Young Adult

Past Perfect

A clever, comic novel about the woes of (boy) history repeating itself.

All Chelsea wants to do this summer is hang out with her best friend, hone her talents as an ice cream connoisseur, and finally get over Ezra, the boy who broke her heart. But when Chelsea shows up for her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village (yes, really), it turns out Ezra’s working there too. Which makes moving on and forgetting Ezra a lot more complicated…even when Chelsea starts falling for someone new.

Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think that a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. But with Ezra all too present, and her new crush seeming all too off limits, all Chelsea knows is that she’s got a lot to figure out about love. Because those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it….

Select praise

  • “Ex-boyfriend angst, new-boyfriend jitters and best-friend snits are a heck of a lot funnier when they take place at a historical-reenactment village….Hilarious costumed hijinks in the spirit of Meg Cabot.” —Kirkus Reviews
  • “Narrated in Chelsea’s acerbically funny voice …. [T]he setting also allows for more serious meditations on the nature of history, memory, heartbreak, and love.” —The Horn Book
  • “Chelsea is an appealing narrator with a sharp sense of humor, and readers will tear through this novel to find out whether she reunites with Ezra or gets together with Dan from the rival museum…. A satisfying and fun read.” —School Library Journal
  • “Laugh-out-loud hilarious… [with] a lot of heart and truth.” —Jezebel
  • Selected for ALA’s 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults List