Monday, May 19, 2014

Review: Hung Up by Kristen Tracy

Hung Up by Kristen Tracy 
Release date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages:282
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Publisher

Overall: 3 out of 5 stars
Can you fall in love with a voice? This witty romance, told entirely through phone calls, chronicles the tale of a wrong number gone right.
It all started with a wrong number. The voicemails Lucy left on James’s phone were meant for someone else—someone who used to have James’s digits. But then when James finally answers and the two start to talk, a unique bond forms between the two teens.
Gradually Lucy and James begin to understand each other on a deeper level than anyone else in their lives. But when James wants to meet in person, Lucy is strangely resistant. And when her secret is revealed, he’ll understand why…

Review:

This was my first book by Kristen Tracy, and also my first told entirely through phone conversations. Surprisingly, I highly enjoyed this book and was able to finish it in just a few hours, but I also finished it feeling way too unsatisfied. Hung Up was entertaining and original, but also lacked the depth and sense of completion I was hoping for.

After Lucy continuously leaves messages meant for someone else on James' phone, he calls her back and what results is a deep friendship... all over the phone. It was a little strange how comfortable they were with each other and how the calls just keep coming, but I soon forgot that because I so enjoyed their sarcastic bantering. The only problem was we never really got to know the characters beyond what they told each other in their conversations. I enjoyed both Lucy and James' personalities and it was refreshing to witness conversations so honest, but it wasn't enough.

The plot moved surprisingly fast for a story told over a series of phone calls and while there wasn't a lot of room for character development, there were definitely a lot of twists that surprised me. Each phone call revealed something new about both James and Lucy and the ending was definitely not something I was expecting. Although some "surprises" of the plot did seem a little forced to me.

All in all, I enjoyed Hung Up because it was a quick read that kept my attention, but I wish we got to witness more than just the phone conversations. The ending was a particular disappointment because I would have loved to know what happened next. If you're not a fan of books told over text/email/etc I might suggest giving this one a shot because of the witty and fast-paced dialogue, but there were definitely a few downsides.

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