Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!! This is a recap blog which means I read the book and tell you everything that happens. Do NOT continue to read unless you want to know which girl acted like a total bitch in this book. Because you know at least one of them did.
Tag Line: Andy has a secret admirer!From the Back of the Book: How do you mend a broken heart? Andy found her prince at the royal wedding, but it didn't work. So she's never going to fall in love again. And she's keeping very, very busy to make sure she doesn't. The new, too-busy-for-love Andy is making her roommates, Toby and Jane, crazy. But how can they get her to slow down and act like her old, warm, caring self? Nothing works! Then a secret admirer starts sending Andy terrible love poems and beautiful flowers. Andy says she's not interested. But if her roommates have anything to do with it, she will be. Jane and Toby know that the best cure for Andy's broken heart is a new love - and a little help from her friends.
It's amazing how many people subscribe to the theory that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. I'd just like to say that the best way to get over someone is to allow yourself time to heal before you rush into the next relationship. Okay, Agony Aunt out.
This book was published in 1989 and
I've never read this one before. We are two from the end, y'all.
Just this one and one more and this ride will be all over. (I'm
refusing to acknowledge that I have to recap the old girls.) The
ghostie for this book is Carol Ellis. She's done two book so far in
this series (Princess Who and Help Wanted). We know her well from the
PH books I've done on my other recap blog so I won't bore you with
details. I mostly like her. Usually.
The cover seems pretty typical. Andy
and Jane are front and center while poor Toby is pushed to the
background again. I'm trying decide if Toby is wearing a dress or
a nightgown. If it's a dress, that seems pretty out of character for
her. If it's a nightgown, it looks super uncomfortable. Also, Jane and
Andy look like they're about to start making out.....which I could
get behind. It would set Cary free.
Also, Andy is never given roses at any time in this book. Just sayin'.
Canby Hall Catch-Up: You
guys know the basics. We have three protagonists (Jane
– high society princess, Andy
– urban ballerina and Toby
– small town ranch girl). Jane is dating Cary-the-rock-god
from the nearby boys' school Oakley Prep. Andy is dating a boy named
Matt
who is sometimes said to be from the public school in town and
sometimes said to be from Oakley Prep. Well, I should say she's
dating Matt when she's not dating Steve
who works in her family's rib shack. It mostly depends on her
geographic location at the time. Toby is dating the ultra-proper
Neal
from Boston (who happens to be Jane's ex),
and crushing on local rancher Randy
who has magical aging powers that allow him to be a different age in
every book. In the last book, Andy was invited to be a bridesmaid in
Princess Allegra's
wedding so the girls left school and flew off to Montavia. These
three American teenagers who can barely function as human beings were
asked to give Allegra lessons on how to be a queen which caused me to
call #bullshit an unprecedented amount of times. They were assigned
escorts for all the wedding events. Toby's turned out to be a decent
guy and they became friends. Jane's was annoying and almost ruined
the reception. Andy's was a sexist prince who was determined to make
her his sheltered and controlled princess. And she almost turned her
entire life over to a guy she met FOUR TIMES. But the most
remarkable thing of all was that JANE DIDN'T CHEAT ON CARY!!!!!!!
Those Who Shall Not Be Unnamed: Former
407 residents Dana-the-life-ruiner, Shelley-the-drama-llama
and Faith-the-sanctimonious
and former housemother-extraordinaire-Alison.
Hey, just because they've all moved on doesn't mean we can't worship
them at least once every book.
Missing, Presumed
Dead: Laura Lee is just bones and dust now, y'all. #amomentofsilenceforLauraLee Yolanda is definitely buried under the tulips again and poor Randy wasn't mentioned even once so I fear he's fertilizer as well. But I 💖Randy. {{{Pouty Face}}}
Risen From the
Tulip Bed: Gigi is topside again but most surprising of all, PENNY is back!!!! After four books with no mention, I thought we were going to have to have a moment of silence for her as well. Nice to see you on the ground instead of under it, Penny. We've missed you.
We begin with two
of our protagonists (Jane and Toby) hanging out in their room on a
Saturday. It's snowy and cold outside and there isn't much to do
inside, so they're waiting on the mail to come. I actually get this.
When I was living in the dorms at college, sometimes the best part
of the day was when the mail came. Then again, I was always hoping
for a letter from the love of my life, so..........
