Pretty in Punxsutawney stars teenage movie buff Andie (yes, named for the character in the movie) who moves to a new town when she has just finished her junior year of high school. After a summer of hanging with her crush at the local movie theater, she finds herself in a time loop, repeating her first day at her new high school over and over. From here she tries several things to break the loop, and she learns a lot about herself, her family, and her fellow students along the way.

The book was just so cute and fun, and I love a good time loop plot. And, bonus, this one was chock full of 80s references and movie trivia! I do recommend this if you need a light, fun, YA book that you can read rather quickly. .

Pretty in Punxsutawney was a really cute book.

Andie is getting ready to start her senior year of high school at a new school. Her mom is obsessed with movies, particularly 80's movies. She named her redheaded daughter Andie after Molly Ringwald's character in Pretty in Pink. Andie has been spending most of her time at the movie theater. She met two boys there her age. Tom, the quirky yet serious guy. And Colton, the cute and popular guy. Andie has a major crush on Colton and is determined to get him to fall in love with her.

The night before the first day, Andie falls asleep on her mom's new pink leather couch, wearing a pink polka dot dress from the local thrift store. She has no time to shower or change before Colton arrives to show her around school. Her day doesn't go well. Not only is she dressed weird, but she meets Kaia. Kaia is almost perfect and she and Colton are definitely becoming an item. Andie also realizes that this school has a lot of cliques and that they don't interact with each other. Her old school was too small to have cliques, so this is all new to her.

Andie goes to sleep that night hoping to change things between her and Colton. But she wakes up in the exact same dress on the couch the next morning. At first, she thinks her parents are being silly when they ask her if she's excited for her first day. It quickly becomes clear to Andie that she's reliving the first day. And this keeps happening over and over. She changes things every day and starts to believe that "true love's kiss" will be the way to break the spell. She also wonders if she is supposed to do a Breakfast Club and get the cliques to interact and hang out more. Andie struggles every day trying to break this Groundhog Day pattern.

The book is full of 80's movies and I really loved Andie's growth as a person as she relived her first day over and over. I also enjoyed a lot of the people she met, especially Tom. He ended up being the only person who didn't judge her in some way.

I gave this book 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.

Warnings for bulimia and super judgemental characters. Also, a tiny bit of sexual harassment (butt grabbing).

Rating: 3.75/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: frustrating, slow-to-start beginning; the twist on the love interest was easy to see coming, but fun; there was a LOT of focus on romance and not much focus on fully developing Andie's character arc; some of the characters felt a bit contrived, or made only to fit into certain plot points/roles

HUGE thanks to Laurie Boyle Crompton, Blink Publishing, and Netgalley for shooting a complimentary egalley of this title my way in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.


---So what if I can't clap in time to save my life? I have the greatest power of all in my possession. I own time. I've got time handcuffed in my closet and I can do anything I want. I tune in just as one of the girls is asking if I plan on making practice for cheerleader tryouts later. It feels like fate when I answer her with a wide smile. "What time and where?"---


I had SO much fun reading this book, Penguins! The time-loop shenanigans that ensue, particularly those that occur when Andie reaches her breaking point and believes she's never going to be set free, were deliciously entertaining and heart-wrenchingly poignant in turn. I'll admit, though--pretty early on in the read, I became worried that I was in for just another "girl meets cute boy, girl falls for cute boy for no actual substantial reason, girl wins cute boy and everyone lives happily ever after" journey. I needn't have worried, though--Laurie Boyle Crompton bucked the system (almost) entirely and took the read in a much more relatable way.

