Name: Jacelyn's review of Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park
Item: Flat-Out Celeste
Rating: 5
Author: Jacelyn

Jessica Park

For high-school senior Celeste Watkins, every day is a brutal test of bravery. And Celeste is scared. Alienated because she's too smart, her speech too affected, her social skills too far outside the norm, she seems to have no choice but to retreat into isolation.But college could set her free, right? If she can make it through this grueling senior year, then maybe. If she can just find that one person to throw her a lifeline, then maybe, just maybe.Justin Milano, a college sophomore with his own set of quirks, could be that person to pull her from a world of solitude. To rescue her—that is, if she'll let him.Together, they may work. Together, they may save each other. And together they may also save another couple—two people Celeste knows are absolutely, positively flat-out in love.Whether you were charmed by Celeste in Flat-Out Love or are meeting her for the first time, this book is a joyous celebration of differences, about battling private wars that rage in our heads and in our hearts, and—very much so— this is a story about first love.

Flat-Out Celeste

Jacelyn

Nicole Goldstein

First, if you haven’t read Flat-Out Love, turn around right now and go read! You don’t necessarily have to read the first book, but it is highly recommended. Flat-Out Celeste is roughly 5 years after the first book and we find a different Celeste than before.

Not entirely so. She still speaks without contractions, doesn’t really have friends, smarter than most but equally as shy. She knows she is different but she is too scared to label what she feels deep down is the truth.

Enter Justin Milano. Celeste’s opposite. A hyperactive, clumsy, talkative student liaison to Barton College who is tasked to woo Celeste in choosing the liberal college on the West Coast verse the Ivy League schools she’s already applied to.

Through many awkward but extremely cute emails, these two connect in ways they haven’t with anyone before. You start to see that maybe these two are exactly what each other need. 

“Hey Celeste?”
“Hey Justin?”

I fell in love with Justin so much. His never ending conversations and topic switches weren’t annoying in the least. There was something innocent about him that I think complemented Celeste since she always seemed a bit wise beyond her years.



I found Celeste’s need to reinvent herself before college something that anyone could relate to. This felt all about change and acceptance. With every little difference Celeste made, she came out of her shell more and more. I mean she dressed up in a cat suit! That is stepping outside the box for sure.

This was a heartwarming, hilarious and charming read. Each character had something you could find an endearing quality about. Be it Erin, Celeste’s mother, and her weird cooking style and hot yoga. Or Dallas, Celeste’s one school friend, and her quirky style. Or even the love story between Matt and Julie (READ FLAT OUT LOVE) that Celeste is determined see a happy ending.

Awkward love story to the max.

“Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?”

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This review will be spoilery if you've not read Flat-Out Love. DO NOT keep reading. Go buy Flat-Out Love (and Flat-Out Matt) and come back here once you've finished. 

  
    Ignore everything you think you know and listen only to your heart, without doubting anything. 
  

Five stars aren't nearly enough for this book and no review that I write will do it justice. I was a little late to the Flat-Out Love party, but I've read it twice in the last few months. (It's come to my attention I never wrote a review and that's something I must rectify immediately.) The characters were the driving force of the book for me. They were unique and witty, slightly awkward and endearing. I fell in love with every single one of them. When the truth was revealed, it took me entirely by surprise and broke my heart. By the end of the book, however, my heart had been repaired, I had cried buckets of tears and I was even more deeply in love with each and every one of the characters – and with Jessica Park for bringing them all to life. I devoured Flat-Out Matt and crossed my fingers that Celeste would get a book. I could have done cartwheels when I found out she was and I actually squealed when I got my hands on a review copy. Books like this are why I love to read. 

  
    Life was getting better for her. Very slowly, bit by bit, she was allowing the walls she'd so carefully constructed to come down. Every move felt to be a most dangerous risk, but she was taking those risks and they were paying off. The world might not be such a hateful place after all, and there was the faint hope that she might just be able to find a place in it.
  

Celeste has come a long way since the first book when she was carting Flat Finn around everywhere. Her character growth in Flat-Out Love was nothing compared to the progress she makes in this book. She was brilliant. Charming. Adorable. I just wanted to befriend her and give her a big hug. She's making new friends and putting herself out there. Sure, the quirks are still there and there were at least two scenes that ripped my heart out. She's so strong, but still vulnerable. That's what makes her so real and lovable. She really does meet her perfect match in Justin. 

  
    Justin: You're the one saving me, and I'm not letting my woman of salvation travel around the dangerous streets unaccompanied. #chivaltryaintdeadbaby #sendhelp #sendshrimp #hashtagsgoneinsane #hashtagsdonotbelonginatext #whatever I'll pick you up at 7, ok?
  

I don't have words to describe how much I loved Justin. He was quirky and clumsy and talked non-stop and was just as much of a mess (I mean that in a totally lovable way!) as Celeste. He was such a sweet, good kid. They were perfectly matched and I loved watching them fall in love with each other. It was that perfect first teenage love and it totally warmed my heart. I loved too the added parallel to Flat-Out Love that they fell in love long-distance through emails and texts. Of course, nothing is ever easy and sometimes characters are their own worst enemy. 

  
    "Sometimes love is not enough, and it doesn't matter how much you want it. Want him. And even if nobody else compares to that person, it doesn't mean that you're supposed to be with him."
  

Ok, now the hard truth. I'll be the first to admit, that I was less than thrilled to learn that Matt and Julie had broken up and, worse yet, been apart for two years. TWO YEARS. :( I loved them so, so much in Flat-Out Love and it more than broke my heart that they didn't make it. It was obvious they still loved each other. I loved that Celeste was as unwilling as I to believe they were over. Once the truth behind their breakup came out, I understood why it was all necessary. I won't say anything else but that the characters more than made up for their lack in judgement by the end of the book. I was totally squeeing before it was all over with. 

  
    I lose myself and find myself at the same time with you. 
  

Just like Flat-Out Love, Flat-Out Celeste is full of feels and believe me when I say I felt ALL OF THEM. From the witty banter I've come to expect from these characters to the scenes that ripped my heart out and left it shredded on the floor to the ones that patched me right back up until I was whole again, it was all sheer perfection. I just love everything about these characters and this series. As anxious as I was to finish this book, part of me wanted it to last forever. So many big, fuzzy, feel-filled hearts for Jessica Park and this book. 

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from the review copy and may differ from the final version.

Hey Justin. 
Hey Celeste.
Power of Celeste! 

A book you definitely cannot miss if you have read Flat out Love.

Jacelyn &
Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park

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Jacelyn &Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park

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