Title:  Past Perfect
Author:  Leila Sales
Release date: October 4, 2011
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Pages:  322
Source:  Bookstore

All Chelsea wants to do this summer is hang out with her best friend, hone her talents as an ice cream connoisseur, and finally get over Ezra, the boy who broke her heart. But when Chelsea shows up for her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village (yes, really), it turns out Ezra’s working there too. Which makes moving on and forgetting Ezra a lot more complicated…even when Chelsea starts falling for someone new.

Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think that a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. But with Ezra all too present, and her new crush seeming all too off limits, all Chelsea knows is that she’s got a lot to figure out about love. Because those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it….

Past Perfect is the perfect book to read when you are in the mood for something light and fun.  So many books these days are very dark and Past Perfect is the perfect book to counteract those.  (Not that I don’t love my dark books.) =)

Past Perfect is not your typical chick-lit romance novel.  It actually has a very entertaining plot that doesn’t just focus on the romance. There is a war going on between the two historical reenactment villages and it was quite hilarious to read about.  There are some devious teenagers.  I loved reading about the crazy schemes they came up with. They were laugh out loud funny!

There was a great cast of characters in this book. Chelsea was a bit annoying at first because of her obsession with her ex-boyfriend but she quickly outgrew that.  Her best friend, Fiona, was a surprisingly great friend.  No backstabbing from her!  Dan was a bit awkward but in the best possible way.  His interactions with Chelsea cracked me up.  The miliner girls were my least favorite characters but they weren’t too bad.  Bryan cracked me up and Chelsea’s dad reminded me a lot of my own.

Overall, Past Perfect is a great chick lit novel with a bit more to it.  It’s funny, sweet, and a super easy read  Perfect for a rainy day!

First line:  There are only three types of kids who get summer jobs at the Colonial Essex Village instead of just working at the mall, like normal people do.

Rating:  A