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Drive Me Crazy
Buckle up…
Lana and Cassie have met only once before, at the wedding of Lana’s Grandpa Howe and Cassie’s Grandma Tess two months ago. They didn’t exactly hit it off—in fact, depending on who you ask, that first meeting was either an embarrassment or a disaster—but they’re about to spend an entire week together, just the two of them and their honeymooning grandparents, road-tripping in Cassie’s grandmother’s Subaru.
Lana thinks a summer road trip sounds like fun, but the backseat is a crowded place for two tween girls with two huge secrets to hide, and this bumpy road to friendship is full of unexpected twists and turns. Like it or not, they’re in this together, full speed ahead on the adventure of a lifetime.
Lana and Cassie have met only once before, at the wedding of Lana’s Grandpa Howe and Cassie’s Grandma Tess two months ago. They didn’t exactly hit it off—in fact, depending on who you ask, that first meeting was either an embarrassment or a disaster—but they’re about to spend an entire week together, just the two of them and their honeymooning grandparents, road-tripping in Cassie’s grandmother’s Subaru.
Lana thinks a summer road trip sounds like fun, but the backseat is a crowded place for two tween girls with two huge secrets to hide, and this bumpy road to friendship is full of unexpected twists and turns. Like it or not, they’re in this together, full speed ahead on the adventure of a lifetime.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 28, 2015
About the author
Terra Elan McVoy
12 books277 followersI have been reading and writing, basically, ever since I learned how to, and everything I've done has pretty much been connected to those two things. I went to college at a small, fantastic school (with a super writing program) called St. Andrews Presbyterian College. I got my Master's degree in Creative Writing from Florida State. I have worked as an event coordinator at a major chain bookstore; as a freelance writer; a composition instructor; an editorial assistant at an NYC publisher; as manager of an independent children's bookstore, in Decatur, GA, Little Shop of Stories (where I still work as a bookseller); and as Program Director of the AJC Decatur Book Festival.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 16, 2017
This book is about Lana and Cassie. They met at their grandma's and grandpa's wedding. They both have different interest and friend groups. Cassie has very popular friends and Lana doesn't have popular friends. This book is amazing and i'd recommend this to other teenagers.
March 21, 2015
This is a story told in alternate chapters by Lana and Carrie. The two are thrown together on a road trip with their honeymooning grandparents. They met for the first time at their grandparents' wedding. Lana thought that they had a chance to become good friends and was looking forward to the trip. Carrie isn't interested in being friends. Carrie is too busy trying to keep in touch with her new group of friends.
Lana is trying to have fun but she is also very worried about her mother. She has been having lots of headaches and Lana is certain that her parents are keeping something from her. Naturally, she fears the worst. What if her mother has cancer and is going to die? She is trying very hard to hide her fears from her grandparents and pretend that she is having a great time on their trip.
When the girls can forget about their other worries, they do have fun touring Hearst Castle, going to an amusement park, and doing other touristy things. But the tensions grow between the girls and they spend a lot of the trip not talking. I had a hard time empathizing with Carrie's obsession with some friends who didn't seem very nice or very kind. I had a little more sympathy when she was thinking about the fight she had with her former best friend Fiona which sent her looking for new friends.
I liked Lana a lot. I liked her caring relationship with her parents and I liked her delight in spending time with her grandparents. I thought her relationship with her Grandpa Howe was especially good. I could understand her worry about her mother and could also understand why parents might want to protect a twelve-year-old by not telling her what was happening.
This was an excellent story. I came to like both girls and the friendship they built.
Lana is trying to have fun but she is also very worried about her mother. She has been having lots of headaches and Lana is certain that her parents are keeping something from her. Naturally, she fears the worst. What if her mother has cancer and is going to die? She is trying very hard to hide her fears from her grandparents and pretend that she is having a great time on their trip.
When the girls can forget about their other worries, they do have fun touring Hearst Castle, going to an amusement park, and doing other touristy things. But the tensions grow between the girls and they spend a lot of the trip not talking. I had a hard time empathizing with Carrie's obsession with some friends who didn't seem very nice or very kind. I had a little more sympathy when she was thinking about the fight she had with her former best friend Fiona which sent her looking for new friends.
I liked Lana a lot. I liked her caring relationship with her parents and I liked her delight in spending time with her grandparents. I thought her relationship with her Grandpa Howe was especially good. I could understand her worry about her mother and could also understand why parents might want to protect a twelve-year-old by not telling her what was happening.
This was an excellent story. I came to like both girls and the friendship they built.
