DNF. I got to about the halfway mark before I quit. I couldn't take anymore of the narrator. You know you're too old for YA when emotional immaturity makes you want to crawl out of your skin.

What would you do differently if you could go back in time? Don’t we all have something we’d like to change? Some decision? Some incident? Mlynowski takes an unbelievable premise and makes it plausible and funny to boot. Devi Banks and her boyfriend Bryan have broken up after dating since 9th grade and right before the prom. The book opens with Devi staring at an advertisement for a spa urging her to “Go back in time.” And Devi begins to think about how all of her problems would be solved if she could go back and tell herself a thing or two to avoid like not letting Karin cut her bangs in third grade. And not throwing out her retainer in sophomore year. And…definitely not falling for Bryan her freshman year. Then her cell phone falls into the mall fountain. When she fishes it out, it doesn’t work except when she presses send, it comes to life and she has no idea who she is calling until someone answers who sounds vaguely familiar. Hilarity ensues as senior Devi tries to figure out who she has called and then convinces her freshman self that it’s her, three years later. Preposterous? Sure, but somehow it works. This funny, light novel explores the path taken and what would happen if another avenue were chosen instead. Instead of Devi losing all her best friends because she was with Bryan, freshman Devi turns Bryan down and the course of her high school career, including where she gets into college, is altered.

this was fun. PG-13 for high school setting, etc. Nothing graphic, but all characters pretty much accepting of "hook-up" culture.

I think the idea behind this book was original and neat. The book starts out with eighteen-year-old Devi, who has just been dumped by her long-time high school boyfriend, at the mall contemplating what she would tell her younger self if she could. She ends up dropping her cell phone into a fountain and is then able to call her fourteen-year-old self, whom she basically bosses around for the entire book in order to try to achieve the outcome she wants (to get into a good school, to keep her friends who she lost because she was so wrapped up in her boyfriend, to help her family, and to stay away from the boy her dumped her).
The book leaves you with some good lessons in the end: it's okay to make mistakes and even if a relationship doesn't work out, it's worth the heartache if it shapes you as a person and teaches you something.
I guess the reason I only gave the book two stars is, while it was a quick read, it didn't really grab my attention at any point and make me HAVE to keep reading. Yes, there's a good plot, and yes, you feel like you know the main character, but that's about it. You never know any of the supporting characters because they keep changing. And, older-Devi is kind of annoying!

Interesting idea. Loved it

Graded By: Poshdeluxe
BFF Charm: Nay
Swoonworthy Scale: 2
Talky Talk: OMG!
Bonus Factors: Back To the Future, The Butterfly Effect, Dawn
Relationship Status: Straight To Voicemail

Read the full book report here.

What a really cute story! At first I wasn’t sure I would get all that into it. I was confused as it went back and forth. But in true Mlynowski style she pulled me in and kept me there. I ended up not only loving both Devi’s but hoping that things would work out!

Gimme A Call is the story of broken hearted Devi, a high school senior that is dumped by the boyfriend she dumped all her friends for. Completely lost and miserable things get worse when she drops her phone in the mall fountain. Now Devi finds herself without a boyfriend, without friends and without a phone. But wait, her phone seems to work, but it will only call one person, it will only call 14 year old Devi! Through a series of conversations and the slight changing of things in the past by younger Devi, older Devi’s life changes, some for the better, some not so much, causing older Devi to figure out what its exactly is that she wants in life and want changes are worth making to get it.

I must admit it was so entertaining to see what kind of trouble the Devi’s managed to get themselves into by changing one small thing. I smiled and giggled and my heart even broke a little at times. I enjoyed the way the Devi’s interacted with one another. They were the same person but after 3 years it was nice to be able to see how much she had changed and grown as a person. What was important when she was 14 was suddenly something she could do without when she was 17. And by Devi talking to her 14 year old self she was able to finally realize what really was important. It started out as a wish over a broken heart but it became a lot more then that. It became a story about figuring out who you are and what you really want out of life.

Mlynowski really knows how to tell a great coming of age story. Gimme A Call is the prefect example of her talent. She knows just how to tell a story at the right pace and how to make the characters likeable and enjoyable. If you are looking for a fun, quick read that makes you wonder what you would tell your younger self to make something in your life different, this definitely is a good pick for you. I enjoyed it and I think you will too.

Cute book, I love Sarah Mlynowski... not as good as her other books but was in the younger section... I bought it then dropped it in a tub of water... because I am that amazing... but it dried out over time and I was able to read it like a month after I bought it

Here are the important lessons I've learned from this book:

1. Be a well-rounded person. Don't just focus on one thing or person, because otherwise, you'll end up all by yourself, sad and bored with no interests or friends. Also, colleges don't like it when you don't have interests.

2. Don't ditch your friends, especially for a guy. Yes, boys are cute and you want to make out with them and be with them all the time, but you are going to need friends to confide in and lean on. Tying yourself to just one person is dangerous.

3. Don't cheat on tests, otherwise, you'll be expelled from school, drop out of your new stoner school, dye your hair pink, and get a tattoo. Also, it's not ethical, and you don't learn anything when you don't do the work.

4. If your cell phone rings, and the person on the other line claims to be you from the future, listen to what she says, but don't necessarily do it. And don't let her bully you, because apparently future you is kinda mean and selfish. But you can learn from her mistakes, so yay!

Of course, these lessons would be more essential were I the actually the target audience of this book: a teenage girl. But as a not-quite-teenager-anymore, there are still some things you can pull away from this: the importance of friends and family, and the essentiality of being your own person and knowing who that person is.

I can't say I particularly enjoyed all of this book. Old Devi (AKA Ivy) was over-bearing, demanding, shrill, and selfish, and couldn't admit that she got herself into the sad, lonely mess she was in. She lucked out the day her phone broke and she could mysteriously call her freshman self. Though she terribly bungled most of her advice to "Frosh", aka young Devi, the essentials came through: friends, family, activities, balance. Young Devi was sweet and caring, if a little too much of a push-over. In the end, it was an entertaining story, and I'm happy things were able to balance out as they "should" be. Brian was adorably persistant in his courting of Devi, and I was relieved when young Devi finally allowed herself to fall in love with him (again? for the first time?).

this book was really good, i've read 2-3 times, super awesome!