The Night We Said Yes

Gr 8 Up—When high school senior Ella goes to a party with her best friend, Meg, she has two things on her mind: to see a friend's band play and to forget all about her ex-boyfriend. However, when she meets the new bass player, a slightly geeky but cute boy named Matt, all of that goes out the window. Ella, along with Matt, Meg, and Meg's ex-boyfriend, Jake, decide to have a carefree night where they say yes to almost any suggestion of fun. Matt and Ella's attraction is instantaneous, so when he suddenly moves away six months later, she's devastated. One year later, Matt reappears hoping for a reconciliation by re-creating that magical night. But Ella isn't sure if she should forgive him or move on. Gibaldi effectively captures intense, all-consuming teen attraction—both the good and the groan-inducing. Even though the story is from Ella's perspective, Matt still comes across as almost too good to be true, while her friends Meg and Jake aren't fleshed out. Chapters alternate between Ella and Matt's first interaction one year in the past and Matt's return in present day. Because the events of both nights are so similar, some readers may find the story a bit hard to follow until the last few chapters. While this isn't the deepest of love stories, some teens will still get caught up.