February 27, 2016
There are two types of middle-grade books: books about kids that also have potential value for adults, and books written exclusively for kids. I know a lot more about MG science fiction and fantasy than I do about MG kids books, but from what I can tell, the contemporary MG books with value for adults tend to be problem novels, particularly about disability. The ones written exclusively for kids, on the other hand, tend to stick to a few basic topics. If they're for boys, they tend to be 'funny' (I use that term loosely) stories about socially awkward losers, in the style of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If they're for girls, they tend to be excessively girly, usually about social situations and popularity - they might also have some sort of added appeal, like horses or road trips. Which brings us to McVoy's most recent novel. This is McVoy's MG debut, after a few years of writing YA. I do like McVoy as a YA author, but while she's writing about something that should fit her strengths, it's not a topic that interests me, and she doesn't execute it as well as she could've.
The thing is, I don't really like MG contemporary that much, whether it's for boys or girls, when it doesn't have value for adults. The reason is obvious - I'm not a kid anymore. Books made to speak to a kid's viewpoint don't interest me. Maybe I could respect this in a 'You do you, I'll do me' way, if not for the fact that these books tend to be so poorly written. Until the last few years, the protagonists of these books have almost always been teenagers, rather than the same age as the target audience. Even with the new trend of having the protagonists be twelve or thirteen, it still feels like these books aren't really about their target audience - twelve or thirteen is the absolute oldest age I can imagine someone finding value in this book. This book is really made for 6-11 year-olds, and when it speaks to their worldview, it's portraying how teenagers look to young kids. Cassie and Lana aren't real people, and they're not in real social situations. To be fair, McVoy does seem to be making some effort to avoid exaggeration - this certainly rings more true to me than something like Canterwood Crest. But the ultimate problem is still the same: this book is selling a fantasy, more than any sort of reality. Being twelve in this novel sounds awesome, even with the conflicts that these characters have. It's about going on a fun road trip, and getting to see all sorts of cool things. While there are conflicts, they feel very much secondary to the overall mood.
Maybe this wouldn't be such a problem if someone other than McVoy were writing this. But here's the thing about McVoy: her style was already incredibly light. She has written a couple darker novels, but for the most part, her books are fluffy and fun. The emotional conflicts tend to be very low-stakes, and the overall tone is always light and semi-comedic. This can work, when she's writing about characters that feel like real people, and she's trying to speak to real situations that teenagers go through. But this genre encourages McVoy to make her characters less well-developed, and to make the tone even lighter and fluffier than before. The result is so over-saturated that the paper might as well literally be made of sugar. I do want to emphasize that this wasn't as big of a disaster as it could've been. McVoy seems to be aware of the problem, so she had Lana and Cassie fight for most of the ride rather than be the BFFs I expected them to be. Lana also spends a large portion of the trip worrying that her mother is seriously ill, although this sub-plot didn't work for me nearly as well as the conflict between Lana and Cassie. It felt incredibly forced and out-of-place, with an obvious ending.
Ultimately, the reason neither of these sub-plots worked to make the mood any less frivolous is that neither Cassie nor Lana feels like a real person. Their personalities feel like sanitized versions of more messy and complex characters from McVoy's good novels. Cassie has the same vapidness as Becca from After the Kiss, but because Cassie's situation feels less real than Becca's, I never really came to feel any sympathy for her. Likewise, Lana is just as fun-loving and idealistic as Daisy from The Summer of Firsts and Lasts, and... there's really not much else to say about her character, to be honest. I didn't think she was compelling when she was named Daisy (SOFAL was one of McVoy's weaker novels), and I certainly don't think she's compelling here. Moreover, this book has the exact same problem that SOFAL had: Lana and Cassie's narrative voices are completely identical. Which makes sense, because their purpose isn't really to be separate characters in the narrative. Their purpose is to be stand-ins for the type of person a young girl would want to be as a teenager.
If I'm being honest, I'm not sure if this book even works for its target audience. The aforementioned sub-plots, while not at all compelling, might be too distracting from the fantasy. But either way, it definitely doesn't work for me, and I can't imagine it working for anyone over thirteen. Turns out, even when it's a talented author writing it, I don't want to read a book that's meant to mainly have value for young kids. At best, it'll be like 11 Birthdays, where the plot will at least be well-written enough to make the book inoffensive. At worst, you get something like Canterwood Crest, where the author doesn't even care enough to write readable prose or a decent dramatic structure. This falls somewhere in the middle - the prose, while not effective, at least works on a sentence level, and the characterization is occasionally compelling. But this is probably McVoy's weakest novel - it has all of the frivolousness and forgetability of her YA novels, without any of the depth or characterization.
This review can also be found on my blog.
The thing is, I don't really like MG contemporary that much, whether it's for boys or girls, when it doesn't have value for adults. The reason is obvious - I'm not a kid anymore. Books made to speak to a kid's viewpoint don't interest me. Maybe I could respect this in a 'You do you, I'll do me' way, if not for the fact that these books tend to be so poorly written. Until the last few years, the protagonists of these books have almost always been teenagers, rather than the same age as the target audience. Even with the new trend of having the protagonists be twelve or thirteen, it still feels like these books aren't really about their target audience - twelve or thirteen is the absolute oldest age I can imagine someone finding value in this book. This book is really made for 6-11 year-olds, and when it speaks to their worldview, it's portraying how teenagers look to young kids. Cassie and Lana aren't real people, and they're not in real social situations. To be fair, McVoy does seem to be making some effort to avoid exaggeration - this certainly rings more true to me than something like Canterwood Crest. But the ultimate problem is still the same: this book is selling a fantasy, more than any sort of reality. Being twelve in this novel sounds awesome, even with the conflicts that these characters have. It's about going on a fun road trip, and getting to see all sorts of cool things. While there are conflicts, they feel very much secondary to the overall mood.
Maybe this wouldn't be such a problem if someone other than McVoy were writing this. But here's the thing about McVoy: her style was already incredibly light. She has written a couple darker novels, but for the most part, her books are fluffy and fun. The emotional conflicts tend to be very low-stakes, and the overall tone is always light and semi-comedic. This can work, when she's writing about characters that feel like real people, and she's trying to speak to real situations that teenagers go through. But this genre encourages McVoy to make her characters less well-developed, and to make the tone even lighter and fluffier than before. The result is so over-saturated that the paper might as well literally be made of sugar. I do want to emphasize that this wasn't as big of a disaster as it could've been. McVoy seems to be aware of the problem, so she had Lana and Cassie fight for most of the ride rather than be the BFFs I expected them to be. Lana also spends a large portion of the trip worrying that her mother is seriously ill, although this sub-plot didn't work for me nearly as well as the conflict between Lana and Cassie. It felt incredibly forced and out-of-place, with an obvious ending.
Ultimately, the reason neither of these sub-plots worked to make the mood any less frivolous is that neither Cassie nor Lana feels like a real person. Their personalities feel like sanitized versions of more messy and complex characters from McVoy's good novels. Cassie has the same vapidness as Becca from After the Kiss, but because Cassie's situation feels less real than Becca's, I never really came to feel any sympathy for her. Likewise, Lana is just as fun-loving and idealistic as Daisy from The Summer of Firsts and Lasts, and... there's really not much else to say about her character, to be honest. I didn't think she was compelling when she was named Daisy (SOFAL was one of McVoy's weaker novels), and I certainly don't think she's compelling here. Moreover, this book has the exact same problem that SOFAL had: Lana and Cassie's narrative voices are completely identical. Which makes sense, because their purpose isn't really to be separate characters in the narrative. Their purpose is to be stand-ins for the type of person a young girl would want to be as a teenager.
If I'm being honest, I'm not sure if this book even works for its target audience. The aforementioned sub-plots, while not at all compelling, might be too distracting from the fantasy. But either way, it definitely doesn't work for me, and I can't imagine it working for anyone over thirteen. Turns out, even when it's a talented author writing it, I don't want to read a book that's meant to mainly have value for young kids. At best, it'll be like 11 Birthdays, where the plot will at least be well-written enough to make the book inoffensive. At worst, you get something like Canterwood Crest, where the author doesn't even care enough to write readable prose or a decent dramatic structure. This falls somewhere in the middle - the prose, while not effective, at least works on a sentence level, and the characterization is occasionally compelling. But this is probably McVoy's weakest novel - it has all of the frivolousness and forgetability of her YA novels, without any of the depth or characterization.
This review can also be found on my blog.
January 16, 2016
This book was AMAZING! In the beginning I wasn't so into it but it gets a lot better after about 50 pg's or so. I could not put this book down, so I ended up reading it in one day! though it took me a while to read, it was totally worth it! I would reccomend this to any teenage girl.
March 10, 2015
Is swearing at a MG frowned upon?
June 9, 2017
I thought it was an amazing story about friendship. I loved this book. I thought it was an amazing book. I loved this book. My favorite part was when they went to the carnival.
April 8, 2015
What an incredible book for middle graders and tweens! Targeted toward those ages 8-12 (grades 3-7), Drive Me Crazy was filled with the up and down emotions and the back and forth thought processes of two very different girls who were brought together for a super special adventure. I loved it!
My Thoughts...
Initial Meeting ->
Lana: From the start, I adored this character. Lana came across as a brave and wise old soul. She was bright, optimistic, intuitive, and compassionate. I loved the fact that she was so family-oriented. She seemed to care alot about making memories and cherishing what she had been given. She had a great relationship with her parents and her grandparents. She had integrity and strived to do the right thing, even in difficult situations. I felt very protective of this character.
Cassie: Almost immediately upon meeting Cassie, I have to say that I did not necessarily like her. She was almost the exact opposite of Lana. She seemed superficial and shallow. She lacked substance and tended to care more about the opinions of others. She complained a lot. She subscribed to the social clique mentality. She came across as selfish and competitive.
