The Night We Said Yes Review

The Night We Said Yes Spoiler Free Review

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.  But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of. Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.
(Image and Synopsis from Goodreads)

 The Night We Said Yes is a cute, summery contemporary that was absolutely perfect for me! I have read a lot of these, but this one was so unique and definitely worth the read!

The story is told in two time periods; the “now”, which is a night between Ella’s senior year of highschool and her freshman year of college, and the “then”, which is the night exactly a year before the “now”. “Then” is when Ella first meets Matt. He is the new bassist for the Pepperpots, which is the band that Jake, Meg’s boyfriend is the lead singer of. Meg and Ella are best friends, so they spend a lot of time with the band. One night, they are all at a party and the cops show up, so they run. Matt, Ella, Meg, and Jake spend a night saying yes to everything. In the present day, Matt has shown back up after moving away 6 months prior. He tries to remake that night so that he can win Ella back after breaking her heart by leaving.

The concept for this book is so fun! I love the idea of saying yes to everything! I have always heard the quote “As much as you can in life, say yes”. I  wondered how this would play out in real life and this book did such a good job exploring that.

This book is incredibly character driven. There are only 8 characters, so we get to know each of them incredibly well. We learn their pasts, their fears, and their loves. This book is so raw and authentic in the way it depicts the characters. There are lots of ups and downs, but the characters have a bond between them that makes it easier for them to go through those hard times.

Matt and Ella fall in love on that first night that they meet, but it does not seem like insta-love. Since we know what happens and how their relationship grew, it did not seem like they had just met hours before. I loved how we were able to see how that night was the launchpad for so many things and that we knew how things worked out in the future.

Also, can we take a moment for how beautiful this cover is! I love the sunset over the beach and seeing the silhouette of the characters! Plus, the font is so cute!

This is a book about friendship and first love and it is so cute! If you are looking for a fun, yet meaningful contemporary to read this summer I would absolutely recommend The Night We Said Yes. I gave it 5/5 stars!

Have you read The Night We Said Yes? What did you think? Comment below. I would love to hear from you!