How Not to Spend Your Senior Year

by Cameron Dokey

Rule #1: If at all possible, don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Specifically, don’t play dead. Trust me on this one. I did it, so I should know.

Jo O’Connor has spent her whole life moving around. When it comes to new schools, there’s not a trick in the book about starting over that Jo doesn’t know. But life is about to teach her a new trick: how to disappear entirely.

Rule #2: Always expect the Spanish Inquisition, no matter what anyone else does.

They have to move again. Now. This very night. Jo knows better than to argue. Her dad is the key witness in a major case against a big-time bad guy. But Jo just can’t resist one last visit to the school where she’s been so happy. All she wants is to say good-bye. That can’t cause any problems, can it?

Rule #3: Never assume you can predict the future.

Now Jo’s one last visit has landed her smack in the middle of a ghost story. Specifically, her own. By the time it’s over, she’ll have a whole new set of rules about what’s real, what’s make-believe, and—most of all—what’s important.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Teen, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2003

About the author

Cameron Dokey is an American author living in Seattle, Washington. She has a collection of over 50 old sci-fi and horror films. Cameron was born in the Central Valley of California. Cameron grew up reading classical literature and mythology, perhaps due to her father, Richard, being a teacher of Philosophy, Creative Writing, and Western Literature.

Cameron has one husband and three cats, and is the author of over a dozen young adult novels. Her favorite read is J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings." Her favorite TV show is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

When she's not writing, Cameron likes to work in the garden and is learning to quilt.

Reviews

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this one. I really liked that the story was so unique and original. I like the idea that Jo and her Dad are in the witness protection program and are constantly “on the run”. It added a nice element to the story and it was fun seeing Jo’s take on transitioning through different schools. On the flip side, it was almost too unbelievable. I can’t say much without giving away details, but I will say that I found it hard to believe that people wouldn’t recognize Jo as Jo (That probably sounds cryptic, but you’ll understand once you read the book). There is a kind of love triangle (or square) going on, and I didn’t really believe in any of it. Jo’s first crush seems to happen a bit too quickly; they never really spend any time together and yet are totally in love. When that doesn’t work out she gets over it a bit too quickly, especially for someone who had been so in love. So, when she falls for someone else it makes me wonder if it’s just a passing thing. Okay, I probably gave away some spoilers there, but really the story is pretty predictable so I probably haven’t ruined anything. Overall, it was an entertaining read, I only wish there had been a little more believability with the plot. I did like the story though, it was upbeat, unique, clean and overall was pretty enjoyable.

[Leela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction from the back of the book does a horrible job describing the book. While it gives the general plot line, it mostly fudges the truth. So let me just say, "no, she does not ACTUALLY die". Its kinda of hard to tell from reading the back.
All in all this book was funny and interesting. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Samrawit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever thought about what life would be like if you had to fake your death and then spend every day with the people you knew before you “died”? Well, Jo O’Connor or Claire Calloway had to do just that in How Not to Spend Your Senior Year by Cameron Dokey. Jo O’Connor was a young girl who lived with her single dad and had to move around for as long as she can remember. Although she never knew exactly and wondered about why she moved so frequently, she always assumed that she and her dad moved because of her dad’s job. But when she founds out why they truly moved, it might just shatter her world. Before Jo “dies,” she decides to pay one last visit to the people she has come to love. That can not do any damage, can it? After Jo supposedly dies and starts going to a new high school, she starts writing for the school paper. Unfortunately, a fellow writer for her school paper, Mark London, starts digging where he should not. Could he possibly find her deepest, darkest secret and expose her?
Honestly, this book is one of the best books I have ever read. This book is filled with mystery, a whole lot of suspense, a little bit of tragedy, and a little bit of romance. It was very suspenseful and such a page-turner that I read the book in one day and could not put it down. Unlike most young adult books, this book had a not-so-predictable ending, which for me is definitely a good thing. Another reason I like this book is that it is pretty realistic and that it could actually happen in real life. Although this book is mostly for young adults, I think people of different ages can relate to it and love it as much as I did. I would definitely recommend people to read this book. Have you ever wished you could start over…as yourself? Then you absolutely have to read this book.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its been a few weeks since I read this book but I can still remember it. In a whole the book was very entertaining, just didn't have the punch I'd hoped for.

Jo is a funny witty character. Her social insight of high school was funny and very true. I like how she didn't have self-pity about moving around and she wasn't mad at her dad over it either. Jo didn't think she was all knowledgeable and cultural because of all the places she had to been either. Now you might suspect her to be all insecure and a pushover but she isn't that either. She’s got a backbone but is nice too (yes you can be both).

The whole setting was interesting. The plot had a steady pace and I laughed all along the way. There were some parts that were just not that upbeat but it ends after a while. The complaint that I have is that the book could've been so much more. It was a short read so I guess that I should have suspected as much. The whole criminal case didn't come up as often as I thought it would but that is not what kept the story from being all it could've been.

I thought it was nice, entertaining, and funny. It a perfectly nice book; it just didn't have as much going on as I was hoping for.

[Sara ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

August 13-14, 2012

Have I not reviewed this book before? Weird! I've read this book several times now, and I love it. It's super cheesy in parts, but who cares! ;)

Basically, this girl and her dad are in witness protection because he witnessed a murder and the bad guy (mobster??) who did it is after them. So they have to move every so often to keep off the radar. Her goal has always been to blend: don't get noticed, don't stand out. But she goes to this new school, and immediately gets noticed by Mr. Popularity, and suddenly, she's cool and has a brand-new boyfriend.... and then they get a call from the feds (or whoever) because the bad guys are onto them and have to move again... and they need to fake their own deaths. (I know! It's great!) Anyway, it all goes downhill from there..... It's implausible and terribly cheesy, but I love it enough to reread it about once every couple years or so! ;)

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

not good, predictable...wishing the main character was true dead and was a real ghost, that would have made this book better. so far dokey keeps striking out...only book of hers worth readingg is repunzel retelling. that book was so wonderful I keep reading more books by dokey hoping that she has written another unique retelling but I keep striking out.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy the romance plot here. I don't think the main character and the person she ends up with were a very good match.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

My whole review didn't fit; I'm getting so tired of that happening! I had examples from the book of Jo's rude, uncalled for attitude, plot inconsistencies, and generally annoying and stupid things.
I scanned through this after i picked it up at the library. It started out ridiculous and didn't draw me in. I wasn't really feeling it in the first few pages.
I didn't like or feel connected in the beginning. It was unrelatable from the get-go, what with the moving around multiple times a year. There's no way anyone can relate to this character.
It started to get good in the scene she met Alex, and I thought this book would be good. & then it started going downhill. And then it was just terrible.
Why are these published? Just stop. Who writes this, who approves it? It's ridiculous, outrageous, completely unrelatable.
The writing is so simple, so juvenile. There's not enough character description; everyone feels so one dimensional. everything is described in this juvenile way; hair color, eye color. then it isn't repeated, so you forget what people look like. They aren't described well at all, so you don't have a good image of them in your head. You actually don't even really get to know anyone. Alex's home life; did he have siblings? Then Mark comes in, and we only know he wants to be a reporter. does he have siblings? what's he interested in? I don't understand the point of writing without giving us more background.
I didn't like the main character. She was the opposite of charming, she was rude, snippy, usually for no reason. Elaine was annoying, also no personality. Alex was good in the scene they met, then I really didn't like him. Mark wasn't built up enough. Kinda flat. They were barely together. Everybody liked people they barely knew. lots of fickle, fast, feelings-at-first-meeting going on, besides Elaine, who's known Alex since kindergarten. everything else was fickle. Idk what the author was thinking when she gave us Jo and Alex's cute first meeting, and then just ruined it.
Terrible book. Some funny moments, that one promising scene with Alex, that one good line from Max after he kisses her and says "That's all I have to say to you." Glad this was a library book, and I didn't buy it. I swear, these books get worse as I go along. Are there no good little 'romantic comedies' anymore? Why are all these books so outrageous, so unrealistic?
So glad to be done with this. (Deep sigh of relief).

[Melissa (Hiatus due to Death in Family) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo O'Connor has never lived in any city for long. She has averaged two to three moves each year since her mother was killed when she was eight. Jo figures that her father just can't handle the grief, so he moves them from place to place when the memories get too strong. But now it's Jo's senior year, and she desperately wants to remain in the same school until she graduates so she can settle down and make friends. Jo and her father move to Seattle. For once they are living in a house rather than an apartment, so she feels hopeful.

On her first day of school, it's love at first sight when Jo meets Alex. He walks her to her classes and introduces her to Elaine, one of his best friends. The girls hit it off and are soon inseparable. Alex kisses Jo, then asks her to the prom. She's walking on air, but when she arrives home, she learns something is terribly wrong. Her father finally comes clean and tells her deep secrets about their many moves. He informs her that they have to disappear forever - as in, pretend they have been killed. This sets off a hilarious chain of events that could only happen to a love-struck teenager. Will Jo ever talk to Elaine and Alex again?

This is a fresh, funny romantic comedy for teens. Since Jo has moved so many times, she has developed a demeanor that lets her blend in with the scenery. After her death, she is forced into the light, so to speak, which allows her to see herself in a different way. The secondary characters round out the story and give it depth. It's easy to relate to Jo, because everyone knows how important it is to have friends and feel a part of things. Readers will sympathize with her story and chuckle along with her mishaps.

This tale is unique. It moves quickly and readers will be entranced by the ending. It's full of adventure, mistaken identities, a ghost story, friendships, and of course, romance. Teens, especially girls, will enjoy spending time reading How NOT to Spend Your Senior Year.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see what people do after you die? Well Jo O'Connor doesn't have to wonder.

As long as Jo can remember she lived her life out of a suitcase and numerous furnished apartments. She never questioned it. It just how things were. Until one day the truth comes out. Her father was a witness to a murder and they basically are on the run. Their deaths are faked, and Jo O'Connor is now Claire Calloway. Jo/Claire just can't leave things the way she left them though. She has to go see her would be "boyfriend" one last time. Unfortunately he mistakes her for a ghost and chaos ensues.

This was so funny. I love books that make me laugh. Dokey has a certain style and it really worked for this character. The plot itself is pretty farfetched, but then again I knew that going in. Jo is very observant which makes sense with how many times she has moved. I was glad to see she didn't have a chip on her shoulder because of this. In lots of YA books we see teengagers with lots of angst which is fine and has it's place. I was just glad to the change in this character. This has little to do with the story but I loved the names. Claire Calloway, Mark London, Alex Crawford, Jo O'Connor just to name a few. They were simple but had a nice ring to them.

I had really wanted to give this a shot since reading some ofCameron Dokey other work (some of the fairy tale retellings). It wasn't bad in anyway it just wasn't new. If I had read it a couple years back I probably would have loved it. It's still worth a read for all the laughs you'll get:D

[Juliet24 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a bad book. I don't know if I'm growing up and out-growing these romance books, but I thought this book was stupid. Maybe it's the author but, it was too perfect and so unrealistic. The writer's voice for the character was really annoying too. There were very few parts where I enjoyed the book and for most of it, I was just trying to get through it. I am a sucker for happy, romantic endings though.

[Akilah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great plot (by which I mean not totally predictable), but the characters are pretty flat. I mean, everything was fine, just a little too on the surface. Also, this never stopped being a bathroom book, so.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started to read becuase I like the author, but I couldn't get into it. Too high schoolish.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Not fantastic, but enjoyable. Definately a girl book. It kept me entertained and i would read another Cameron Dokey book. Quick read.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked this book up until the plot kicked in. It was all downhill from there.

[lunarlibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great chick-lit :)

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

the wasy the book is written is kind of kindergardenish and it leaves out some details.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing about the cover art or title of this book should have gotten my attention as someone well out of high school, but I was nevertheless compelled by some undefined force to not only pick it up from the free book pile at work, but also to read it shortly thereafter. To my astonishment, I even finished it.

Having the pessimistic expectation that this would be absolutely unbearable, I realized early on that, though no work of art, it is at least somewhat entertaining. The dialogue is pretty juvenile in that "no humans ever actually talk like that" kind of way, but the plot is unique, if 100% predictable. The characters are stale, but manage to move the plot due to their unrealistic and rapid acceptance of everything told to them.

I think this novel's worst crime is it's title, honestly; it may be the most uninviting and incongruous book title I've seen in my life. I mean, and the fact that Jo can literally turn the lights off and throw a cloak on and people think she's a ghost... that's a pretty harsh writing crime too.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to anyone, but I wouldn't stop anyone from reading it either. I have no idea what age range this is aimed at, though. The writing style seems to indicate children, but the content points to teenagers. Middle-schoolers, maybe?

[Abbey Fuerst · Rating 5 out of 5]

i recommend reading this book because it is romantic and pretty funny. the story tells about a young girl who moves a lot with her father. she moves from school to school and is pretty antisocial and doesnt put her self out there. the school she is at currently, she falls for a boy named alex and then she finds out her dad is ready to move again. she tries and convinces him that they HAVE to move and he tells her something very shocking!!!

[Selena Hill]

This book wasn't what i expected; i expected list of rules of how not to spend your senior year, but it was about Jo O'Connor and her dad. They move around alot and one day after they'd moved to beacon high they have to leave abruptly because the murderer whose crime Jo's dad witnessed threatened the O'Connors. They move, Jo creates a new identity and attends a different high school and has some crazy "adventures".

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm. Even genre romance deserves better writing and more plausibility. And I know Dokey can do better - after all, I chose to read this fluff because I already know that I like her ideas. But it was still a fun little read. And there were a lot of fresh ideas in it. So, yeah, I did like it, but I can't recommend it.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really liked this!! The story line was really unique and I had a lot of fun reading this book! There were a lot of twists and turns and I didn't expect and I'm overall very satisfied with the plot and ending.