Anyway, it's cold
in the room. The heaters aren't working properly and, again, I call
#bullshit. I've said it before and I'll say it again – this is an
expensive private school. Parents would not be standing for this
nonsense when they pay so much for their kids to be fed well and kept
warm.
They give us a
review of the last book and then settle in to start talking about
Andy. She's so morose over leaving her one true love (#fuckMatt
#fuckSteve) that she hasn't been herself lately. She's been trying
to keep herself very busy and they barely see her. She's putting on
a fake front of cheerfulness that's giving her roommates the creeps.
With that, we hop
on over to Andy's head. She's mooning over Ramad (the prince from
the previous book) and generally moping around. She doesn't want to
talk to anyone because her heart is just too raw and broken right
now, so she's thinking of everything she can to stay away from the
dorms and her roommates. I can't really blame her there. She's
leaving the studio and trying to figure out what to do next when she
runs into Gigi. It's nice to see her above the soil.
The only thing of
note that comes from the Gigi encounter is that she reminds Andy of
some paper they have due and Andy decides to go to the library in
town so she doesn't run into any fellow students.
We time hop to
Monday. Andy's weekly care package had arrived back on Friday but
she hasn't picked it up yet. The entire dorm is waiting on
tenterhooks for her to open it. They want that food! Maggie,
Dee and Penny circle the thing like vultures. PENNY STILL
EXISTS, Y'ALL!!! She's looking a little mossy and there's earthworms
in her hair but she's above ground for the first time in four books!
Andy comes in and
announces that she's decided Canby Hall should have a winter carnival
and PA (head bitch in charge) agreed because she knows she's
just a decorative figurehead at the place and the girls from 407 are
the real bosses. Not only that, but Andy has named her roommates,
Dee, Maggie and Penny as her planning committee and she won't take no
for an answer. She doesn't actually wait to hear how they feel about
it – or to ask Penny why there's clumps of dirt falling out of her
clothes – before she rushes off. Her committee isn't very
thrilled.
This isn't the
first time Andy's done this either. She truly doesn't care what
other people want as long as she's happy. #allhailtheQueen
We hop into Jane's
head now. She and Toby have decided to eat at the diner in town.
Cary's working and he joins them for a few minutes to ask Jane to go
to a Beatles movie in town the next night. Because their movie
theater is apparently stuck in the 60's and is still showing Beatles
movies. I suppose it could be a classic film fest or something so
I'll let this one slide but I swear the ghosties are stuck in a whole
different decade. Jane isn't sure whether to accept. She isn't into
all that “wild rock and roll music.”
Would ANY child of
the 80's consider the BEATLES to be “wild rock and roll music”?
Seriously? This was the era of hair bands. The Beatles would not be considered wild by anyone.
Cary assures her
that her ears can handle it but then she remembers that they have a
planning meeting the next evening and she has to attend because Queen
Andy has proclaimed it so.
Meanwhile Toby is
reading her second letter from her father in three days. This is
unusual because he never has much to say and writes infrequently. It
doesn't say much – in fact it repeats some of the things he said in
his previous letter. She wonders if something's wrong that he's not
telling her and our B plot emerges.
We hop to the next
evening and the meeting. Dee didn't come at all because she's just a
badass that way and Toby is running late so Andy is already annoyed
when they start. She can't believe they'd dare disobey her like
this. She announces that they'll have a snow-person building
contest, an ice hockey match and a snowball fight and asks if any of
them have any other ideas. Maggie asks what will happen if the snow
melts before then and Andy is furious. She vows to
#keeponeeyeonMaggieatALLtimes because she's certain Maggie is trying
to plan a coup. Jane and Penny begin to discuss food and cider that
they might opt to have at the carnival and Andy gets royally pissed
that they aren't sticking to the subject. Even though they ARE. She
grabs her coat and tells them to stay and keep working until they
make up for all her time that they've wasted and she leaves the room.
Andy is heading for
the city library again. There's a particular book she's been looking
for and someone has it checked out. Instead of asking a librarian
and reserving the damn thing, she decides that angrily standing in
front of the empty shelf is a better way to solve her problem. She's
mega-pissed at all her friends and particularly at her roommates.
She can't believe how they always let her down. She decides to just
plan the whole damn carnival herself since no one else is interested.
Andy seriously
needs to be told what the definition of VOLUNTEER is. If she
actually asked for volunteers instead of just ordering people to help
her, she might find people who are genuinely interested in planning
things.
