Review: Things I Can't Explain - Mitchell Kriegman

Review: Things I Can't Explain - Mitchell Kriegman - November 2015

Growing up I never watched the TV series Clarissa Explains it All as I was too young as it aired between ages 4-7 years for me. I had heard about it though as when I got a bit older Melissa Joan Hart starred in Sabrina and there was lots of talk about her old series being re-run on TV.  Readers, of my blog and reviews will know that one of my tropes is renditions and reimaginings. Things I Can't Explain is what Clarissa's life would look like if she was 20-30 years old. I loved this book as I could imagine myself being in Clarissa's spot. Clarissa had it all and then she lost it after The Daily Post was closed. One day she is getting coffee at her usual spot with the CCG ( Cute Coffee Guy) when her parents turn up from Ohio in the lobby of her old job. One thing leads to another and CCG aka Nick ends up playing her fake boyfriend for the day. From there, little white lies start to spill and pile up whereas the real truth is Clarissa's perfect life is spiraling out of control and she doesn't know what to do exactly. I did love how things no matter how terrible worked out for Clarissa and I found the character of Clarissa very relatable to myself. The other part I really loved is that Clarissa's background is Journalism and with the world of print dying and student loan debt, it is hard for communication major to find a job which Mitchell Kriegman showcased very well in the story. It has been a while since I've read a book with a female character that is easy to relate too and for me Clarissa was that.  Things I Can't Explain also included throughout the book cute little drawings of diagrams and lists as Clarissa was a list-taker like myself and I loved this added addition to the story.  I would recommend Things I Can't Explain by Mitchell Kriegman as a read to every college graduate who have finished their degree and finding it hard to transition into the real world as you too will relate to Clarissa.