The 80’s are back! The 80’s are back! Time to tease my hair and see what this story has for us.

SUMMARY

Andrea Jones has one life goal—to NOT be like her mom. She won’t be knocked up at eighteen, in a dead-end job, and living in a trailer park forever. She’s not a fan of school but in 1987, going to college is the only path out of her dysfunctional world and nothing will stop her. Not even a chance at a full scholarship to her boss’s old beauty school—a job she’d totally rock but one that’s too close for comfort. Then along comes Gio Ruiz. Suave, confident, and sure of his future, he sends Andrea’s plans into a tailspin—along with her heart. He seeks trade school and a simpler life, dangerously close to what she is trying to avoid. Still, his no-nonsense attitude toward the merits of college makes her question if it’s even what she really wants.  Their relationship flourishes until their opposite worlds collide. His private school peers create doubt while her public school enemies drag her past into the present, forcing her to confront her biggest fears and jeopardizing her plans for her future.…An overdose.…An unintended pregnancy.…And one potentially deadly choice.

WHAT I LIKED

This book is book 3 of the Breakin in the 80’s series. While there are characters that are from the first 2 books, and a backstory, you can read this one without reading the first two. I did purchase the first 2 to read at a later date!

I don’t know why, but I always feel like books that take place in the 80’s are going to be a gleeful reminder of what life used to be. While this book does have traces of nostalgia (going to a bookstore in the mall?! I miss you!) it reminded me that there were hardships back then that you may not have been aware of with the lack of social media. Andrea’s story was one of living in a trailer with her abusive dad, a mom who abandoned the family, and her focus to break the cycle of abuse. She wanted out of her life and saw the only way out was to get a scholarship to attend college. Meanwhile, she was working in a salon at the mall. This is where she met Gio.

Even with the heavy subject matter, I enjoyed reading this book. There were many layers to Andrea, as we got to see the different relationships she juggled, with her dad, mom, Gio, and her ex-best friend who has come back into her life. Even though Andrea had one goal in mind, the world showed her that sometimes there are other choices out there. I found myself rooting for her and Gio, and hoping that she would get her happily ever after!

One thing to note: I have seen in other reviews people saying that there were chapters with only one word. I think this was intentional to show the passage of time where Andrea did nothing. It made sense to me (I don’t want to say too much more as it’s one of those moments where you should read it first and then you’ll understand what I mean!)

WHAT MADE ME SCRATCH MY HEAD

I feel like this is such a cliche to say, but the ending made me scratch my head. I’m going to try and navigate this thought without spoiling anything.

This book really took us on Andrea’s journey. Highs. Lows. Goals. Fears. The good. The bad. The ugly. And the moments of fun she never thought she could have. As we got closer and closer to the end, I couldn’t wait to see all of the decisions she would make. I know that some books won’t jump into the future to see what became of the choices she made, but I thought we would see more than we did. Is this something that will be shown in another book? Did I really take this crazy journey only to see half of the choices she made? I was left wanting a little bit more.

I still enjoyed reading this one. Has anyone tried the first 2 books of the series? I will put up my reviews when I get a chance to read them and will link back here. Until then…