Of course, that doesn't mean this read didn't have its faults. I felt as if some of the characters were brought into this merely to drive the plot forward or fill in/complete missing chunks of the story. While the scene during which Andie drops, like, a BILLION truth bombs on her unsuspecting (and in some instances totally innocent) classmates was fun, certain characters fell flat outside of the roles they were written to play. Even the core characters, at times, read a bit too stiff for me to fully believe their motivations. There are some super awesome character growth moments sprinkled throughout this read, and while some of them were handled in gorgeously compelling ways, I feel like others didn't quite achieve the desired result. These characters were all SUPER judgmental, as well--some of the things Andie thought were, to me, unbelievable. And while I understood the overall point that Laurie Boyle Crompton was attempting to make...I feel like Andie's initial romantic obsession bordered just a bit on the psychotic. #sorrynotsorry

As much as I don't want this tie with Tom to end, I'm losing the fight to stay awake.


---"Some roller-coaster ride, huh?" Tom says, and I wonder how many times he had to repeat this before I heard him.

"Yeah," I say, my throat dry and hoarse. "Some ride."

I softly smile as I close my eyes and finally, unwillingly, submit to sleep.---


Regardless, this title was intriguing from the start, filled to the brim with so much wit, teenage angst, and snark that my little Penguin heart almost couldn't handle it! While I could see where Laurie Boyle Crompton was leading pretty early on, I still thoroughly enjoyed the journey. I'd recommend this to lovers of time-loops, teenage drama, and reckless shenanigans. If YOU were stuck doing the same thing over and over, what would you change?

The first day of school is hard but the first day of school at a NEW school is even harder. Imagine having to relive the first day of school over and over and over again. That's what happens in this Pretty in Pink meets Groundhog Day YA book. Andie has a mom who loves everything 80s and introduces her to the movies at just the right time. After a viewing of Pretty in Pink, she wakes up the next morning for her first day of school. It turns out to be disastrous but no worries. She can just live it over again until she figures out how to break this curse.
This was a fun and cute read. While I found it to be predictable, I found myself wanting to keep going. I wanted to see how Andie figured out she was in a loop and what she would do with each loop. The reader is brought along for the adventure of her thinking one guy is good for her when it's been a different one all along. Some days, she just gave up and others, she put in extra effort. Seeing her try to tear down the social walls (as touched upon in Breakfast Club) and get everybody to interact was fun. Some of it felt a bit montage-y like a movie would but Groundhog Day did the same thing. There's only so many ways you can write the same day over and over again without it feeling old hat and repetitive. I think the author did a decent job with the material and she definitely did her research on John Hughes movies. I do think the book and the characters could have been more well-rounded as it was mostly all stereotypes to fit in with the story but it worked for the most part.

This is a fun read--it was easy to get into this quirky novel. Andie is really likable and easy to cheer on as she learns to accept her self and others. Plus, the 80s kid in me loved the pop culture references. I would recommend this book to those who like rom-coms.

Pretty in Punxsutawney is a contemporary young adult novel scheduled for release in early 2019. This is a fast read and although it is theoretically for teens I think that only younger readers (10, maybe?) who are aware of and fascinated in the 1980s films of John Hughes would be interested. Primarily, I can see this appealing to readers who remember and love John Hughes films and want a read featuring a narrator who is hyperaware of them. (In other words, not teenagers!)

Pretty in Punxsutawney did not work for me. The over reliance on movies from three plus decades ago coupled with the fact that Andie is about as much of a teenager as I am (I was a teen when the big Hughes films were out) and the corny plot, down to the "lessons learned" box ticked, makes this one feel and read like a throwback/away ya novel from the 1980s.

Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laura Boyle Crompton, 304 pages. Blink, JAN 2019. $18.

Content: G (1 swear, 0 ‘f’)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Andie and her family moved to Punxsutawney during the summer and Andie immediately found a romantic interest in Colton, who works at the local movie theater – though he doesn’t seem to see Andie that way. Now the first day of school has arrived and 80’s movie loving mother has convinced her to wear a pink polka-dot dress ala Pretty in Pink to school. After the maximum first day disaster Andie is ready to slink off to school the next day and lay low for the rest her life. But – what? It’s the first day of school all over again! Andie is somehow stuck in a time loop. If she doesn’t figure out what the universe wants for her, how many years will she spend repeating that first awful day?