Andy spots a
library employee (a boy about her age) getting ready to shelve a cart
full of books and she begins to search through the cart for the book
she wants. She's making a huge mess of things and he seems a little
annoyed with her but she doesn't much care. She offers him a weak
apology and moves on with her life leaving him to completely
re-alphabetize his entire cart. #considerate
We hop into Toby's
head and our B plot. Her father has written his third letter in four
days and she's freaking out because they all say something about
enjoying life while you can. She's convinced that something terrible
is going on. She ends up finding Jane to confide her worries. Seems
like a poor choice to me but I guess it's better than Andy. She
should have gone to the ranch to talk to Randy but I guess he's rotting under the ground this book.
Toby is convinced
her dad has cancer or something but Jane tries to reassure her that
it might be something less terrifying. Toby tries several times that
night to call him but there's no answer. She spends the rest of the
week calling him with no luck. By Friday she's a nervous wreck. She
gets up super early and decides to go for a walk.
She wakes Andy up
as she's getting dressed and Andy tells her she wants some winter
carnival ideas ASAP. Toby tells her no and Andy goes on and on about
how awful and self-absorbed Toby is. Poor Toby completely loses it
at this point and screams at her that she has actual problems and
Andy can shove the carnival up her ass. Well, she actually said Andy
could cancel it but my way is much more satisfying. #teamToby
Toby decides she
needs to go home and talk to her dad in person. There's a lot
involved with this. She has to find a ride to the train or bus
station in Greenleaf, take said train or bus to Boston, get a ride
from the station to the airport and then get a ticket. She also
needs permission to leave campus and money. Jane and Andy jump in to
help her.
First the ride to
the station is taken care of. Jane calls Cary and he says he'll be
happy to help because he's awesome. I 💖Cary💖. Neal agrees
to pick her up at the station in Boston and drive her to the airport and he
also gets the ticket, saying Toby can just pay him back. I 💖Neal💖.
Either something's
wrong with Cary's car or the ghostie has forgotten he owns one
(#fuckcontinuity) because he has to borrow one from someone on his
floor. It's a bit of a junker and Jane and Andy bitch about it the whole way because they're
super grateful that way. They're all super sweet and supportive to
Toby and she goes off on her little trip.
Well, we made it to
page 63 before Ellis remember there was an A plot – you know, the
one that the book is named after? Andy picks up her mail and finds
that someone has sent her one of her lost mittens with the following
note......
“Dear Andy Cord,
It's cold outside,
there's snow and ice. You'll need this to keep your fingers warm and
nice.”
#inspired
Why do the notes in
these things ALWAYS rhyme? And a better question....why are the
rhymes always so LAME?
She reveals she got
a second note earlier as well.......
“Dear Andy,
Tomorrow night I'll see
you dancing. Moving to music, you're sure to be doubly enchanting.”
Lame.
And also......
The girls are
excited that this creepy stalker is coming to Andy's recital.
We hop into Toby's
head. Her father doesn't have cancer or anything and she's grateful
for that but he's thinking about getting married and she's not sure
how to feel. It's just been her and her dad for a very long time and
she doesn't even know who this woman is yet. I completely understand
how she feels.
It's Sunday now.
Don't worry, you didn't miss much on Saturday – just the girls
chattering about the stalker. Andy's recital went well, of course,
because #room407isfailproof. Toby calls to tell Jane she's headed
home and she'll need a ride from the station in Greenleaf back to school. She
doesn't need Neal this time, though, because she's discovered a bus
that goes from the airport in Boston to the tiny, insignificant town
of Greenleaf. #credible She tells Jane her father isn't sick but
doesn't reveal anything else.
Andy receives a
bouquet of daisies and another note......
“Dear Andy,
I was there last night
as I promised I'd be, and just as expected, you danced magnificently.
PS Not a bad rhyme,
huh?”
Cary takes Jane to pick up Toby at the station. Andy is too 'busy'
to bother. They go to the diner because Cary is actually supposed to
be working and the girls have dinner there. Toby tells Jane about
Emma, the woman her father is engaged to. She admits that
Emma seems nice and she seems to make her father really happy but she's still just a little unsure of everything because she's human. She
vows to make the best of things, though, because she wants her father to be happy.