As the Story Moved Forward ->
Lana: Boy, oh boy! Who knew Lana was dealing with all of that? Her strength was noteworthy, especially for one so young. I found it interesting how aware she was of the circumstances at home, but I also found it interesting how she held back a part of her truth regarding what was going on at home. For one so courageous and expressive (of sorts), it was hard not to notice that she did not take the direct path. That was interesting. I could not help but think how peculiar. Dealing with what she had to deal with on top of dealing with Cassie on top attempting to make this trip the best trip ever was...whew. This young girl was on the cusp of maturity, while still trying to navigate that delicate place of in between, where you are still considered to be a little girl and yet you are not.
Cassie: The pressures and emotions that go along with being young while growing older, this was Cassie's story. Already at her tender age, she has had to deal with loss, betrayal, social tension, academic rivalry, sibling angst, and more. Not to excuse her behavior, but as the story progressed, I can say that I definitely understood her more. Wow! She too, much like Lana, was at a major point of transition in her life. Not a girl, but not yet a woman (:-), she had a lot coming at her. She did not want to sink under it all. Yes, she tended to be more concerned about herself than others at times, but she was, in my opinion, still trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted while attempting to gain ground in the popularity dance that goes with growing up.
By the End of the Story ->
Lana: From the cupcakes on, I was totally crying.
Cassie: Who knew Maine could be so magical? (in more ways than one)
Supporting Characters: I loved Grandpa Howe and Grandma Tess so much! They were three different kinds of a hoot and a holler. Lana's parents were dealing with a lot and my heart went out to them. Lana's friends seemed genuine and comfortable in their own skin. (Although they were not mentioned much, they still had a presence that helped to shape Lana's story.) Cassie's parents were a hard read, but her brother was...a typical brother. Cassie's "friends," on the other hand, were so NOT! I was extremely curious about Fiona though. (Good or bad, this character had something that captured my attention in a big way.)
There is so much more that I want to say and that I could say about this story, but I don't want to ruin it for the readers. This book has substance and depth. It speaks a language that middle graders and tweens will be able to relate to. It also presents itself in such a way that parents can be assured that there kids are not being exposed to tainted fluff.
I am elated that such a clean and meaty book is available for this age group. I would highly recommend it.
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: Ages 8-12, Grades 3-7
Status: Clean
Conflict/Drama: Yes
Family/Life Lessons: Yes
Relevant for Targeted Age Group: Yes
Other: Family Read Aloud, Tween Talk Group, School Library, Middle Grade Book Club, Gift
Series Worthy: Yes
My Thoughts...
Initial Meeting ->
Lana: From the start, I adored this character. Lana came across as a brave and wise old soul. She was bright, optimistic, intuitive, and compassionate. I loved the fact that she was so family-oriented. She seemed to care alot about making memories and cherishing what she had been given. She had a great relationship with her parents and her grandparents. She had integrity and strived to do the right thing, even in difficult situations. I felt very protective of this character.
Cassie: Almost immediately upon meeting Cassie, I have to say that I did not necessarily like her. She was almost the exact opposite of Lana. She seemed superficial and shallow. She lacked substance and tended to care more about the opinions of others. She complained a lot. She subscribed to the social clique mentality. She came across as selfish and competitive.
As the Story Moved Forward ->
Lana: Boy, oh boy! Who knew Lana was dealing with all of that? Her strength was noteworthy, especially for one so young. I found it interesting how aware she was of the circumstances at home, but I also found it interesting how she held back a part of her truth regarding what was going on at home. For one so courageous and expressive (of sorts), it was hard not to notice that she did not take the direct path. That was interesting. I could not help but think how peculiar. Dealing with what she had to deal with on top of dealing with Cassie on top attempting to make this trip the best trip ever was...whew. This young girl was on the cusp of maturity, while still trying to navigate that delicate place of in between, where you are still considered to be a little girl and yet you are not.
Cassie: The pressures and emotions that go along with being young while growing older, this was Cassie's story. Already at her tender age, she has had to deal with loss, betrayal, social tension, academic rivalry, sibling angst, and more. Not to excuse her behavior, but as the story progressed, I can say that I definitely understood her more. Wow! She too, much like Lana, was at a major point of transition in her life. Not a girl, but not yet a woman (:-), she had a lot coming at her. She did not want to sink under it all. Yes, she tended to be more concerned about herself than others at times, but she was, in my opinion, still trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted while attempting to gain ground in the popularity dance that goes with growing up.
By the End of the Story ->
Lana: From the cupcakes on, I was totally crying.
Cassie: Who knew Maine could be so magical? (in more ways than one)
Supporting Characters: I loved Grandpa Howe and Grandma Tess so much! They were three different kinds of a hoot and a holler. Lana's parents were dealing with a lot and my heart went out to them. Lana's friends seemed genuine and comfortable in their own skin. (Although they were not mentioned much, they still had a presence that helped to shape Lana's story.) Cassie's parents were a hard read, but her brother was...a typical brother. Cassie's "friends," on the other hand, were so NOT! I was extremely curious about Fiona though. (Good or bad, this character had something that captured my attention in a big way.)
There is so much more that I want to say and that I could say about this story, but I don't want to ruin it for the readers. This book has substance and depth. It speaks a language that middle graders and tweens will be able to relate to. It also presents itself in such a way that parents can be assured that there kids are not being exposed to tainted fluff.
I am elated that such a clean and meaty book is available for this age group. I would highly recommend it.
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: Ages 8-12, Grades 3-7
Status: Clean
Conflict/Drama: Yes
Family/Life Lessons: Yes
Relevant for Targeted Age Group: Yes
Other: Family Read Aloud, Tween Talk Group, School Library, Middle Grade Book Club, Gift
Series Worthy: Yes
July 20, 2015
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A trip across country, filled with adventure, family, friendship and coming to terms with yourself and life.
Opening Sentence: “Wonderful is the only word to I can use to describe it.”
The Review:
This story is told in alternating chapters from Lana and Cassie’s viewpoints. It starts off in Lana’s viewpoint and immediately we get how excited she is to be on the trip with her grandparents, and for chance to really become friends with Cassie. Despite Lana’s worries about her mom she is sure this going to be the best trip of her life. Lana’s mother is sick, but no one is sure how bad. Just as quick when I first read the chapter by Cassie it becomes clear how different the girls are on just about everything. Cassie has recently fallen out with her best friend and fallen in with the popular girls. Cassie and Lana don’t agree on anything but despite that they always seem to find some way to connect.
One of those most interesting things about this book and part of why I loved it is the struggle Cassie goes through in this book. She has taken on the persona of a kind of shallow selfish girl to be like the new friends she has just made, but it isn’t long before we find that she is constantly questioning herself and her choices. I think that we all go through that, not necessarily the same way, but I feel that is a normal struggle in high school. Are our friends really “friends”, who do we want to be, how we treat others, and the people we are drawn too. Lana really helps Cassie on this journey a lot of times simply by just being herself. Now Lana was hands down my favorite, she is a person who chooses to focus on joy, on being real and trying to have as much fun as she can. Her story is really poignant as well, Lana knows her parents sent her on this trip because her mom is sick and they are trying to figure it all out and not worry her while they do it.
Lana doesn’t tell Cassie what is going on, initially I think because she doesn’t want anyone’s pity and she would rather focus on making the trip special instead of adding sadness too it. After that I think she wants to but through a bunch of wasted chances really doesn’t get too. Cassie does find out about it and gets really hurt, which leads to a big misunderstanding between them. However, that misunderstanding leads Cassie to truly figure out who she is and the kind of person she wants to be. This is a beautiful story about friendship and family. I can’t do this review without saying that I seriously want to go to the End of the Road myself, it just sounded so magical. It’s a place that Lana’s parents have been and her Grandpa Howe has been there as well with his first wife. Lana and Cassie are traveling with Lana’s natural grandpa and Cassie’s grandmother who are newly married to each other.
I also have to rave just a bit about Grandpa Howe, and Grandma Tess, seriously they rock. They are so outgoing, understanding and frankly very cool in my eyes. I mean they are on their honeymoon and taking their granddaughters along with them, for a couple of reasons I think they fully intended for Cassie and Lana to bond on the trip, but it is also an opportunity for all of them to get to know each other and really blend the family. It’s really a unique look at blended families from a viewpoint we don’t get to see that often. Sigh, I won’t lie, this book was pretty great; I was hooked from the start, loved the adventures, both the girls and even cried a little.
Notable Scene:
“Her friends at home, they aren’t as understanding as we are.”
“I eke out a small smile, but no amount of dessert tomorrow, or the rest of this trip, will sweeten the bitter fear inside me.”
“We both know without saying that mom could use a little magic.”
FTC Advisory: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Drive Me Crazy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A trip across country, filled with adventure, family, friendship and coming to terms with yourself and life.
Opening Sentence: “Wonderful is the only word to I can use to describe it.”
The Review:
This story is told in alternating chapters from Lana and Cassie’s viewpoints. It starts off in Lana’s viewpoint and immediately we get how excited she is to be on the trip with her grandparents, and for chance to really become friends with Cassie. Despite Lana’s worries about her mom she is sure this going to be the best trip of her life. Lana’s mother is sick, but no one is sure how bad. Just as quick when I first read the chapter by Cassie it becomes clear how different the girls are on just about everything. Cassie has recently fallen out with her best friend and fallen in with the popular girls. Cassie and Lana don’t agree on anything but despite that they always seem to find some way to connect.
One of those most interesting things about this book and part of why I loved it is the struggle Cassie goes through in this book. She has taken on the persona of a kind of shallow selfish girl to be like the new friends she has just made, but it isn’t long before we find that she is constantly questioning herself and her choices. I think that we all go through that, not necessarily the same way, but I feel that is a normal struggle in high school. Are our friends really “friends”, who do we want to be, how we treat others, and the people we are drawn too. Lana really helps Cassie on this journey a lot of times simply by just being herself. Now Lana was hands down my favorite, she is a person who chooses to focus on joy, on being real and trying to have as much fun as she can. Her story is really poignant as well, Lana knows her parents sent her on this trip because her mom is sick and they are trying to figure it all out and not worry her while they do it.
Lana doesn’t tell Cassie what is going on, initially I think because she doesn’t want anyone’s pity and she would rather focus on making the trip special instead of adding sadness too it. After that I think she wants to but through a bunch of wasted chances really doesn’t get too. Cassie does find out about it and gets really hurt, which leads to a big misunderstanding between them. However, that misunderstanding leads Cassie to truly figure out who she is and the kind of person she wants to be. This is a beautiful story about friendship and family. I can’t do this review without saying that I seriously want to go to the End of the Road myself, it just sounded so magical. It’s a place that Lana’s parents have been and her Grandpa Howe has been there as well with his first wife. Lana and Cassie are traveling with Lana’s natural grandpa and Cassie’s grandmother who are newly married to each other.
I also have to rave just a bit about Grandpa Howe, and Grandma Tess, seriously they rock. They are so outgoing, understanding and frankly very cool in my eyes. I mean they are on their honeymoon and taking their granddaughters along with them, for a couple of reasons I think they fully intended for Cassie and Lana to bond on the trip, but it is also an opportunity for all of them to get to know each other and really blend the family. It’s really a unique look at blended families from a viewpoint we don’t get to see that often. Sigh, I won’t lie, this book was pretty great; I was hooked from the start, loved the adventures, both the girls and even cried a little.
Notable Scene:
“Her friends at home, they aren’t as understanding as we are.”
“I eke out a small smile, but no amount of dessert tomorrow, or the rest of this trip, will sweeten the bitter fear inside me.”
“We both know without saying that mom could use a little magic.”
FTC Advisory: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Drive Me Crazy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
February 22, 2015
So very sweet. Love the two very different POVs - both honest and true, in their own ways.
March 28, 2016
I love this book SO SO much! I've read it about 3 times or something... its great.
July 14, 2016
I definitely recommend this book to anyone! It is amazing to walk through the characters and Thier feelings. I wish there was a sequel!
June 1, 2016
Good book with conflicts, interesting characters, and great plot line.
January 14, 2019
I'm not even sure where to begin with this book. I'll start with the easy part. Plot summary. Cassie and Lana are step cousins. Lana's Grandpa Howe has recently married Cassie's Grandma Tess (although Cassie calls her Nona). The elder newlyweds are doing a California road trip for their honeymoon and have invited the girls along. Lana is excited even though she's worried that her mom's headaches are the reason her parents wanted her to go. Cassie is dead set against it, but has no choice. Both girls met at the wedding and came away with a different opinion of the other girl. Lana likes Cassie and can't wait to spend time with her. Cassie can't stand Lana and only wants to get back to her superficial friends before she loses them.
Here are some of the problems.
1. All the characters are flat as pancakes. Their personalities are stereotypical with no defining qualities. Character development is nonexistent.
2. The places they visit on the road trip are forgettable, boring, barely described.
3. When the trip is almost over, the grandparents decide 'Hey. Let's keep this road trip going and drive across the country to Maine, with no advance planning, whether the kids want to or not, in the last 50 pages of the book.' Random plot twist.
4. Lana is on board with the trip to Maine. If she can skip a rock 7 times across the water where her grandfather grew up, she can get a wish for her mother. This is so unrealistic. If a girl just found out her mother is going into surgery for a brain tumor, she would tie her grandparents up and turn the car around herself.
So many other road trip books to choose and one of the best was just published. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart.
Here are some of the problems.
1. All the characters are flat as pancakes. Their personalities are stereotypical with no defining qualities. Character development is nonexistent.
2. The places they visit on the road trip are forgettable, boring, barely described.
3. When the trip is almost over, the grandparents decide 'Hey. Let's keep this road trip going and drive across the country to Maine, with no advance planning, whether the kids want to or not, in the last 50 pages of the book.' Random plot twist.
4. Lana is on board with the trip to Maine. If she can skip a rock 7 times across the water where her grandfather grew up, she can get a wish for her mother. This is so unrealistic. If a girl just found out her mother is going into surgery for a brain tumor, she would tie her grandparents up and turn the car around herself.
So many other road trip books to choose and one of the best was just published. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart.
