Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder - Dean Martin

Love & Leftovers

Author: Sarah Tregay
Pages: 432
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Description from Sarah Tregay's Website:
"My wish
is to fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy, daydream-worthy
love.

(If only it were that easy.)"

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father. By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up.

But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you've lost it?

Love and Leftovers is a beautifully written story of one girl’s journey navigating family, friends, and love, and a compelling and sexy read that teens will gobble up whole.

Review:
Although I am an avowed Apocalypsies fan, I have to confess that I was skeptical about this one, because I'm really not a poetry fan for the most part. It just never has moved me so much as prose, although I will admit that the best prose does seem to have a lyrical quality to it, so I suppose one could make the argument that all writing is poetry in some sense.

Anyway, this book totally worked for me, and I will definitely be keeping my free copy in my collection. A big part of the reason that I don't like poetry most of the time is that it seems so pompous and self-congratulatory. That totally is not the feeling I got from Love & Leftovers. It's more like Marcie just thinks in poetry; it's who she is.

In fact, I think the poetry is what made the book really work. I didn't much like Marcie, because she did some things that are completely unforgivable in my opinion. She's not a great person by any means. However, because of the format, which totally seems like a window into her character, I could help being drawn in and caring about her, despite wanting to give her a serious shake most of the time.

Love & Leftovers is a beautiful book and, because poems are short, can be read in just a few hours. If you like Sarah Dessen, I think you'll like Love & Leftovers.

Rating: 4/5

"I love you dearly
I'm yours sincerely
But honey please remember
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
For somebody else

When the cat's away the mice will play
I don't say I will but still I may
I may be blue away from you
And then again I may be gay"