How to Be Bad

by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart, et al.

Book Overview

Three bestselling authors--E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle--bring you on the road trip of a lifetime in this dynamic novel packed with fun, friendship, and feminism. Jesse, Vicks, and Mel each has her own reason for wanting to get away from their nowheresville Florida town. Add in a hot (and harmless) hitchhiker, an impending hurricane, and a close encounter of the gator kind, and the result is one sizzling road trip where the journey...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062405683
• ISBN13: 9780062405685
• Release Date: April 2015
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

The Story Siren Reviews:

Lockhart, Mlynowski and Myracle's collaboration reaches an all time sensational reading high! I've read two out of the three authors' works, so I wasn't surprised of my fondness. The three voices gave an interesting perspective as a reader. Their problems are realistic and valid problems that teens face. Witty dialogue and a fast moving engrossing plot only add the overall premise of the book! I found it almost impossible to put this book down, once I started reading it! So be prepared!

Fabulous Book from Fabulous Author Trio

Jesse, Vicks, and Mel are all residents of not-so-appropriately-named Niceville, Florida. Jesse is fed up with her mother and just wants to get away. Vicks, the wild one, misses her boyfriend who left for college two weeks ago. Mel is the rich but sweet girl who just wants to make friends. Somehow these three coworkers end up on a weekend road trip. Jesse provides the car, Mel has the cash, and Vicks encourages the spontaneity and excitement. Though the destination is Miami, pit stops and detours will be made, leading them into disasters or unexpected solutions. This road trip will alter their friendships and even the way they view life. Though I have previously read novels by only one-third of the fabulous authors who wrote How to Be Bad, I knew from the first moment I heard that E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle were writing a novel together that their book would be mandatory reading material for me. And I most definitely wasn't disappointed. I loved how each chapter was told from one of the girl's point-of-view (even though I did get confused a couple of times). Jesse, Vicks, and Mel were each wonderfully crafted and developed; I loved how they were so unique and complemented each other. The plot was a perfect mix of romance, friendship and personal issues, emotional realizations, and even physical danger. I really enjoyed the random details too, because it made the story all the more realistic. If I had one problem with How to Be Bad, it was that Jesse's religious fervor didn't always seem to fit with her character until the end of the story. However, this didn't diminish the fact that How to Be Bad was simply a fantastic novel. How to Be Bad has a little bit of something for everyone, and I most definitely recommend it. In fact, I enjoyed this book so much that I am motivated to read up on the two-thirds of this author team whose works I have not read yet (Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle, I confess). If you've ever enjoyed a novel by any one of these awesome authors or are up for a great read, then get How to Be Bad. I promise you won't regret it!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

HOW TO BE BAD is the perfect book for a girl-bonding summer road trip adventure! Three girls, each with their own internal struggles, head out on a weekend road trip to Miami to visit the one girl's boyfriend. Vicks and Jesse are best friends. Mel is the newcomer but envies the friendship Vicks and Jesse share and invites herself along for the trip, offering to pay for lodging, snacks, and fuel. Jesse is dealing with her mother's recent cancer diagnosis. She wants more than anything to tell Vicks, for they share everything, but hasn't been able to bring herself to do it. Vicks is trying to not be a needy girlfriend. Her boyfriend has left for freshman year of university and has barely contacted her in the two weeks he's been gone. She misses him terribly and is convinced he's fooling around with a hot college girl. Mel's family has just moved to Florida from Montreal, Canada. Florida is an entirely different world to her. She is reserved and lives in the shadow of her popular older sister. She desperately wants to break out of her shell, but doesn't know how. She hopes some of Vicks' outgoing personality will rub off on her. They begin their trip Friday once Vicks gets off work. Jesse takes her mom's car without proper permission, and the three are off. Their adventures bring them to a giant preserved alligator, a cute hitchhiker, a house party with too much alcohol, Disney World, and a few other places along the way. As will happen when confined with each other for far too long in a way too hot car, tempers flair, emotions erupt, and friendships are solidified. HOW TO BE BAD is creatively written in alternating chapters by three popular authors. The story flows seamlessly between each chapter, making the reader curious as to which character belongs to which author. The story is emotional, triumphant, and you come away feeling like you've just received a great big hug. Each author is amazing on her own merits, but as a team, they've taken it up a notch and have written a fantastic book. One that every girl and her best friends will come to love. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Teen book with depth

I have been on a run of good luck in the last few weeks - reading books that have been interesting and fun at the same time. I am an adult who enjoys reading a good Young Adult (teen) book. Unfortunately, when I was that age, the selections were very limited - now, teens have a much broader choice. How to Be Bad was a pleasant surprise for me. I don't normally enjoy reading a book where there are 3 separate voices taking turns telling their story - which is the case here. How to Be Bad introduces us to 3 very different girls and through their voices (each was written by a different author and we do not get to find out who is who until the very end of the book), you will get a slightly different perspective on a road trip that they have decided to embark on together. Indeed, Vicks, Jesse and Mel work together and are all the same age, but only Vicks and Jesse are really close friends. On the spur of the moment, for various personal reasons, all three of the girls end up on a three day road trip in a beat up station wagon. Jesse needs to get away from her mother and her illness, Vicks needs to find out what is going on with her suddenly "hard to reach" boyfriend and Mel just seems to have a desperate need to make friends. As we follow our girls on the road, experiencing their ups and downs, crying for them and with them and cheering them on, we get a coming of age story that is both heartwarming and funny. The open road becomes a bit of a metaphor for what the girls are living and while this ride is only a three day weekend, in the end, it is enough to give them all important insights into what is important and what can be left by the side of the road. Well written, intriguing (which author is actually writing which part?)with genuine emotion, this book was a treat [...]

Blended talent

As an older reader with time on my hands to try to keep up with what is being offered my granddaughters, and having enjoyed many of Lauren Myracle's previous works, but knowing nothing about Ms Lockhart or Ms Mlymowski, I approached HTBB with some reserve. Why would someone as talented as Ms Myracle do a threesome? How were the authors going to blend their three voices into one story? She must have had a lot of confidence in her co-authors to put her reputation on the line, split the take and collaborate with them. To my delight their three voices sang like a choir, and the story came through seamlessly, mixing humor, feelings and insight as if written by only one of them. Congratulations to them all!