References to Bill Murray in Groundhog Day (did you know he spent about 30 years in that loop?) and every Molly Ringwald movie abound. This would make a pretty cute update to Murray movie for sure. Andie recreates herself as a cheerleader in one series of days and as a bass guitar rocker chick in another. A great romp to read. I’m glad I read it soon after I reread Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter – similar flavors of goodness.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

When I heard the pitch for this book, I knew I had to read it. I mean Ground Hog Day meets Pretty in Pink! Yes, the story is cute and funny. This is a quirky teen read. And when I say teen, I mean teen. The main character is a classic teenager that you want to shake as she makes choice after questionable choice.. That fact actually made it really hard for me to get through the first half of the book, but the second half was worth pushing through. It was just such a cute storyline, with some important themes tied in. I think the moral of the story is worth the read!

A solid 4.5 stars. This is a YA book, but much is written about 80s teen flicks that I feel it’s appeal more to a 40 something Mom than a teenager. Then again I’m a 40 something mom.

Andie moves to a new town and develops a crush on the wrong boy before her first day of school. It’s clear after her first day that she’s all wrong for her crush, but it’s fine because she gets a redo. That’s right, she left somehow reliving the exact same first day of school over and over like the moving Groundhog Day.

Over months of trying to reinvent herself into someone Colton will love she realizes she doesn’t like him, then tries to cross the cliche barriers like breakfast club by befriending cheerleaders, nerds, goth, and brains...even though they don’t remember her the next day she remembers everything.

Through this all Tom remains her one constant, never treating her differently no matter who she is that day. She slowly falls in love with him, but can’t move his feeling forward because there is never a tomorrow for them.

I was attracted to this book because I liked the cover and who doesn't like the movie Pretty in Pink which is what reviews said this book was based off of. But I just didn't really connect with it.

This really felt like something from the 80's which I probably should have expected but the whole high school cliques just isn't really relevant anymore. I feel like stories have matured and this trope isn't as popular as it was. So I just kind of lulled through the book until it was finished.

Oh I loved this book! Alot of 80 references. Fluffy, fun read. This was the first book I've read by this author. Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

This was a quick, fluffy read. Andie is stuck on her first day at a new high school. She wakes up each morning to the same thing and must figure out how to break the cycle. The book is stuffed with 80s references and is a little over the top at times but it was still a fun read.

Romcoms are one of my favorite ever genres and this one had me rolling. Andie was great, she reminded me a lot of an old friend of mine. She was easily relatable. She was fun. She was real. The groundhogs day vibe was so funny. I remember watching that movie as a kid but ive never read it before and I loved it. Who would want to relive the first day of senior year over and over again? Omg! Loved this book.

First, I need to say, I love the movie "Groundhog Day", I also love John Hughes movies. This book captured my interest by the title, then the description. I will definitely recommend this book to my middle school students, it's fun, it's interesting and I know there are times when I wish I had a do-over or two in my life! The characters are well written and the story line is just fantastic!

This book is a blast! I loved the movie references and thought that Andie was a lot of fun to get to know as she blundered the first day of school over and over again. It was a little painful at times, but I thought that it was clever how Laurie kept the story moving and the ending was not at all what I expected. I loved the revelations Andie experiences along the way and highly recommend this fun story.
I received this book from the publisher. This is my honest review.

I can't say enough good things about Laurie Boyle Crompton's Pretty in Punxsutawney. This book was a lot of fun to read and I had a hard time putting it down. This is a must read for all. Great story and characters that were fun to get to know.

I received a copy of PRETTY IN PUNXSUTAWNEY on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Five stars and here's why:

I’m a sucker for 1980’s movies. This book mashes "Pretty in Pink" and "Ground Hog Day" concepts together and folds in screenwriter and director extraordinaire John Hugh’s 1980’s version of the “Great American High School Experience.” I was hooked from the first chapter!

