'Sam and Isla' are classic Levithan and Cohn creations. They're complex (and a little crazy) but this time, I found them to be almost unbearably pretentious. There was a lot going on with all the mystery guests who all jarred against each other, and talked and /talked/ away, that I don't think we spent the proper time with Sam and Isla's relationship. This book is only 220 pages long, or something, anyway, so I know there's only so much you can do, but still.

I did really love the inclusion of an f/f relationship, which definitely saved the ending for me!

I’ve always been a fan of books by this pair: in the past, they have always offered a perfect little escape into the world of teen fiction done well. I loved Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (scratch that, I adored that story when I read it a few years ago) and I devoured Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, so I was really excited to see that the pair have come out with another book.

I was intrigued when I realised that Sam and Ilsa are siblings rather than friends or a couple, and I loved that dynamic – I love family-oriented books, which are surprisingly hard to come by, so it was refreshing to read about a brother-sister pairing. I’m not sure I’ve come across that before, especially in a dual-narrative book, and it added to the story’s diversity.

Admittedly, at first I wasn’t convinced. I was a little wary of the premise – eight characters in one location for the entire book has potential for disaster, and is no doubt difficult to write, but I soon grew to love this tender little story. It even elicited a smile, which is incredibly rare for me.

For some reason, the book reminded me of the film “Clue,” though without the murder and mystery. It shared the same slightly off-the-cuff vibe, and the entire story is set on one evening, when twins Sam and Ilsa throw one last dinner party at their grandmother’s NYC apartment before she sells up. The invite list alone is not without drama: Sam has invited his sister’s ex and in an attempt to hoodwink her, has also invited his own ex. They both have a wildcard, too: they each invite someone they hardly know, alongside their closest friends. It’s a perfect recipe for a bit of a strange night

Despite the limited setting, at no point did I feel the story dragged or the pacing was off. I applaud the authors for managing to write 8 characters (nine, really, if we include my favourite – Caspian the sock puppet, and the cause of my amusement) when I can hardly manage three at once. The pacing is aided by the dual-narrative, which kept the story feeling fresh as it switched between Sam and Ilsa, and events and characters of the evening interspersed with the protagonists’ own worries about the future, after the party.

A jovial evening ends up as a serious exploration of the future and who they really are: the twins face up to what they want from the future, spilling secrets and desires as the night wears on. The story isn’t just a fatuous teen fiction: I loved the message that developed, and how the twins were forced to get real about what lies in store for them beyond the party, which seems like a mask for everything else going on in their lives.

As expected, I loved this story, and I look forward to reading more from these authors, both individually and as a duo, in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lively contemporary story of one night in the life of two siblings who are both at crossroads. A brilliant premise starts the story off in an intriguing way; two twins throwing a dinner party, each invites three guests (always including at least one wild card!) whilst the other doesn't know who's been invited until they turn up. We watch from both, at times opposing, perspectives as the night's events unfold in unexpected ways.

The entire novel takes place over the one chaotic night which makes it a fast-paced read. The characters are quirky and at times almost excessively eccentric but this adds to the feeling that this dinner party is taking place in its own universe!

A fun, dramatic contemporary. Recommended to all YA contemporary fans.

Twins Sam and Ilsa have spent their high school years throwing lavish dinner parties at their grandmother's fancy Manhattan apartment. Now she's moving to Paris and senior year is ending, and so it's time for one last hurrah.

Full of the typical Levithan and Cohn wackiness (a character who communicates entirely via sock puppet, anyone?) mixed with more serious considerations of mental health and teenage pressures, one can easily imagine Sam, Isla and the gang hanging out with previous Levithan and Cohn pairings Dash and Lily or Naomi and Ely. But I couldn't shake the feeling that it lacks the heart of previous books, the characters sometimes feeling mere 'types' (the rich girl; the Asian girl; the kooky musician) rather than actual living breathing people. The book particularly suffers from taking place over the course of just one night, so there's little chance to actually get to know the characters before the action kicks off. This made it particularly difficult to feel invested in them and their dramas which, as a result, end up coming across as privileged NYC kid whining - set up, as they are, to be discussed around a dinner table where champagne is being drunk - rather than problems the reader actually cares about. While I love early Levithan/Cohn novels, YA has moved on enormously in the decade since the publication of the sublime Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. I'm just hoping that this isn't their last hurrah, too.

A coming of age story about twins hosting their last dinner party in their grandmother’s swanky NY apartment. Eight guests, including friends, past loves and possible future partners are invited and it is a volatile mix from the start. I think the authors portrayed that teenage on the cusp of adulthood time very well, when you don’t quite know who you are yet or what you want out of life. Both Sam and Ilsa have learnt a lot by the end of the night, about themselves and each other.

I was sent a copy of this book by Netgalley to review.

I haven't read any Rachel Cohn books before but have read David Levithan and was a big fan of Every Day and Another Day; as well as Two Boys Kissing and Will Grayson Will Grayson. So, with that in mind I was interested to get started on this one.

