Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas

Title: Ask Again Later
Author: Liz Czukas
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Pages: 336
Source: ARC

Summary from Goodreads:
Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.

Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend really be?

Tails: The theater geek...with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart's interests--even if he wants to share all his feelings?

Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all...

Review

I am happy to report that Ask Again Later is the light and fluffy contemporary that everyone is saying it is. If you want to relive some of the best and worst of High School and share a few laughs with an easy-going protagonist, then this is the perfect choice.

I always enjoy a good parallel plotline because I like seeing how different choices have different outcomes. Heart has two very different Prom nights depending on which way the coin lands. One is a lot more disastrous than the other but they both have their moments. Between the Prom and the after party – all sorts of mayhem happens. There are wardrobe malfunctions, practical jokes, dance parties, dance catastrophes, fights, make ups, kidnappings, new love – and much more. I liked how some events that happened in one future, happened in the other as well. And I liked how despite what future Heart was in, both came together in the end, which spoke of fate.

Amid all of the Prom drama, there were a few issues that Heart had to deal with. The first was her brother not acting very brotherly. Truthfully, he pissed me the hell off. Heart did finally confront him about his jerkish behavior but the resolution was kind of poor. I wish this had received more closure. The second issue was Heart’s fear of commitment, which was a result of her mother having her and her brother at a young age and then abandoning them both. Heart overcoming her fear of relationships and owning up to her feelings was a main focus of the story, which ended in a good place. I think the romance in this book was sweet.

Despite some of the more serious themes I just mentioned, Ask Again Later didn’t have a lot of meat to it. Again, it was very much light and fluffy. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite light contemporary, but I did have fun reading it. I’d recommend it if you are in the mood for an easy and entertaining read with a lot of heart. (hah, pun intended!)