Let’s face it. Most of us wish we could go back in time like Marty McFly from "Back to the Future" and have a total high school do-over. Oh, what a gift that would be! Laurie Boyle Crompton skillfully crafts a love story where Andie must live her first day of a new high school on an endless loop until she finally finds common ground amongst all her peer groups and fulfills true love’s first kiss with the right guy.

Ms. Crompton entertains the reader with all of the fun someone could have with a total high-school redo day after day, month after month with no end in sight. It takes some doing, but Andie discovers that each person she meets in high school is just trying to navigate their own path to enlightenment. The teenage years are all about trying on different personalities and costumes in an effort to figure out where we fit in. Stuck in an endless loop of reliving the same day over and over, Andie manages to infiltrate each high school clique. She soon realizes that these kids have a lot more in common than they do have differences.

As a teacher, I wanted to see more diversity highlighted within the book, as that’s a more accurate picture of high school today, but overall I didn’t think it detracted from the story one iota. This book leaves the reader with a positive message: we are all different, but what makes us unique can also bring us closer to others. We just have to make the effort. And if you don’t at first succeed, try and try again…

If you love strong and savvy girls, swoon-worthy guys, and a rom-com ending of epic proportions, then this book is for you. I loved it. Highly recommend.

Andie was raised on 80's flicks. Her mother is a huge John Hughes fan so Andie's life is all Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller, and Weird Science. Because of this, Andie is a film nerd and she's determined to get her perfect first kiss after meeting a boy in a classic movie-type "meet-cute".

When Andie's parents move her to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Andie is thrust in to "big town life". Her previous school had less than 200 students total and now she's going to start her senior year of high school with hundreds of students who already know each other. Luckily, Andie's already met her true love in the form of Colton, the movie theater ticket taker with whom she's spent almost every day of the summer and on whom she's crushing... hard.

To help her prepare for her first day of senior year, Andie's mom debuts Pretty in Pink, a John Hughes classic that she's been saving for the day before Andie's last year in high school.

What she should have shown her is Groundhog Day because it turns out that Andie's trapped in a first day nightmare. Every time she goes to sleep, she wakes to the same music from Pretty in Pink, in the same stupid pink dress, and with the same problem; she can't get free of her first day of school.

Doing a little research, Andie realizes that her only way out of the horrible loop is to get her first kiss. But is Colton really the one who can break the curse?

Final thoughts: Cotton candy book all the way. The plot is highly predictable and the characters are cookie cutter. The stereotypes are fairly strong and not very forgiving here. There are some fun moments and it has a nice idea or two, but it's not mind blowing or life changing. Fun read but forgettable.

Rating: 2.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

An adorable, endearing story that offers a fresh take on 80s teen movies and high school cliques and cliches, as the heroine continues to live the first day of her senior year of high school over and over again. Andie is a likable narrator, and her journey to acceptance of herself and the people around her is a delight to see. Fun Easter eggs for fans of Groundhog Day (the movie).

No filmmaker has captured the ethos of the American High School Experience better or more completely than John Hughes. If your parent grew up in the 1980s, you've likely been exposed to their personal accounts of how these films made them feel included when they felt marginalized or made them see their peers in a whole new light. Pretty in Punxsutawney is a fun tribute to several iconic films of the late 20th century (not just those of John Hughes), including Ferris Bueller's Day off, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Fifty First Dates, and, most importantly Groundhog Day.

Imagine if you could live your first day at a new high school over and over again until you got it right... and imagine if you ~had~ to do it and weren't sure what it would take to make "tomorrow" finally come. Pretty in Punxsutawney imagines it with all the fun and horror you would expect while also bringing home the point that we're all just trying on personalities and costumes, trying to figure out where we fit in, and sending the message that breaking out of a clique or stereotype is ultimately the best way to find out where we truly belong.