We hop into Andy's head. She's rushing through the library looking
for a lost notebook full of notes for her paper and that book she refuses to reserve. Sure
enough, the book is gone again. She runs toward the front desk and
collides with that poor guy and his book cart. She ends up tipping
the damn thing over and all the books go flying so he'll have to
re-alphabetize them yet again. If I were him, I'd hate her hard but
I have the feeling he's our stalker.
The B plot is all wrapped up so we get around to the A plot again but
it mostly consists of Toby and Jane discussing the stalker and vowing
to find him.....somehow. They're discussing it when Andy comes in
all pissed because that “creep” at the library ran her over with
the book cart. #alternatefacts Toby tries to tell her about her
father and Emma but Andy can't be bothered to listen.
Jane and Toby plan to stake out the places Andy goes often to try to
find some boy acting mysteriously and then they'll know who the
stalker is. This.....this is a REALLY stupid plan, y'all. Of course
it's going to work because #room407isfailproof. Jane starts out by
loitering around the diner. Toby takes the theater building which is
apparently also used by Oakley Prep.
Andy's notebook mysteriously appears in the common room of Baker
House and she's excited that she won't have to do all that research
again. It also comes with a note........
“Dear
Andy,
I
was glancing around and look what I found. When you get it you'll
smile. I hope for awhile.”
Jane makes a total fool of herself questioning some poor guy at the
diner who is only trying to eat his hamburger in peace. He's not the
stalker so it was a waste of about four pages. Toby awkwardly
questions some engaged guy in the theater building and makes a total
fool of herself as well.
The girls are still playing drunken Nancy Drew when Andy gets another
note......
“You
haven't been in and I think I know why. If you don't come again I
surely won't die – but I'll sigh.”
On Saturday, Jane and Toby interview fifteen boys at the library.
The get suspicious of some guy in a red coat that seems to be
wandering aimlessly with no purpose. Jane decides he's stealing rare
books for some reason and she and Toby end up football tackling him
as he tries to leave. Turns out he goes to Oakley and he was taking
part in some kind of scavenger hunt. One of the clues led him to the
library where he found some hidden donuts.
Eventually Jane is in the right place at the right time and she sees
a boy leaving a note for Andy at Baker House. She follows him all
the way back to the Greenleaf library which is not a surprise at all.
She goes in and introduces herself. His name is Todd
and he's liked Andy for a very long time – before she went to
Montavia. He says she was different after she came back and he
didn't think she'd accept if he just asked her for a date so he
decided to stalk her instead.
Jane arranges for Todd to come to the carnival and then she heads
home to tell Toby she finally found the stalker.
The day of the carnival arrives and most of the snow has melted and
gone. The carnival has to be canceled and Andy is in a savage mood.
The other girls aren't happy either because now she and Todd can't
meet. Todd suggests they all come to the festival that Greenleaf
High is having on Saturday and Jane agrees to try to get Andy there
to meet him.
Todd is running the booth selling sweatshirts at the festival. Ellis
tells us that Andy collects sweatshirts and I love getting this
TOTALLY NEW INFORMATION in the next to the last book of the fucking
series. Sheesh. Andy goes to buy a sweatshirt with the Greenleaf
High logo because it makes total sense she'd want a shirt from a
school she doesn't go to. She's not too happy to see Todd. He persists in trying to have a civil conversation with her and finally ends up revealing himself as her stalker by quoting one of the
notes.
Afterwards, Andy wanders around the empty hallways of the school for
more than an hour like this is totally normal behavior on her part.
Finally she goes back to the booth and asks Todd's name.
The book ends on the next day. Andy is back to normal, just like
that. She doesn't apologize for a damn thing but I didn't expect her
to. She's already had an early morning walk with Todd and she's well
on her way to being in love.
#fuckMatt #fuckSteve #fuckRamad
We don't get a cheesy ending line but we DO find out what was in that
care package that Andy never opened. Sheets. Yep. Sheets.
The Least Annoying Person in Greenleaf Award: I'm giving this to Cary. He was helpful, sweet and funny through the entire book. He was really there for Toby when she needed help and put up with Jane with so much grace and love.
The Bitch of Baker House Award: Andy definitely wins this one. I never thought I'd say this, but she is even more self-absorbed than Jane.
Coming up Next: The old girls and the new girls are reunited to be godmother's to Allison's offspring. I'm sure hilarity will ensue.
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