Book Review: Past Perfect

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....

Goodreads: 3.5/5 stars

My review:

Past Perfect was unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s a perfect mix of summer angst with a dollop of romance.

Chelsea has grown up in a family that is proud to be part of the reenactment scene, and it’s the only life Chelsea’s ever known. Each summer she and her fellow Colonial cohorts group up to begin planning a prank war against the “Civil Warriors” across the street. Yes, the Civil War is literally just across the road from the Colonial Village.

But this year is different: Chelsea is kidnapped by one of the Civil Warriors, who happens to be really cute. She still hasn’t gotten over her ex, but sooner or later she needs to move on. When she’s seen with the Civil War boy, a.k.a. her kidnapper, from across the way, her entire summer is derailed, and Chelsea finds herself questioning whether her way of life is really worth it.

Overall, if you enjoy a sweet summer read with a bit of a historical touch, this book is for you. It has just the right amount of complicated material that contemporary novels normally bring to the table, as well as a forbidden romance.