The Last Little Blue Envelope

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Well, I hadn't had a big dose of chic-lit in quite awhile so that is what's up with this post and the previous one. I have to admit that I am a fan of Johnson's first book 13 Little Blue Envelopes and was happy to go along for the ride in this follow up book, The Last Little Blue Envelope. Heading off with  Ginny on a European adventure is a bit of a lark for me, cottoncandy kind of stuff - great once in a while but I wouldn't want to have it every day.

Here's the summary:

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer travelling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack- and the last little blue envelope inside - she resigned herself to never knowing how it was susposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he has found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure - one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits ... and her heart. This time there are no instructions. 

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

Sixteen-year-old Vasser Spore has her life planned out for the next 15 years, from graduating valedictorian - right through to winning the Pulitzer Prize. Her very scheduled, precisely planned life take a wild turn when her Grandma (who she's never met) sends her airline tickets to join her for the summer in South East Asia. Vassar doesn't have any intention of going, until she overhears a mysterious conversation between her parents and her grandmother. Before she knows it, she's rearranging her well planned summer and making up her AP English class by agreeing to write a novel during her travels in Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos.

The travel part of the book is really what grabbed me. Vassar finally has to give up some of her rigidness and learn to LIM (Live in the moment). Along the way she figures out the mystery between her parents and her grandmother, finds an unexpected boyfriend and decides she can live without having every moment of her life planned out - sometimes the unexpected is fun.

Although it wasn't quite as good as I wanted it to be, I still think this will be a great book for those needing an escape to a foreign country.