May 14, 2017
Book 15
In this book Lana's grandfather and Cassie's grandmother are going on a road trip for their honeymoon, and they are taking Cassie and Lana with them. Lana is super excited to see her new step cousin Cassie again because they have only met once at their grandparents wedding. Cassie on the other hand does not want to go and miss out on all the juicy gossip between her friends. A least she has her phone, or so she thinks. Cassie and Lana may have their ups and downs but they have to work together in the end.
In this book it didn't have much figurative language but I was able to find a few sentences. The first sentence I found was a simile that says, "so the waiter delivers our drinks- Cassie's is as blue as a smurf and mine has a huge skewer of bananas and pineapple pocking out the top"(McVoy 52). A couple pages later I found a metaphor that reads, " I watch her face-how the taffy light makes her skin and eyes glow, even though she sounds a little sad"(60). The rest of the examples I found were alliterations, the first one says, "but what she doesn't know is that she should also be upset with me"(177). The next alliteration is found a few pages after and it reads, "before long we are navigating to a small store called Time Tested Books"(205). The very last alliteration says, "Straight shooter that's good"(219).
This was such a good book and I like most of it but some parts made me mad. I liked how the author had it transitioning from Cassie and Lana's points of view. I didn't like how Lana was trying to be nice to Cassie, and Cassie was being super mean in return. The author could have worked on some of the wording in the book. The book had a lot of adventures taking place and I loved that. Everyone in the book was upbeat and excited, but Cassie just had such a bad attitude and took it out on everyone else which was really mean and annoying. I would read this again if I had to but probably not willingly. It had a lot of weird things going on that didn't make sense, it was alright.
In this book Lana's grandfather and Cassie's grandmother are going on a road trip for their honeymoon, and they are taking Cassie and Lana with them. Lana is super excited to see her new step cousin Cassie again because they have only met once at their grandparents wedding. Cassie on the other hand does not want to go and miss out on all the juicy gossip between her friends. A least she has her phone, or so she thinks. Cassie and Lana may have their ups and downs but they have to work together in the end.
In this book it didn't have much figurative language but I was able to find a few sentences. The first sentence I found was a simile that says, "so the waiter delivers our drinks- Cassie's is as blue as a smurf and mine has a huge skewer of bananas and pineapple pocking out the top"(McVoy 52). A couple pages later I found a metaphor that reads, " I watch her face-how the taffy light makes her skin and eyes glow, even though she sounds a little sad"(60). The rest of the examples I found were alliterations, the first one says, "but what she doesn't know is that she should also be upset with me"(177). The next alliteration is found a few pages after and it reads, "before long we are navigating to a small store called Time Tested Books"(205). The very last alliteration says, "Straight shooter that's good"(219).
This was such a good book and I like most of it but some parts made me mad. I liked how the author had it transitioning from Cassie and Lana's points of view. I didn't like how Lana was trying to be nice to Cassie, and Cassie was being super mean in return. The author could have worked on some of the wording in the book. The book had a lot of adventures taking place and I loved that. Everyone in the book was upbeat and excited, but Cassie just had such a bad attitude and took it out on everyone else which was really mean and annoying. I would read this again if I had to but probably not willingly. It had a lot of weird things going on that didn't make sense, it was alright.
May 23, 2017
This is more like 2.5 stars for me. Although I frequently adore middle grade books and still try to read beyond my own personal interests to find good recommendations for students, this book fits into the category of books that didn't really do much for me, but which would likely be very popular with some student groups. I found it predictable, without anything fresh or interesting to offer. On the other hand, a middle class American journey through middle school friendships with a balance of family relationships blended in - that's a relatable mix for many readers who are looking to be understood and to find themselves in stories.
Lana and Cassie both suffer from being reasonably stereotypical, in order to set their alternating chapter viewpoints more clearly at odds from each other. Cassie is difficult to like, and Lana is not as realistic in her early chapters as she is in her later chapters - at first, even Lana's chapters seem as if we are seeing Lana from Cassie's - or some other fairly disapproving - point of view.
I really like the idea of having inter-generational relationships depicted with the grandparent road trip, but this is definitely a bit of escapism - they have all the money they need to do whatever they feel like doing in a given moment. Their moments of fun are generally forced, in my view - not a lot of "keep" humor that made this especially memorable.
The thing that saves this book for its intended audience is that it isn't terribly unique or strange - no magic powers or unbelievable talents (except for the luxury of funds and time), so readers who are lonely or struggling with their own friend drama might find it very comforting to see that people can survive fights and bad relationship choices.
Lana and Cassie both suffer from being reasonably stereotypical, in order to set their alternating chapter viewpoints more clearly at odds from each other. Cassie is difficult to like, and Lana is not as realistic in her early chapters as she is in her later chapters - at first, even Lana's chapters seem as if we are seeing Lana from Cassie's - or some other fairly disapproving - point of view.
