Common Sense Media Review
By Kate Pavao
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Series friends hit college in fast-paced sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In YOLO, the friends readers have gotten to know from titles such as ttfn and l8g8r are back for more texting and instant messaging as they try to support each other through their first year of college at very different schools -- even encouraging each other to say yes to adventures that come their way, because "you only live once." Some of their adventures are well-tread fare, such as Zoe's long-distance boyfriend deciding to break up with her or Maddie's failure to fit in with her roommate and her friends. Meanwhile, Angela wants to go Greek but has doubts about sorority life as she encounters sexist and degrading requirements -- and even has to prevent a violent crime -- as she gets deeper into pledging.
Is It Any Good?
Yolo is a fun, fast-paced book that still will get teens thinking about what it means to be a good friend -- and about what kind of college experience they might want. (Maddie heads to a cool, public California college while Angela stays in Georgia, attending a school with a lot of Greek life; meanwhile, Zoe's in a small, liberal arts college in the Midwest.) Readers may feel that an awful lot happens to these girls before their first Thanksgiving break, some of it pretty outrageous, but, in the end, they'll be glad to see the longtime friends continue to hang in there -- and with each other -- through it all.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about writing a book in instant messages and other written communications. What do you think might be challenging about this format?
Thinking about the three different college experiences the protagonists here have, would you want to go to any of those schools? Parents could use this book to talk about their own concerns about on-campus safety, drinking, and more.
One of the story lines is about an attempted rape during a fraternity party, something that's been covered in real-life news stories. What should colleges be doing to make sure students are safe?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Amulet Books
- Publication date : August 26, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 18
- Number of pages : 208
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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