Young Adult
Pages: 256
Publisher: Speak
Release date: December 28, 2006

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave "the Great Perhaps" even more (François Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . . After. Nothing is ever the same.

I'm confused about this book. I don't know how I feel about it. First, I like is that it's really funny! I mean I would laugh out loud reading it. But then, when "after" comes, I'm like pissed at the whole thing. He did a great job surprising the reader, such a great job that I was as pissed as Pudge!

Now, the characters, wow, are incredible! I can surely say I love Alaska too! And the original way he managed to write it was amazing. The cover is a big no no. Both of them! The story is good even though it felt totally tedious after the "after" part. That's all I can say without spoiling it. For me, its hard to recommend this book because it's kind of contradicting, the fun you have and the plot ending. There you go, that's it! But hey, it has tons of awards...