Andie has always wished that her life was like a movie...but this wasn't what she had in mind.


The summer before Andie's senior year of high school, her family moved to Punxsutawney, PA. Andie's mother has raised her to be a movie buff, mostly by watching her favorite movies from the 1980's. Andie naturally gravitates towards the town's movie theatre where she meets Colton. Colton seems like the perfect candidate for Andie's first kiss. However, the evening before Andie's first day she falls asleep on the couch watching Pretty in Pink in a pink polk-a-dot dress. After a not-so-stellar first day where Andie loses Colton's interests to classmate, Kaia, Andie wishes she could have a do-over. Her wish might just come true.

Combining some of my favorite movies from the 80's and early 90's, Pretty in Punxsutawney is a fun and heartwarming journey. At this point in my life I identified more better with Andie's mom, but easily found myself immersed in Andie's story. I could feel myself cringe along with Andie as her first day of school was less than ideal, especially with Colton. I loved when the Groundhog's Day aspect came in and Andie repeated her first day over and over with different variations while desiring to make Colton her boyfriend. Many of the variations picked up on other movies such as Breakfast Club and Ferris Buehler's Day Off. I especially enjoyed when Andie began to try out a different clique each first day and begins to realize what her purpose might really be. I do wish that my favorite first day with the dance party was how Andie was able to stop the cycle; however, I'm still glad that things were able to wrap up the way they did. Overall, a very endearing and lighthearted Young Adult read with plenty of nostalgia for older readers.

This... I can’t even. DNFed it. The main character is super annoying and the writing isn’t good either. Didn’t suck me in, didn’t hold my attention. Just wasn’t a good book.

Eighties movies are one of my favorite things to watch. They are quirky, cute, and that time era was the best. So, when they mentioned two great films in the synopsis of this book, I jumped at the chance to read this. But I think the mention of those films took too much away from the story.

Could you imagine reliving the first day of attending a brand new school? It would be like living in Freddy’s Nightmare. Something that you could never escape. And reliving that nightmare is where we meet Andie.

Andie is excited for Colton to pick her up and take her to school. She spent the entirety of the summer at the local movie theater to watch movies (duh) and to flirt with Colton. Now is here chance to win his heart for good. But as all things go, the start to her first day doesn't go as planned. She makes it home from school, lays on the couch and falls asleep. She wakes up just like yesterday started. The movie menu from Pretty in Pink is playing, shes sprawled out on the couch wearing that pink polka-dotted dress and her dad walking into the living room whistling. This can't be happening.

As Andie relives her day hoping that Colton will win her heart, another day goes down the drain of her hopes being flushed. As she wakes up the next day, the same thing plays out again and she swears that she is losing her mind. Now Andie must figure out how to survive this non-stop first day of school and make it to the second. But she has to find the right combination of things to make it go on. Will Andie figure this out before it's too late?

The excitement for this book took a lot away from the story. Meaning that the storyline drove me crazy because I disliked the main character. She tried too hard to win something that wasn't hers, to begin with, and maybe that's why Colton turned out the way that he did. I felt as if Andie was so blinded by a handsome face that she didn't really see what was in front of her. Her character just didn't do it for me and that really didn't help the story from turning into a snoozefest.

Living the same day over has been done many times before and nothing about that is new here. Figuring it out isn't new and her thought process sure as hell has been done before. I think her ego was too big to fit into this book. The best thing about this book was the movie references and the side characters. Can we get a freaking book just about Tom?

Pretty in Punxsutawney was two thumbs down. Kapow! Truth bomb!

This story was cute, but when I saw it was a little too young for me in the reading level and maturity of the characters, I was able to figure out what was going to happen after the first couple of chapters and I felt that Andie was shallow.

