The Worst Perfect Moment
Books | Young Adult Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ
Shivaun Plozza
Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this inventive queer romance asks what it means to be truly happy.Tegan Masters is dead. She’s sixteen and she’s dead and she’s standing in the parking lot of the Marybelle Motor Lodge, the single most depressing motel in all of New Jersey and the place where Tegan spent what she remembers as the worst weekend of her life. In the front office, she meets Zelda, an annoyingly cute teen angel with a snarky sense of humor and an epic set of wings. According to Zelda, Tegan is in heaven, where every person inhabits an exact replica of their happiest memory. For Tegan, Zelda insists, that place is the Marybelle—creepy minigolf course, sad breakfast buffet, filthy swimming pool, and all. Tegan has a few complaints about this. When Tegan takes these concerns up with Management, she and Zelda are sent on a whirlwind tour through Tegan’s memories, in search of clues to help her understand what mattered most to her in life. If Zelda fails to convince Tegan (and Management) that the Marybelle was the site of Tegan's perfect moment, both girls face dire eternal consequences. But if she succeeds…they just might get their happily-ever-afterlife. A tender and edgy take on coming of age in the afterlife.Named to the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults ListA Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year"Filled with depth and wit, despite its dark tone . . . exceptionally well written . . . A worthy read about a short life brimming with possibility." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review"Plozza (Meet Me at the Moon Tree) strikes an expert balance between poignancy and irreverence, tackling topics such as death, parental abandonment, and self-worth in this queer romantic comedy that’s as tender as a bruise." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Shivaun Plozza
Pages
320
Publisher
Holiday House
Published Date
2024-05-14
ISBN
0823459349 9780823459346
Community ReviewsSee all
"I was not expecting this book to be as emotional as it was. Most of the sadness was packed right in the middle of the story, so it felt trauma-dumpy at first because most of it was included so it looked like Tegan would lose no matter what happened, but it had such a large impact at the end. It was certainly a unique take on Heaven as well as what true happiness really is. In terms of the more lighthearted parts, I absolutely adored Zelda as a character. She was perfectly snarky and sarcastic, but had a lot of heart. Zelda and Tegan ended up having a cute relationship at the end, but it was really slow burn and the two frequently refused to have an honest conversation and reveal stuff, mostly due to Zelda, so that was kind of frustrating to read through. The other characters were fine, most of them were really important for Tegan’s character development, but I want to really punch Kelvin (and pretty much all of Heaven’s Upper Management.) On another note, this book had some chapters in 3rd person when most of the book was in 1st person perspective, something I find really awkward, but luckily it didn’t happen too much and it was all flashbacks anyway. While it had its flaws, this book was pretty good overall, with a unique storyline and humor, but also plenty of raw emotion and sadness. "
Isabella Quinn
