Psych Major Syndrome

I really enjoyed this book; it's not very often I get to read a book about a college-age protagonist. I love reading books from that perspective and there never seems to really be any around. Thompson's writing was really funny but also had its moments to let the characters' depth shine through. I loved reading about the mentoring program that Leigh gets involved in, and also the trials and tribulations of her romantic life. I went through this book pretty quickly because the writing just flowed so well and was really compelling. Definitely an author to keep an eye on in the future!

The book revolves around Leigh and her first semester at college as a psych major. Due to the study of this major, she becomes rather neurotic and over-analytical over her life, especially the relationship with her boyfriend, and even more especially of her relationship with her boyfriend's roommate. I thought this book was incredibly witty. I loved Leigh and all her quirks, and she made for some really great laugh out loud moments. I think one of my favorite lines of the book was: "Do you accept creepy robotic babies as trade? I could get you one that's worth five hundred dollars." You'll find sentences like that throughout the book that take you slightly off guard but make you laugh. The romance was also well done. There was tension created by the scenario of Leigh starting to have feelings for her boyfriend's roommate, Nathan. as you read the development of Leigh's and Nathan's relationship, the chemistry becomes palpable. The ending, while predictable, is cute and wraps things up like a pretty bow. It's a great light, romantic read.

I first heard of this on Meg Cabot's blog, and it's been on my 'to be read' list for a few weeks. When I finally got around to reading it, I read it from start to finish in a couple of hours even though I'd just gotten off a plane and was dog tired. Aspects of college life are nicely mixed up with romantic tension and tough issues like abortion, by way of Leigh mentoring Rebekah, a fifteen year old with a truckload of problems. A thoroughly entertaining read, even though you'll agree with Rebekah that Leigh is, in a word, naive. Visit [...] to discover more reviews of great reads!

Continuing a trend that seems to have been started by Megan McCafferty is another YA book set at college instead of the typical junior high/high school ones. This is really exciting for me as a new college student, watching my books grow up along side me and keeping the material relevant and interesting. It also really helped that the main character in the story goes to a tiny school that sounds very much like my own. Anyways, the plot was cute, if not annoyingly simple. Everything was pretty predictable, and it is no wonder that Meg Cabot blurbed it--it's such utterly Cabotian fluff, just as well-written in a casual conversational tone. I love it when authors do cute gimmicky things, so I was a fan of the little psych related definitions that came before chapters and symbolically related really nicely to whatever was happening. All these characters are really well developed, and you grow to love them as the book progresses. I was really satisfied with the way everything turned out at the end, after that emotional rollercoaster of suspense resolved itself. I was a little disappointed by the lack of very much to do with psychology, but it's still a cute book--just don't expect anything intellectual out of it. Rating: 5/5 Also, cutest U2 references ever!

I've been out of the college life for a few years now, but this book took me back to my life as a college student. I related with the main character eerily well. Leigh (the main character) is a girl who just is. She doesn't feel the pressure to be more than what she is. But through her over-analysis of herself she starts to realize maybe gliding through life isn't as effective as she thought it was. The college is based on the college my sister went to so I really understood the dynamics of the college. It's such a small school, everyone knows everyone else's business. This causes the rumor mill to spiral out of control. Poor Leigh can't keep any secrets about anything. I highly recommend this book for 16-20 something ages. It's a romantic comedy that is definitely suitable to soon to be college students.