Class of '98 by A.L. Player

Class of '98 

by A.L. Player

238 pages
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Release Date: November 26th 2013

Rate: Enjoyed it

Synopsis: 

Jackie Dunn and Matt Stewart barely knew each other in high school, back when she was a blue-haired alterna-kid and he was a preppy jock. High school rules dictated they'd never hang out, or sit at the same lunch table, or God forbid, date.

But when a weird storm transports them from their ten-year reunion back to senior year, they have to work together to figure out a way to get back to 2008.

Stuck in high school, Jackie and Matt agree to tough it out. They agree to do everything exactly as they remember, even though that means staying with the boyfriend Jackie knows will betray her, or playing nice with the girl that will someday be Matt’s ex-wife. Soon, they come to rely on one other, even become friends.

Jackie’s just starting to get used to curfews and term papers again, when Matt hits her with the biggest surprise of all: he’s fallen in love with her. He’ll change the past however he has to if it means a future with Jackie. But Jackie’s terrified they’ll not only alter their lives, but the lives of everyone around them.

Back to the Future meets She's All That, Class of '98 is a young adult/adult crossover that will appeal to teens and adults.

Class of '98 was a fun, romantic and lovely story. I really liked the idea of take a trip back in time, re-living your senior year and figuring out if you would do exactly the same and if you would made the same decisions you once did. 

A. L. Player didn't forget to put a hilarious touch to this time travel story. Mostly when the two main characters are together and trying to figure out what happened or trying to get back to 2008. Specially, in the first chapters, there's a moment when they arrive to 1997 that everything changes and they don't really know what happened that the very first logical explanation that both of them come up with is that they are both in a coma? A shared coma? I couldn't stop laughing. And I have to thank Ms. Player for that because sometimes is really hard to get a smile from us, readers, and she did a wonderful job.

“What’s going on?” she asked. Jackie glanced at the sky, where the stars twinkled. “There was a storm. Did we get hit by lightning?” 

“Do you think I’m in a coma?” Matt asked in a daze.

“If you are, I’m there, too,” Jackie said.

“Or maybe we’re dead,” he said.

Jackie walked over to him and grabbed his wrist. “You have a pulse. So you’re not 

dead.” She checked her own wrist. “Neither am I. Maybe it is a coma. But why are we together?” 

“I don’t know,” he said. “This is my first coma.” 

“Now is really not the time for jokes,” she said.

I love second chances in life. Why not? If you would be in Jackie and Matt's situation would you try to do things differently? Better? The author goes through that moral thinking when the main character, Jackie, tries to do what she thinks is the right thing in order to not change anything from the future they know or doing what her mind, her heart and her new grown-up personality tells her is right. 

Jackie, to me, represented what I always wanted to be in High School. A girl secure with herself and who didn't matter what others think about her. She was different and she wanted to show it. She had blue hair and had a unique personality that always made her be the easy target for the popular and mean crowd. So, yeah, I admire her and thought she was a real, brave girl.

Matt was simply adorable. He is sweet, charming and cute. He was in the popular crowd in 1997 and he was a jock, but not the stereotypical kind of jock. He kept wondering how could've never been smart enough to talk to the cute girl with the blue hair and it made my heart beat faster. Girls, he's beyond sweet. Every time he spoke throughout the story was my very favorite part, 'cause I knew he would say something to Jackie that would make me fall for him a little bit more.

And when Jackie didn't want to do anything about her feelings for Matt to not cause a butterfly effect in the future? It made me want to slap Jackie (Sorry, Jackie). 

I don't know you guys, but I loved this book 'cause I'd love a second chance sometimes. And Jackie and Matt get that second chance when they go back to their senior year. They see how things can be different and what they are missing in live by not talking to a best friend or not giving love a second chance. It also reminded me to "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol" but with a different touch that only A. L. Player could give to Jackie & Matt's adventure. 

This was an amazing, funny and sweet story that cheered my "Christmas" spirit and also my romantic side, specially the one open to second chances. I had a great time reading A. L. Player's story and I can only recommend it to you, Book Addicts, 'cause I know you'll enjoyed it, too!

Because Class of ’98 is a ‘class reunion’ kind of book, we’re posting our own high school pictures/memories to celebrate! Prepare yourselves guys!

Okay, so the girl using the mobile phone? Yep, that's high school me. There's a reason why we are in the bathroom. We couldn't use mobile phones during school, not even in our free time, so we were kind of hiding. That's why the photo is in the bathroom (Don't think bad of me! I hate bathroom pics, but that's the best I found).

And that's also high school photo at a church when I was in my senior year or here in Spain we called it "4º de la ESO". So I went to a private and religious school and this was one of their special celebrations. And yes, the one with the red circle in the face? That's me. 

A. L. Player teaches middle and high school English in Atlanta, GA. She lives with her guitar-playing, English-teaching husband and their three crazy rescue dogs. Her last name gets about the reaction you'd expect. 

CLASS OF '98 is A.L.'s first novel.

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