A review by readingoverbreathing
Most Likely by Sarah Watson

3.0

"I have never had a transformational experience.

I know it's only a matter of time. I know that someday the phone will ring, or there will be a knock on the door, or something will happen that will make my life forever different. I know how it will impact me, because I know how it has impacted the people I love. It will make me stronger in some ways. It will make me more vulnerable in others. It will leave a residue. But also a shine. It will be a thing that happened to me, but not the thing that defines me. It will change me in some ways. Perhaps it will change me in many ways. But it will not change who I am."

This truly was a sweet read. It was quick, light but not fluffy, realistic in some ways and yet a little idealistic in others. I myself was a senior in the same position as these girls only two years ago, and this read recalled so many memories from that last formidable year that made it a little nostalgic for me as well.

I loved the concept of this and had heard a lot going in, so I think my expectations were just a little high, and thus why I found this slightly disappointing. Without those expectations, though, I can see this being a fantastic read, with all the ease and substance a YA contemporary can possess.

I had a difficult time connecting to the characters, despite my own senior year nostalgia. It seemed to me like Sarah Watson took a box of character stereotypes and randomly drew a few out to create each of the girls in an effort to create a diverse compendium that didn't always totally work. I also was a bit offset by Logan Diffenderfer, as he seemed like your average teenage white boy to me, and yet all the girls seemed inexplicably enthralled by him and his almost constant presence.

I will say Watson really did get me

Spoiler

with that last-minute twist, where Wyatt turned out to be the Diffenderfer of the prologue all along, just when I thought I had it all figured out. It's rare for YA to catch my by surprise like that, and for that I was impressed.

Overall, though far from a favorite, this was a fun book which presented a lot of the best elements of the YA genre, and a lovely diversion worth the quick read it was.