Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park

Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park     

Publication date: May 22nd 2014
My rating: 2 stars

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.

Eeeehhhhh.... *Insert biggest and loudest sigh in the world*

When I first started reading this book I was ready to fall in love with Celeste. I still remember Flat-Out Love and how much it was 'my type of book'. And then the novella, Flat-Out Matt which was SMOKIN'! What could possibly go wrong? Well, as it turns out, so many things. 

First off I had problems with Celeste. She's a bit different from other people. She's a socially awkward genius in her senior year of high school. All Ivy-League collages are dying for her. She also talks like jumped out of an old novel. I usually love to read about 'different' characters but couldn't connect with her even though I tried. 

So, I thought: "The love interest is going to change my mind!" Wrong! At first Justin was adorable with his awkwardness. He reminded me of Cricket Bell, from Lola and the Boy Next Door and you know how much I LOVE that book! However, he started getting on my nerves with his constant babbling and running into things. He even said not a lot of people like him for those exact reasons! Hah! No kidding?! Since Justin and Celeste lived far away for a huge chunk of the book they kept in touch via email, texts and phone calls. Their conversations wasn't all that interesting. I found myself skimming most of it because I just don't care to know more about the food in some fictional restaurant o whatever else they were talking about. Didn't feel the connection there. They were already smitten with each other from the start so I didn't their feelings progressing throughout the book. 

Things were perfect for a while then Celeste had a breakdown or whatever you want to call it after Matt revealed he stayed to take care of her instead of going with Julie, his girlfriend, which ultimately resulted into them breaking up(?!).She even destroyed the precious Flat Finn. How dare she?!  haha oh,boy! At that point, I was SO ready to be done with this book. Skimming was essential once again. I skimmed to the part where she got her shit sorted right after she got Matt and Julie back together and everybody got a HEA. And what the hell was that scene where she barged in and interrupted Matt and Julie while they were doing it just so she could get the keys of the car?! :SSS 

The best part of the book were Matt and Julie and even that was a stretch because they didn't have any (cute) scenes right up until the very end. All in all, I really didn't care about this book. It was cute at the beginning but I got tired of it fast.