My thanks to NetGalley and Blink for releasing an e-ARC of this book to me before publication so I could offer an honest review. Pretty in Punxsutawney is the story of red-headed Andie whose family has just moved to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (home of THE groundhog for Groundhog Day) the summer before her senior year of high school. Having spent her entire summer hanging out at the local theater, she knows exactly two people from her new school: Colton and Tom. Andie has a pretty strong crush on Colton and is elated when he offers to drive her to school on their very first day of school. The night before the big “first day of school,” Andie and her mom settle in to watch Pretty in Pink, one of her mom’s favorite movies (in fact, she is named after red-headed “Andie” in the movie). By the end of the infamous prom scene, something feels off. This uncomfortable feeling clings to Andie as she walks into her first day of school, frustrated over a wrong ending that should be remedied. What she soon discovers is that she will end up repeating this first day of school until she gets it right — including figuring out who she has real feelings for and what her primary purpose should be at Punxsutawney High.

This book really took me back to high school (for me, that was 1987-1991) mixing together all sorts of 80s and 90s memories and movies, such as: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, and, of course, Groundhog Day. There was plenty of discussion about the composition of each teenage clique (cheerleaders, goths, jocks, thespians, etc.) as Andie’s experiences reveal that we only judge one another harshly when we don’t understand and empathize with one another. After many attempts at her “first day of school,” Andie learns it is important to seek the best in everyone because we’re all fighting difficult battles. But how will she share this revelation with her entire class?

As the book is focused on the senior class of Punxsutawney High, this would be considered a very “clean” novel for that age group. The kids don’t use profanity, they’re not having sex or doing drugs, and basically everyone is shown to be a good human being, despite their personal struggles or salty personalities. There’s one party with underage drinking, one incident of sexual harassment, and the mention of a student struggling with bulimia. It’s mild enough that even middle schoolers will be able to read and enjoy it. NOTE: When you pick this book up, make sure you grab a box of Whoppers candy (it applies!) and maybe pop in some Cyndi Lauper background music.

I had high hopes for this book, which is a mix of Pretty in Pink and Groundhog Day, both movies which I enjoyed. The book itself it told in a way that sometimes scenes flip like a movie. I liked how the main character shifted between social groups to learn important lessons. I do think the pacing of the book could have been better. It took too long for the main character to start learning lessons and start becoming less annoying. However, things tied up nicely at the end, which is always satisfying in a book.

What happens when you get stuck in time, re-living the first day in your new school?

Andie is a teenage girl, who loves movies. She is the type of person that knows exactly what to say… after it’s too late to say it. She is quirky, cutishly nerdy, and adorable in a silly way. And when she moves to Punxsutawney (I don’t think I’ll ever pronounce this town correctly), on the first day in her new school, she gets caught up in an endless loop of having to re-live those 24 hours again and again.

As in the movies, she is convinced that the curse can be broken with a true love’s kiss, she goes on a mission to get the boy. But is he the right one? And is true love what breaks the curse?

Not knowing how to end the loop, Andie tries to get first kiss with a guy she thinks is her true love, and when that doesn’t work, she suddenly tries to make the different types of people hang out together and realise that it doesn’t matter how you look like, to be a good person.

I really loved the idea of the loop in a high-school theme, and that was the main reason that I wanted to read this book really badly. I also loved that the main idea of this book was that looks don’t matter, and don’t judge a book by its cover, but I think that the author took this meaning way too far into the book, and it became too unrealistic, that it was laughable.

I enjoyed the layout of the different types of kids in the school, the jocks, the cheerleaders, the goths, the school-paper girls, the nerds. They were all described very realistically, and I enjoyed the times when we would realise that prejudice doesn’t matter. I can relate to a lot of this, because I was hanging out with both nerds and jocks in my high-school times, being a sports person and being a ‘’weirdo’’ that wants to read at the same time.

I also somehow managed to like the movie references, even though at moments, they are too overwhelming, and sometimes completely unrelated to the plot in place.

What I didn’t like, is how Andie kept changing in order to fit, how her behaviour changed, and her mindset during different days. I did not like this at all. I think that a person should always keep being themselves, no matter who they talk to. Doing the thinks she kept doing, only to be liked by one guy was miserable. Ladies – you are beautiful, no matter what you wear or how you do your hair. If that guy really likes you, he wouldn’t care about all these things and he would see within.

In retrospective, this was an enjoyable read. I am glad I read it, but somehow I think I might’ve been too old to read it now. But for you guys that are still in high-school, or love reading about high-school, this one is definitely worth your time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blink, for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a good old-fashioned belly-laugh.
Before I give my thoughts on this, I have to confess to disliking Groundhog Day with a passion. I’m also fairly ambivalent about John Hughes’ movies...though I know them well enough to get the references here.
When Andie’s parents move her to Punxsutawney she spends the summer hanging out at the local movie theatre. Convinced she will find a boyfriend in one of the staff there (whose name has escaped me as he’s not particularly memorable, other than for being totally the wrong person for her) she is understandably nervous about her first day at a new school.
Her first day is a humdinger of awfulness. What’s worse is that she wakes the next day...and she’s back on her first day. This cycle is destined to repeat over and over.
Andie slowly starts to use her rather unusual situation to find out more about the students around her. She acquires new skills and plays some blinders worthy of their own place in an 80s teen movie.
Eventually, the cycle breaks and unless you’re VERY hard-hearted, you’ll applaud Andie all the way.

Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Crompton is a cute young adult romance. Andie and her family moved to Punxsutawney, and she is starting a new school year. After a disastrous first day, she gets stuck repeating the same day, over and over again. I enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading this author again.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I enjoyed this throw back novel to the 80s where the story line was a bit groundhogs day and pretty in Pink blended. I'm not sure all the 80s references will really work for today's teen. I thought the character development and self learning was excellent.

Pretty in Punxsutawney was inspired by Groundhog Day and the John Hughes’s film, Pretty in Pink. Th book follows new girl, Andie as she navigates her first day of school. Every day of over 4 months! As the reader, we can see how Andie navigates each and everyday in the hopes of breaking the spell that has been cast over her.
Each day Andie learns different and new things about her classmates and she tries to use them to her advantage. Without them knowing that she knows. Boyle- Crompton was able to easily pull me in with the opening! However, by the time I was at chapter 3, I was starting to lose steam in my positive feelings about this book

My problem with the book was that it was repetitive and redundant. (Which makes sense when you factor in that Groundhog Day was a movie based on reliving the same day over and over and over again).

https://fortheloveofdewey.blogspot.com/2019/01/pretty-in-punxsutawney-by-laurie-boyle.html

4 pink stars! Yes, this book was “pretty” predictable with its mashup of Groundhog Day and Pretty in Pink, but it was still charming in its own way. Watching Andie go through the same day over and over again and reading about some of the shaming and she experienced was entertaining. In all seriousness though, the first day of school at a new high school is the stuff of nightmares as it is even without having to repeat it over and over. I love all the John Hughes movie references and liked “Andie’s Day Off” a la Ferris Bueller. This book was a really quick and cute contemporary read!

This read exactly as it sounds - a mash-up of two great movies -and I really enjoyed it! Andie definitely undergoes an evolution throughout the book and I think it was done well. The book didn't feel repetitive at all even with the reliving of the same day. This is a super fast read but one I also didn't want to put down - it you are looking for something fun and not super deep, this one is definitely for you!

Pretty in Punxsutawney came out earlier this week on January 15, 2019, and you can purchase HERE.

The two of us laugh and discuss our favorite parts of the action movie we were just watching, while the strong aroma of warm butter wafts around us. It smells an awful lot like falling in love.

Grease meets Groundhog's Day meets the angst of every high school blunder ever.

Andie and her mother are major movie buffs. Andie's range of flicks is any movie while her mother seems to be stuck in the 80s and knows that every life problem can be solved by John Hughes.

