Review of Past Perfect by Leila Sales

Title: Past Perfect
Author: Leila Sales
Published by: Simon Pulse
Pages: 322
Source: Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab
Format: Ebook
Rating: ★★★★

Summary from Goodreads:  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….

I was in the mood for a cute light read and Past Perfect sounded like a great book to fulfill that want.  Chelsea is doomed...not only is she working at the Essex Historical Colonial Village as a junior interpreter, wearing a heavy dress and telling people where the bathroom (excuse me, the privy) is all summer, but now her ex-boyfriend is working there too.  She is still stuck in the past in many ways and can't seem to move forward.

Things turn around when Chelsea get nominated as Lieutenant of the Essex Historical Colonial Village junior interpreters war against the neighboring Civil War reenactment village.  She has to make some tough decisions and figure out what she really wants and if the past is doomed to repeat itself.

I liked Chelsea, though at times I thought she was whiny and just needed to get over Ezra.  I wanted to tell her to stop obsessing over him and to move on....that boy is definitely not worth it!  I think she had a good heart and though she made some really dumb decisions, she still fought to correct her mistakes. 

I also enjoyed the plot of this story.  I loved the reenactment villages and the added twist of the war between them.  It was fun hearing about each side's strategies and all of the planning that went into their missions.  Some of them seemed like harmless pranks where I was laughing out loud and others seemed to cross a line.   

The forbidden romance also was a nice feature.  It is so much sexier when the romance is forbidden.  Anyone else think that too?

If you want something different to read that will leave you feeling bubbly and happy inside, Past Perfect is your book.