guilty about binging on after three straight hours.

Buy: Amazon