[Gro E. L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am too old of course..

[Amna Alvi · Rating 2 out of 5]

wattpad book nathanial jeans senior year

[Kailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting and a unique story, but I do feel like it could have been a very exciting thriller. The author seemed to focus more on the high school drama than the thrill of the novel.

[Becky Morrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and cute story

[Ruth]

this book i only have three words to describe it - CREEPY,FUNNY & ROMANTIC

[Elaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my favorite from the Simon Pulse romantic comedies collection but it is still pretty meh. Worse than even some of the teeny-bopper movies or tv shows.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright ladies & gentleman, i have officially finished reading this book! yay :) it was a pretty cute and unique book. Quite intriguing!
GRADE : 3.5! and yes.. the 0.5 is necessary!

Alright so here comes the review.. there will be SPOILERS..you've been warned!

Wow so this book was so not how i had thought it would be. When i read the cover.. the "ghost" portion threw me off! However, when i read the book... oh wow did it make sense. This book was pretty different, in the way that i felt kinda "lame"... because... my idea of what this book might be was so OFF!:(

BUT FEAR NOT! this story was cute and there were twists & turns and the fact of how Jo's life was so impacted by the death of her mother really is an integral part of this story & Jo is a really tough cookie!
Jo provides good comic relief with her narration & i give props to her & i am glad she got to live in Old Mrs. Calloway HOUSE! but i really was diggin' CLAIRE! totally intelligent and artistic, working the black clothing, & being LOIS LANE ( thank you, Rob :D )So yea Jo was pretty cool.. totally messed by circumstances but she was alright :)
Her dad is officially my most fav fictional DAD EVER! he is funny, concerned, understanding, & a total blast & the way he loves his daughter is really touching :)

Alex. What can i say? he is like the guy everybody talks about but for some reason i have never met. Nice, athletic. Ya he has the whole blond blue eyed thing down a T ! he was pretty sweet & it was nice that he was in the story. But he needs to be decisive! he is like what, crushing on Jo? But has feelings for Elaine? So i am thinking it was subconscious what he had for Elaine ? but Jo had to be a "ghost" for him to truly realize his emotions? i mean when Jo and Alex kissed i never knew that the "look" he had, meant something more ....hmm... maybe i didn't quite get that part but,I really liked Alex. He'd be a really awesome pal & he deserves someone in this life... which in this case is ELAINE!

Now on to Elaine... well Elaine & I both enjoy Starbucks drinks so that is a plus. She is like one of those people i know, w/o meeting them :P I think it's cute how much her & Alex like and appreciate each other but i gotta say when their relationship happened, it happened & i was surprised it did even though i could somewhat predict it. She had a cute little tendency of being jealous sometimes which i felt was just that.. CUTE! The R&J scene in
drama class was some serious foreshadowing ;) &the prom scene was darling between them!

And Mark London. That name sounds like a force of nature. So i don't really get why Jo and him like each other? i like how the book ends and it is cute but um... well i feel like their relationship just happened out of nowhere i suppose? but it still is cute in a more edgy way, "i hate you, i hate u 2, let's get it on" kinda way... he was intriguing though & i kinda like how Jo is with him.. she is pretty frisky! LAWL! & man if there are 2 things i can say about MARK.... he is persistent & determined!!!

P.S: Didn't anyone else get the part where Mark saw Jo's picture and said "She looks nice." ?!?! HAHA!!!!! i love that part! i think it was the best part imo! if only knew then that Jo was Claire hmm...

So yes, this book was cute & sweet and i think i learned a whole lot more about law than ever before thanks to this book.

Thank you Cameron Dokey,
I reckon i will be reading ur other books:)

GO SIMON ROMANTIC COMEDIES !!! :)

[Dlora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebekah (age 12) was browsing my bookshelh and asked me if she would like this book. I told her I LOVED it, but then I decided that I'd better reread it before I gave it to her because I couldn't quite remember why I liked it so much. On second read, I still really, really like it, though I think Rebekah would do better to wait until she is in high school to read it.
Jo O'Connor has constantly been on the move with her father for as long as she can remember. She usually is the new kid in her class two or three times a year. I am impressed with her adaptability and mature insights about how kids interact. But her senior year in a new school, she suddenly falls in love and doesn't want to move again. I love the dialogue, the funny situations, and most of all, I love the relationship she has with her father. So, you want to know why she has moved so often? Read the book. You'll enjoy it--perhaps a little far-fetched at times, but not so much that it ruins the book for me. A light, fun frolic with excellent relationships between friends and parents.