This book was really cute. I couldn't put it down. It's definitely 'Groundhog's Day,' just not on Groundhog's Day. Instead, it is the first day of Andie's senior year of high school in a new school. It's that same frustrating feeling of trying to figure out what is going to get you to 'tomorrow' on top of dealing with navigating through the harsh seas of high school scrutiny. Who knows if it's a blessing or a curse to be able to redo an entire day. (Although, I think people would probably prefer to not live a high school day over and over.)
This book has good messages about finding you and your place in the grand scheme of things and looking outside the box of cliques that naturally form in our society.

I think that Punxsutawney Phil must have some kind of curse on newcomers...

Can I give this more than 5 stars?



First I want to thank Netgalley and Blink Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel for an honest review.



This is the best book I have read so far this year! I like YA contemporary novels but my favorite style of books has been thriller so this is saying a lot considering I have read some good thrillers already this year. I am not sure if I loved this so much because it is a mash up of my favorite John Hughes Film "Pretty in Pink" and my favorite time loop movie "Groundhog Day" (okay and Happy Death Day but whatever!)or if I loved this so much because the main character agrees with me on whom Andie should end up with in "PIP" but I just adored this book. I just know that this book really got to me in the best of ways. If there was a feeling this book made me feel it. I loved the main character of Andie and I loved all of the other characters in this sweet and funny novel that is perfect for a Valentine's Day read. Luckily it comes out just in time!



Now for the plot.... Andie is the new girl in Punxsutawney, Pa. Her Dad a therapist who made a living writing books has stopped selling as many so the family packs up and moves from the tiny town Andie grew up in to a different world. Sure Punxsutawney is not a huge city but it's big enough for the high school to have every kind of clique you can imagine as well as the perfect boy she meets in the most perfect "meet cute" way. When Andie's 80's movie obsessed Mom insists on watching "Pretty in Pink" the day before the first day at school Andie is not happy. She loves the 80's movies and she loves spending time with her Mom. She just was not impressed with the movie. How could movie Andie have picked boring Blane over fun, sweet and oh so loyal Duckie? So yeah, not impressed. Things get worse when she wakes up late and has to wear the terrible pink polka dot vintage dress her Mom had her try on the night before because she didn't have a chance to change. The only bright spot? She gets to ride to school with her crush Colton and he is giving her a tour!



The culture shock of the cliques is the first thing that hits Andie and then there is the fact Colton's heart seems to belong to a girl named Kaia. As Andie falls asleep that night disappointed in the way her first day went she can only hope things get better the next day. That is not to be as Andie's day repeats itself. Caught in what seems to be a never ending loop Andi is convinced that her Mom must be correct and that true love's kiss is the answer to getting her out of this mess. As she finds herself trying over and over to get her first kiss with Colton, Andie begins to realize that people are not defined by how they dress and what the enjoy and that just because you think you no someone you really don't until you have walked a day in their shoes. Will kissing Colton end the loop? Is there someone else out there that is her true love or is this about so much more?



I saw that some think there there are really no cliques anymore so this book is behind in the times but I beg to differ. There are still cliques, heck take a look at social media and see who follows who on Instagram and say there are no cliques now!



This is a sweet and lovely romance and I am glad I got to read it. I found myself laughing and smiling and I even teared up a bit in the end. This is a must read for 80's fans and true romantics!

Groundhog Day does high school. An absolute dream for 80s film fans.

Heart, soul and smarts. I wish I'd slowed down because it was over just too soon!

For me, films were my childhood, my adolescence, important to my family - we quote them to each other all the time, refer to them in conversation, have shared favourites. Though I was a teenager in the 90s I was brought up on John Hughes (among others) so for me, the homage to the director and his output, as well as the wider world of cinema, was just pure bliss.

