Changing Majors - Ana Hartnett Reichardt

 

Cover artist: Tammy Seidick

When I started this book I had no idea what to expect, to be honest. But the second I started to read, it felt like coming home. I ended up rating this book 4 stars and here is why.

It's the first night at Alder University for Bailey Sullivan. She is here to start a new part of her life. Starting her educational major while meeting her new friends. Noelle stands out and makes this a story about figuring out who you are and what you want in life.

Immediately I fell in love with the friendship that Matt, Luke, Priya, Cassie, Noelle and Bailey have. They meet each other at college and start this new adventure together. They are going through a rollercoaster but at least they do it together. They all value each other for who they are. The group felt so realistic and was fun. Especially the realistic part was important to me. All the characters have their problems, but they find one another and help their friends through the bumps on the road. They had become a second family.

All the characters had such important roles, and I just really like that when it happens in books. Sometimes it feels like characters are just there. They are not that important to the story, but not in this case! Everyone was there for a reason. They all add to the story.

Bailey was figuring out her life in the story. Mainly, what is her sexuality and what does she want in life? Reading this I thought: This is so relatable for so many people. Everyone is figuring out where to go with their life. Want they want. I loved how we were taken on her journey to experiment and grow. I definitely cried a few times. Some parts of the story are very emotional and hit quite hard.

Do keep in mind that religion and sexuality are both an important part of the story. I can imagine that this would be tough to read for some readers. 

The book was such a quick read. If I had not been so busy with coursework, I would probably have finished it in one day. Typically, I would read this for instance in the summer at the beach, or when I need a quick and simple read next to my coursework. I do think though that at times the story moved too quickly, which just made it less realistic for me. Also, it felt like things moved so quickly that I barely had the time to process them. Some problems were just resolved too quickly.

Overall, it was a fun, quick, diverse read!