I really like the idea of having inter-generational relationships depicted with the grandparent road trip, but this is definitely a bit of escapism - they have all the money they need to do whatever they feel like doing in a given moment. Their moments of fun are generally forced, in my view - not a lot of "keep" humor that made this especially memorable.
The thing that saves this book for its intended audience is that it isn't terribly unique or strange - no magic powers or unbelievable talents (except for the luxury of funds and time), so readers who are lonely or struggling with their own friend drama might find it very comforting to see that people can survive fights and bad relationship choices.
April 29, 2021
First off, I'd like to thank the author, Terra McVoy, for attending my book club, and for mailing me and the other members (the other members and I? I don't even know, that's the one thing in grammar I can never remember) signed bookmarks! Now, onto my review:
This book isn't really the kind of book I find myself reading often, simply because I don't particularly care for the "enemies turned friends" theme, and it's definitely not written for the age range I typically prefer. The only reason I read it to begin with was because my friend loved it and asked her to come to our book club meeting to talk about the book. Imagine my surprise when I found I actually really liked it! The humor wasn't the childish type that I had been expecting, and instead it was kind of an "all ages" type of humor.
The developing friendship between the two main characters actually felt like a friendship I've had with people, versus the classic overwritten and unbelievable friendship I've found in other books in this genre. So, I'd definitely say, read this book despite what your first impression of it may be, and I think you may be pleasantly surprised.
This book isn't really the kind of book I find myself reading often, simply because I don't particularly care for the "enemies turned friends" theme, and it's definitely not written for the age range I typically prefer. The only reason I read it to begin with was because my friend loved it and asked her to come to our book club meeting to talk about the book. Imagine my surprise when I found I actually really liked it! The humor wasn't the childish type that I had been expecting, and instead it was kind of an "all ages" type of humor.
The developing friendship between the two main characters actually felt like a friendship I've had with people, versus the classic overwritten and unbelievable friendship I've found in other books in this genre. So, I'd definitely say, read this book despite what your first impression of it may be, and I think you may be pleasantly surprised.
June 17, 2025
started this book because i had just finished She Drives Me Crazy, and i glanced at my bookshelf and realized that not only did they have very similar names (very different vibes though) but i had never read this despite it being in my bookshelf for probably almost a decade.
anyway! really enjoyed this!! very cute and a lovely little story of the friendships and family relationships of young girls. i also loved the california setting as a california girl myself :)
anyway! really enjoyed this!! very cute and a lovely little story of the friendships and family relationships of young girls. i also loved the california setting as a california girl myself :)
November 9, 2018
This book was so fun to read. Also, this book was an emotional roller coaster, for example, Lana's mom's health which was always suspicious. But throughout the story, Cassie and Lana's relationship is even more complicated. But through all the differences and complication they finally learn how to be happy and have fun together. Towards the end of the story, I enjoyed Cassie and Lana's relationship a lot more than in the beginning that's why I rated it 4 stars.
September 4, 2020
"Drive me crazy" is a really good book. Lana age 12 a sweet quiet girl is going on a road trip along with Cassie age 12 a louder addicted to her phone girl. They have only met once at Lana's Grandpa Howe's wedding with Cassie's Grandma Tess. Rule number 1.) No annoying questions) 2.) Act like friends in front of the Grandparents. 2 week vacation..it is going to be a bumpy road, but what the girls are not expecting is lifelong friendship.
March 24, 2022
I bought this book used, in hope for a good read. I’ve been out of stories to read, and I love first-person diary-like books. This story was so unique and cute, I loved the trail it followed. Of course, Cassie’s a bit rude, and she doesn’t show a good influence for younger readers, but Lana’s the kindest. She’s mature and sweet.
May 9, 2024
This is book is about two cousins who are the same age going on a trip with there grandparents when they met at there grandparents wedding they didn’t like each other they had a few fights but in the end they became best friends and they found there true friends and they learned that friends come and go but family is forever
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2020
I loved this book. I got it sent to me and then picked it up one day. I really enjoyed it and I felt with the characters and felt as if I was in the moment and if it was a sad moment I was sad but if it was a happy moment I was happy.
November 4, 2020
This book is great. It alternates between Cassie and Lana, so if you don't like those kinds of books, don't read this one. I could relate to what was going on in Cassie's life, but related to Lana's personality. Overall, wonderful book. You will fall in love with at least one character.
August 8, 2017
Super cute book about two girls who are opposite that over come differences and become the best of friends road trip with grandparents what fun
September 27, 2017
I thought it was very good!!!
October 30, 2017
AMAZING!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2020
This is one of those books I pre-read for the teens in my life. I recommend this for summer reading selections for them. Great message and teen challenges
January 26, 2021
It was a REALLY good book.... I really enjoyed it! I would recommend to people who like reading about friendships/family life!
May 8, 2021
*3.5
January 9, 2022
5th grade me being invested in the plot 🤩🤩🤩
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