The story is set inside the apartment of Sam and Ilsa's grandmother, Czarina. We never meet her but we learn a great deal about her - she sounds amazing. Sam and Ilsa are twins and are holding a dinner party with the weirdest group of guests you could ever imagine. This being their last hurrah together you would imagine it would be close friends only. Instead we get Parker, Ilsa's ex; Jason, Sam's ex; KK, a vain and spoilt girl who I actually loved; Li, a friend who lives in the apartment; Johan, a guy Sam has seen on the subway over the course of a few months and decides to invite; and finally Fredrick, who comes with his sock puppet Cornelius who is the one that does all the talking. Quite possibly the strangest group of people you could ever put together.

Over the course of the evening we learn a little more about each character. Parker and Ilsa used to be dance partners as well as in a relationship; Jason hates Ilsa as he blames her for his and Sam's break up; Li and KK both arrive dressed as French maids for some reason.... Sam has always been favourite in the family and the underlying issues that come from that seem to spill out slowly through the course of reading. The dual narrative that swaps between Sam and Ilsa provides some insight into their thoughts and feelings about each other; as well as their fears of change and wanting to move away.

What annoyed me about this book was that you were given hints of issues and problems and jealousies but they never came to full fruition. It felt like something was going to come to a head, and it didn't. It felt like some big revelation would come out, and it doesn't. Sam and Ilsa were actually the least interesting characters in the whole story. KK and her obnoxious nature and brutal honesty were very entertaining, as was the sock puppet which at first seemed ridiculous but after a while it just seemed fine! Fredryck was clearly using this sock puppet to cover up certain issues and it made him quite endearing. Him and KK making out was just hilarious as the logistics are mind boggling....

Over the course of the book the characters go to the roof, break into the empty apartment next door, dance, drink champagne, play the piano, dance again.... It felt like any old story in this sense. Why does there always have to be a rooftop? Why do they always have to have a dance? What is it with soul singers coming on at some point?

I enjoyed it. But I will be honest, it has left me feeling a bit "meh" by the end. I won't necessarily be in any rush to recommend this but I am still going to add Nick and Norah to my playlist to read at some point in the future. I wasn't blown away, I found it all a bit trite and I just didn't really like Sam or Ilsa. As a twin myself you always wonder if your parents have a favourite, but the resentment that is felt between these two wasn't really interesting enough. You have a pair of spoiled teenagers who continue to be so and just get a bit narked off with each other.

It was a quick read. I liked the claustrophobia of the setting but by the same token there seemed to be an infinite amount of space between the characters as well! They could all get privacy when they needed it somehow. Johan was interesting, the sock puppet was entertaining and Czarina sounds like an epic grandma. But otherwise I don't think it's hugely memorable.

I really didn't love it. Twins Sam and Elsa are hosting a dinner party to celebrate a change in life pace. Both finishing school, they're moving on to bigger and better things. Always together, this marks the end of their journey as two halves of a whole, and both of them stepping out of the moult to do new things. The entire story unfolds over the course of one evening as they host a dinner party with six invited guests.
I often like bottle episode books, or episodes of tv series, which are set in a very close environment, and focused over a short period of time. But I really didn't like this one. It felt like too much exposition was crammed in at one time, and too much character development just happened to occur on this one momentous night. Sam and Ilsa have a horrendous relationship, inviting each other's exes to their dinner party, and seem to really hate each other. Too many plot threads were briefly touched on but never expanded (Sam and his long sleeves, for example!) and I was left feeling highly dissatisfied when the book ended. With too much crammed into too short a space of time, this book left me feeling claustrophobic and unfinished, and distinctly disappointed.

There are things I like and don't like about this book. I liked that is was short and an easy read. I read it in 2 sittings with several days in between. Some of the characters are very interesting and memorable. I like that Sam and Ilsa are twins, and are both similar and different at the same time. They both have a bit of baggage.
I wasn't a fan of how all the characters worked. I liked Li and what she brought to the group but I felt a bit of confusion as to who was talking about what when. There wasn't much set up into the story so it felt a bit like the characters were just thrown in and was a bit rushed.

This book popped up and i was astounded. This book has been everywhere? Surely. Having a presence on the bookblogger corner of the internet and it is almost impossible not to know about this book. But i’ve never read it. Why? I’m English. It’s only just coming out over here and i’m honestly so excited.

Other than knowing all this. I still went in blind. The majority of what i knew was simply: the cover. Which is arguably incredibly beautiful and i am obsessed with it.

Overall this book was a delight to read. An unexpected wonder. I’ve become sceptical of YA dystopian books but maybe i’ve been away from them for so long that i’ve forgotten my qualms about them? Either that or this was particularly good. I’m leaning towards the latter. I cant believe it has taken me so long to read it. The characters were interesting and each seemed to have there own voice and i’m looking forward to seeing how they develop.

The first half lacked action, where the second half was full of it. I’m aware this is the first book in a trilogy. So it’s laying a foundation and its been done wonderfully well. This said the second half was full of it. I enjoyed the stark contrast. It reflected the events of the book which was an interesting touch.

Granted, i gave this book four stars. A mild shock for a book i enjoyed so much. This is a reflection of: its me. Not the book. Maybe i’m too old? I’m 23 and i read it in a morning. When i read a nook this quickly it means i thoroughly enjoyed it. But, it didn't give me cause to slow my pace to absorb more. This book was missing something for me personally. But i do have faith that the sequels will slow me down. This series is leading to something wonderful/

I’m excited for the sequels. I’m crying out for them. This is a series i’m excited to continue with and see how it develops.

Thank you to netgalley for this copy.