Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Perry Stormaire never wanted to go to prom. He wants to play the gig his band finally landed in New York City. Heck, he’d probably rather write more college application essays than go to prom. But then his parents get involved, and now, Perry finds himself stuck on a date with the Lithuanian exchange student named Gobi Zaksauskas that his family is hosting. Only, Gobi isn’t actually the shy, awkward girl in baggy clothes she’s pretended to be all along—she’s a sexy, tough, trained assassin. And tonight, prom night, is the only night that her five targets will be in New York City. So, instead of dancing the miserable night away in the school gym, Perry finds himself speeding through the streets of New York City with Gobi in his father’s Jaguar. He’ll be shot at and beat up, almost wreck his father’s precious car, and learn some surprising things about his family and himself, but there’s no question that this night will be one that Perry won’t ever forget.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is like many of those mediocre action flicks with guns, mobsters, long buried secrets, and revenge, only in book form. Basically, this novel relies heavily on a fast paced and action packed plot that is just full of action sequences, weapons of varying degrees, secret identities, and the like. All this, of course, makes this Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick very exciting to read. What Schreiber brings to the novel, though, to lighten things up is a fresh voice and a good sense of humor. It’s so entertaining to read from Perry’s perspective, especially since he breaks the story of prom night up as answers to college application essay questions. The seriousness of the ending didn’t quite feel like it went with the more humorous and ridiculous tone of the rest of the novel, but I did appreciate the growth in Perry’s character. And though Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick doesn’t really have that much substance, it is still a quick, fun, and undoubtedly thrilling novel to read.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick appeals to fans of Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.

Rating: 3.25

Review copies from BEA and publisher Houghton Mifflin