In a plot that will sound familiar, Andie (yes the name is a Hughes reference in itself) starts at a new school, senior year, with a major crush on Colt. Forced to wear a pink dress on her first day by her mum after watching Pretty in Pink the night before, she goes on to have an embarrassing day. But it's just one day. Surely she has a new chance tomorrow. Except that when morning dawns, it's the first day of school and she's wearing the pink dress again...

It's clear from the first just what kind of film-mad author we have here to take us on a filmic tribute ride. Andie, new to the town of Punxsutawney, is in the throes of an infatuation with a movie theatre worker, dreams of their 'meet-cute', enjoys watching 80s films with her mum. It's a pretty dreadful 'first day at school' and we know, from the moment she wakes up on the same day again and even refers to the Bill Murray film that we know what is coming. And it's brilliant.

Andie does what any typical adolescent with a crush would do - try to win their attention and their heart by any means necessary. There's a rival, of course. And Andie realises she may have to win her first kiss, and true love's at that, to break the cycle of her first day. But Andie has an advantage, as she discovers, of time.

While this is a high-school-romance in some respects, the Groundhog Day plot and even scenes are followed quite closely in parts (even down to a repeatedly dropped tray). I loved Crompton's spin on the main character improving him/herself, here in a high school setting this becomes a plot where Andie can take her time and discover who EVERYONE is, not just herself. Watching The Breakfast Club, she sees the social barriers around her, and might just be able to use her curse to good effect.

Andie herself copes with the situation much more maturely than I would have, she is smart about using time to her advantage. I really liked seeing Tom (a fellow film buff) pop up in different locations allowing them to have different conversations each time. And I really liked seeing behind the scenes of groups that you think you know - cheerleaders, goths, the Yearbook crew. A high school in a day.

This will hit a nerve with film buffs of any age who know the films - Beetlejuice, Footloose, Ferris Bueller, Clueless - it's witty and Andie knows her stuff. If you're a reader after a fun, unusual high school story, I am trying to picture how you will enjoy this without understanding the context of the references. It won't be as gratifying, but the story will still hold up.

There are plot strands that are tied together really nicely by the end, with stock characters from eighties films: mean girl, jock, quiet nerd, kooky parent, who all seem like stereotypes until Andie draws them out more.

I don't re-read often, but I think I might save this one for next Christmas when I want something that will warm me up and give me a bit of a fuzzy feeling about humanity (quite a lot like Groundhog Day does).

I might say this would be wasted on most teenagers, but that would be unfair. What I mean is that it will be appreciated by older readers who have seen these films in their own youths and can also look back on school with distance and life experience. A great crossover read.

Wonderful reminiscing experience, and just like Clueless or Ten Things I Hate About You, shows that a modern high school makes the perfect setting for just about any 'classic'!

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample e-copy.

Three and a half stars: A cute, quirky book with a Groundhog’s Day theme that relies heavily on eighties pop culture, but the ending is a miss.

Andie has spent the entire summer flirting with golden boy Colton at the local theater in Punxsutawney, PA. Now it is the night before her first day of her senior year in a brand new school. Andie isn’t looking forward to being the new girl, but at least Colton is driving her to school and showing her around, and hopefully he will finally be her boyfriend. The night before, Andie and her mom watch the classic film: Pretty in Pink. Andie falls asleep watching the movie, and wakes up rattled. Then her first day turns into a disaster. Then something inexplicable happens, Andie wakes up to find herself reliving the same day. Maybe she can make her second first day of school better, but then it keeps happening. Andie continually relives that first day of school over and over and over, but why?
What I Liked:
*Pretty in Punxsutawney is a book that is supposed to appeal to teens, but in all honesty, I see this book appealing more to the older crowd, those who grew up in the eighties watching the classic movies mentioned in the book. It was fun to see the Ground Hog Day theme mashed with eighties movies. A fun read.
*What surprised me the most about this book was that the author tried to make a point about stereotypes and labels. As Andie continues to relive the same day over and over, she starts to try on different looks and she attempts to fit in with different groups at school. Over time, she learns to see beyond the stereotypes and labels to the people underneath, and she makes it her mission to see if she can get others to see that way too. I enjoyed the commentary on looking beyond cliques, groups, stereotypes and labels. Refreshing!
*If you grew up in the eighties or if you are a fan of eighties teen movies, you get a nice dose of nostalgia with this one. There are plenty of references to some classic teen eighties movies. Blast from the past.
*I enjoyed the whole Ground Hog Day theme. It was entertaining to watch Andie constantly relive the same day, making new mistakes and learning new things each and every day. I liked drawing comparisons to the original while reading.
*There is a romance, and it was cute. I liked seeing it unfold.
*I loved seeing the teenagers interacting with the folks living in the retirement home. The scenes with Tom’s Meemaw were so fun.
*I appreciated that Andie had two involved, supportive parents.
And The Not So Much:
*For me, the ending missed the mark. I won’t go into too many details to avoid spoilers, but I will say it was a big letdown. There was all that buildup, and I kept wondering what would break the curse, and when it is broken, I was left perplexed. What was the whole point???? I could see the curse being broken on the second to last day, but the day it finally broke? Didn’t make sense. I also felt like the ending was too abrupt. I was left curious about how everything played out for Andie after her last first day. I finished feeling a little bit cheated. I wanted to know if anything she did actually left an impression or made a change.
*If you have never seen the original movie: Ground Hog Day, this book may not make a lot of sense or appeal to you. I would highly recommend seeing that movie before wading into this one. You also might be a little lost without having seen Pretty in Pink since that was always an important part to this story.
*The romance after all was said and done was lacking. It was apparent rather early on who Andie should really be with, and I kept expecting buildup and swoony moments, but they just aren’t there. I didn’t get all the feels I wanted.
*I guess after all everything, I didn’t like that the reason for Andie reliving the day over and over wasn’t easy to pick out like in the movie. Again, the ending was a miss in my opinion.
*I was disappointed that the setting of Punxsutawney didn’t play a role in the story. In fact, there was really nothing, except one quick visit early on to see the famous groundhog that set the story in the small town. Otherwise, the story felt like it was set in any town in the U.S.
Pretty in Punxsutawney was a cute and quirky little read with plenty of eighties nostalgia and a fun

Groundhog’s Day theme. I especially enjoyed that the author tried to make a point about labels, cliques and stereotypes. Unfortunately, the ending was a disappointment as it was abrupt and it left too many questions hanging. I also wish the romance had been more detailed. Still this was a fun book, if you are a fan of the Groundhog Day theme give this a go.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

I was immediately drawn in by the Pretty in Pink-Groundhog's Day comparison, and this did not disappoint. It was super cute, and really reminded me of those 80s teen rom-coms. If you're looking for a fun, fast paced, John Hughes-esque book, definitely check this out.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC for review!


I really enjoyed this book- the dialogue, the plot everything was really well done!
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique read :)

I received a free copy of PRETTY IN PUNXSUTAWNEY by Laurie Boyle Crompton in exchange for an honest review. Andie has just moved to Punxsutawney over the summer. The only connections Andie has made so far are with two guys at the local cinema. Andie is looking forward to starting her senior year on the arm of her summer crush. However, Andie’s first day is not what she imagined when she finds out her summer crush likes another girl better; she also ends up unintentionally alienating some of the other students. Andie, feeling her first day in the new school was a disaster, wishes for a do-over. When Andie gets her wish and her first day of school goes on “repeat,” she tries everything imaginable to get to her second day of school.

This book was inspired by iconic movies of the 1980’s and 1990’s, including Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Beetlejuice, and Groundhog Day. As a movie enthusiast, I enjoyed this book. If you are not familiar with these movies, shame on you! Also, you might not get some of the references. I recommend this book (and the movies).

#PrettyInPunxsutawney #NetGalley