Year of Mistaken Discoveries by Eileen Cook

 

What is up my lovelies! I have a new review for you that I hope you all enjoy. I finished read “A Year of Mistaken Discoveries” by Eileen Cook. I really enjoyed this book and I was engrossed while reading it. It was a real page- turner. I like the way the characters were developed and I like that it didn’t follow the stereotypes completely. Especially with the way the cheerleaders were portrayed and the popular kids. I also liked that Avery’s parents weren’t overly critical of her. This book receives a recommendation to read from me! Please make sure to comment and share so I know what you guys are thinking! Thank you!

 

Avery is at a party with her close friends and their boyfriends. Avery is adopted. Her mom had her when she was 16. Her boyfriend, Colton, is acting like a tool. Colton is actually really sweet and smart. He already got accepted into Harvard. They play a game where everybody writes something about the same person and puts it in a jar. The person everyone was writing about must then pick a random paper, read what the person wrote, and try to guess who it is. One of the letters that Avery picks is a deep and meaningful description of her. Everyone is confused as to who wrote it. An unpopular popular guy named Brody is showing some interest in Avery. They both realize they don’t even really like each other but are dating more so because it is what’s supposed to be happening. Colton is a football player and Avery is a cheerleader. Avery is a virgin and plans on keeping it that way until she chooses to give it up.

 

Strike 1: During the party Colton decides to break up with Avery. Even though Avery doesn’t actually want to be with him, she’s a little hurt that he would end their comfortable arrangement. They agree to take a break from their relationship. While at the party, a girl calls Avery’s name. That girl is Nora who is also friends with Brody. Nora and Avery used to be friends until Nora started dressing weird and not being as “normal” is Avery. The only thing they have in common now is that they are both adopted. At the party, Nora tells Avery that she needs to talk to her. Avery not wanting to have a long conversation with Nora asks her friends to come outside in five minutes so the conversation will be cut short. She tells her that she finally got into contact with her birth mother. Nora was abandoned at a catholic hospital in Costa Rica when she was a baby. She found her mother, Carla, online. Carla told her that rich Americans pay a lot of money for babies and Carla was poor. Avery can tell something is off with this explanation from the very beginning and tells Nora not to believe that. However, Nora has already believed it.

 

The lady conned her into sending her money and everything but she was never her mother. Avery, feeling bad, decided to invite Nora over to her house to catch up. Nora declines but she gives Avery a notebook that is guide to finding Avery’s birth mother just in case she ever wanted to try it out. Shannon and Lydia come outside in the five minutes so Nora gives Avery a hug which is strange because Nora is not the hugging type either and leaves. While in the car, Avery realizes she should’ve offered to give Nora a ride home but once Shannon asks her about Colton, she forgets all about Nora.

 

Strike two: Avery had applied early admissions to Duke and that’s the only place she applied. She finds out that they decided to defer her admissions. Strike three: Nora has died. Avery learns that Nora died of an overdose the night of the party. She instantly feels guilty especially considering Avery was Nora’s closest friend but not the other way around. Also because she knew something was wrong with Nora at the party but decided to ignore it because she wanted to talk to Shannon and Lydia about Colton.

 

At the funeral, Avery sees Brody and he gives her the courage to stay at the funeral instead of running away like she usually does when it comes to Nora. Avery gets mad at Shannon and Lydia because they are acting like they really care about the death of Nora. Then she gets mad at Colton because he isn’t showing enough compassion. She is still kind of confused as to whether her and Colton are just taking a break or if they’re actually broken up. Since Nora died and Colton dumped Avery, Brody and Avery decide to partner together for a senior project. Colton and Avery were going to do theirs on education reform. This was going to help Avery get into Duke. Nora and Brody were going to do theirs on finding Nora’s birth mom. Brody and Avery spend some time talking and she realizes that she can be relaxed around him. Shannon and Lydia see them talking and try to convince Avery to work with them but she declines.

 

Avery finally opens the notebook that Nora gave her. The first tip in the notebook is to figure out what you know about your birth family.  Avery’s mom comes home and she tells her that for her senior project, she’s going to find her birth mom. Avery’s mom tells her absolutely not. Her parents don’t support her decision but they can’t tell her not to do it. Avery tells Brody and he reluctantly agrees to it. Avery and Brody go on an ice cream meeting to talk about the senior project. Brody tells her that he’s happy she’s not doing this just for her Duke admissions but for Nora. Avery feels guilty because that’s exactly why she’s doing it. When they’re leaving, Brody puts his arm around Avery and she leans into his body. Shannon and Lydia see this happening and are shocked.

 

During lunch when Shannon is asking Avery about Brody, she disses their friendship and Brody overhears it. He spends the rest of the day avoiding her. Avery goes to a place to learn about her adoption. The lady can’t help her though because Avery is under 18. Avery’s adoptive parents have to file a request to see her birth records or Avery has to wait until she is 18. Brody comes to Avery’s house to talk. At one point, they’re close to kissing but Brody shifts and doesn’t kiss her. Avery is starting to realize she has feelings for Brody.

 

Avery’s cheerleading coach is still waiting for her to return back to the squad. She makes a comment that even though Colton and Shannon are doing whatever they’re doing, it shouldn’t come in between Avery and Shannon. Avery is shocked to hear this because she didn’t even know something was going on between them. She sees Shannon and Colton having a very intimate conversation and it all clicks for her. Shannon is obviously ashamed but Colton isn’t. Shannon apologizes to Avery and tells her that will stop if Avery wants her to. She also says that this is recent and wasn’t going on while they were dating. Avery isn’t sure how to feel because it feels like everything is shifting.

 

Avery is at Brody’s house and they find 4 women named Lisa who could be Avery’s mom. Brody finally gets the courage to kiss her. Unlike her kissing Colton, Avery is very in tuned and consumed with this kiss. Avery finds out more information about her birth mother Lisa. She also finds out that Duke has scheduled an interview for her. She asks if her senior project with Brody can be on that same day so the Duke scholar can really like her. Shannon and Lydia invite Brody and Avery to their Christmas party but Avery declines because she doesn’t want to mix Brody with her friends. Oil and water.

 

Colton and Shannon are dating and he’s absolutely smitten. At the party, Avery sees Brody. Lydia saw him in the hallway and told him about it so he told her not to tell Avery so he could surprise her. Lydia also told him about how Avery set up the senior project so that Duke could see it. Brody is hurt by all of this and ends it with Avery because she is one way with him and another way with her parents/friends. Brody tells her that Nora was right about Avery. Nora believed that Avery was “just a cutout who walked and talked and did all the right things, but might as well have been a puppet. However, he still will do the senior presentation with her to make sure she gets into Duke.

 

Avery goes to meet her birth mom Lisa. Lisa isn’t what Avery expected her to be at all. It seems as if she is ashamed of Avery and wants to leave that in the past. Lisa hasn’t even told her husband or her children that she had Avery. She tells Avery that if they found out, everything she worked for would be ruined basically. Avery finally tells her mom everything that she’s done and they have a heart to heart. She decides to change her final presentation

 

She makes it about her trying to impress everybody. Brody and Avery are happily together. Avery gets into Duke and Brody is going to move to New York. Lisa still hasn’t contacted her. The end!

 

Notes:

• I don’t get her being mad at Colton considering he’s acting the way everyone there should be acting. None of the people there really even talked to Nora. At the same time, she’s probably upset at Colton because he didn’t hug her and he’s acting like he’s afraid to touch her.
• We never learned about who wrote that description of her in the beginning of the story. If we did and I missed it, let me know!

Questions:

• How did Shannon know that Colton had broken up with Avery if Avery hadn’t told her?
• Prediction:
  • Avery and Brody are going to start dating and Colton is going to want her back
    • Halfway correct
  • Colton and Shannon are going to start dating
    • Correct