Summary
Last Call at Happies! Tonight, 8 P.M. Senior Class Only! Please with the Shhhh?.
This is it. Graduation. And Vic Navarro is throwing the most epic party Rancho Soldado has ever seen. She's going to pull off the most memorable good-bye ever for her best friends, give Happies-the kitschy restaurant that is her desert town's claim to fame-a proper send-off into bankruptcy, and oh yes, hook up with her delicious crush, Jake Zavala-Kim. She only needs to keep the whole thing a secret so that her archnemesis, Miss Ann Thrope, Rancho Soldado's nightmare Town Councilwoman and high school Economics teacher, doesn't get Vic tossed in jail.
With the music thumping, alcohol flowing, bodies mashing, and Thrope nowhere to be seen, Vic's party is a raging success. That is, until Happies fans start arriving in droves to say good-bye, and storm the deserted theme park behind the restaurant. Suddenly what was a small graduation bash is more like Coachella on steroids with a side of RASmatazz pie. The night is so not going as planned. And maybe that's the best plan of all.
Author Notes
Rachel Cohn was born on December 14, 1968 in Silver Spring Maryland. She attended Barnard College and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science intending to be a journalist. Instead she moved to San Francisco and began working at a law firm and writing. After moving back to New York City, her title Gingerbread was published. It was followed by several other books including: The Steps, Shrimp, Two Steps Forward, You Know Where to Find Me and Beta.
(Bowker Author Biography)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up--Victoria (Vic) Navarro is throwing the most epic high school graduation party at the now out-of-business Happies Restaurant and Theme Park. Happies has been a local fixture in Rancho Soldado for generations, and Vic is determined to give the place a final tribute. Naturally, Vic and best friends Genesis and Mercedes have to keep this party on the down low and make certain that Miss Ann Thrope (pun definitely intended), the meanest teacher in Rancho Soldado, doesn't find out, because she will definitely shut it down. Vic, a master planner, is scarily persuasive and pulls together this party in less than 12 hours, recruiting Mercedes's two brothers, Jake and Zeke, to respectively supply the beer and create the playlist. Vic has serious aspirations to end the night with Jake, but one crazy misadventure after another (a Happies fan club crashes the party, Miss Thrope is on the war path, and Zeke is proving to be a surprisingly good "date" for the evening) throw all her plans out the window. Lauren Ezzo's narration is hilarious and the novel offers many laugh-out-loud moments. VERDICT A funny, if at times raunchy, escapade that will do well with collections that need some lightweight fiction to balance heavier, emotionally charged realistic fare.-Suzanne Dix, The Seven Hills School, Cincinnati © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Cohn sets her rowdy YA novel in the town of Rancho Soldado in Arizona. With graduation looming, high school senior Vic Navarro is feeling lost. She does not know what to do with the rest of her life, since she didn't get into college. She is especially distraught to learn her favorite restaurant, Happies, a local institution for generations, is closing. Vic decides to channel her frustrations and lack of direction into throwing an over-the-top party at Happies for the senior class, but she has to do it secretly to avoid the wrath of the vengeful Miss Ann Thrope, a sadistic high school teacher and head of the city council. When bus loads of fellow Happies enthusiasts show up to join the out-of-control revelry, Vic can only hang on and try to contain the ensuing chaos. Actor Ezzo gleefully throws herself into the farce, milking the over-the-top comedy. Her Vic is melodramatic yet immensely likable; Vic's love interest, Jake, sounds every bit the gorgeous-but-dimwitted hunk he is; and Miss Ann Thrope hisses and shrieks like a cartoon villain. It's a fun, rollicking listen. Ages 14-up. A Hyperion hardcover. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Victoria Navarro's BFFs are dispersing come graduation and Happies, a beloved restaurant in their California desert hometown, is shutting its doors. A final, epic party--ideally, a bash that affronts Vic's nemesis and scores Vic a hookup with her crush--feels only fitting. A light and diverting read heavy on contrivance; instances of stereotyping undermine the inclusive nature of the novel's quirky cast. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Over the course of two days in a desert California town, a high school graduation celebration challenges friendships and introduces post-graduation realities. Victoria "Vic" Navarro (white, Filipino, and generic "Native American") is throwing one final fete for her graduating class at Happies, the legendary local restaurant that has popularized Rancho Soldado but is now closing. With her two best friends, Genesis "Fletch" Fletcher (adopted from "Africa" by an interracial couple) and Mercedes "Slick" Zavala-Kim (mixed-race, Mexican/Korean), Vic has secured permission from Happies' owner to orchestrate a final hurrah, distracted Rancho Soldado's most villainous teacher Annette Thrope (called "Miss Ann Thrope" by her students), and landed her crush's assistance for the night. In Vic's account, alcohol flows, music plays, and pot brownies are consumed, while lustful teenagers tuck themselves in all corners of the property. After a large band of geriatric Happies fanatics crashes the festivities, the growing crowd morphs from a discreet rager into a grander, final tribute. Girls repeatedly refer to themselves as dumbsluts or bitches, and somehow these teens are well-versed in dated pop-culture references. In Cohn fashion, characters strike varying chords of teen attitude from idealistic to cynical, nave to sophisticated. The diversity is pleasing to see, but it is skin deepthere is no plumbing of cultural nuance. Readers who find "dumbslut" endearing will likely enjoy the crazed teenager angst, but the rest may find themselves wondering why they should care about these hormone-charged characters. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Cohn pulls conceits from previous books and combines them into a high-octane adventure. Like Very in Very LeFreak (2010), Vic Navarro is a super multitasker. And like Norah from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2006), she's about to embark on an epic all-nighter. It's the day after graduation, and Vic has gotten permission from the owner of Happies the defunct landmark restaurant and theme park that defined their desert town to throw the ultimate graduation party. The next 24 hours is a whirlwind of planning, pushing, prioritizing. Come the party, secrets are kept and exposed, love is lost and found, and hopes and dreams finally come in to focus. Vic is a dominant and very funny heroine, but she is almost overshadowed by Happies itself, which Cohn molds into a myth. Set in the desert between Las Vegas and California, Happies was known for food, fun, and the fans that still hold conventions in its honor, and all of that gets its just due at the party. An alcohol-fueled, expletive-tinged evening is had by all in this over-the-top offering.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2017 Booklist
