How I Magically Messed Up My Life in Four Freakin' Days (The Tale of Bryant Adams #1)

A cute and quick story with a premise that feels familiar (ordinary high school, student, the girl of his dreams, and a magical underbelly in New York City), but is enough to draw you into the comedic shenanigans that can happen when a magical cellphone is involved,

Witty, Imaginative and Action Packed

This book puts a number of clever and often very funny spins on the standard who-knew-I-was-magical-? teen action rom-com, and the result is fast-paced and entertaining.

Our hero, Bryant, is a bit mopey and is almost stupefied by his crush on manic-pixie-dream-girl Elizabeth. It doesn't help that Bryant's absolutely loyal best friend, Devon, is a dreamy lady-killer with a wicked deadpan sense of humor. The book opens slowly, giving us a chance to get to know these three characters and to set up their backstories and the larger New York City background for the adventure. But, once Bryant picks up a cell phone accidentally left behind in a cab by a creepy, pasty, vampirey guy, well, the tale takes off like a rocket.

Right off the bat we learn a good deal about these three characters, all of it good. Bryant isn't a mope. He's smart, insightful, resourceful, and while he's maybe a little angsty, he's also almost ready to get in touch with the hero within. He's the narrator and his running rueful first person commentary, (along the lines of I-can't-really-believe-this is happening to me, but what the heck), is endearing and refreshing. Elizabeth isn't just the pixie dream girl love interest. She's a bit salty, with take charge gumption and impatience with any shilly-shallying. Devon is a stand up guy with a no-nonsense attitude, no smarm, and the style of a wingman on steroids. Together these three make up a funny, smart, take no prisoners team that can handle quips and taglines in between fights with demon things and shadow whatevers.

And they need all of that because the guy who lost his phone wants it back in, like, the worst way. It's sort of an iPhone that has stored within it every evil spell app ever, and it is powerful beyond comprehension. And guess what? It responds to possibly-also-magical Bryant, even though Bryant doesn't know what any of those odd spell icons stand for. The gang has lots of fun almost destroying NYC while running away from cadres of evil guys and figuring out how the phone works and trying to reach an amicable resolution to the what-do-we-do-now question.

The book is well-written. After the first chapter or two it is fast paced, with occasional breathers and a few pauses for comic relief. None of it is plausible and none of it makes a lot of sense, but you can say that about all of the Greek Myths, and they're loads of fun. Actually, when you think about the most popular books that follow those myth arcs, (like, say, "Percy Jackson"), this is a more flippant, looser, brighter and more improvisational variation on that style. It also seems just a touch hipper, older and more ironic than those books, which also helps to distinguish it from the crowd.

So, this goes down in the list as a nice find. Smart, funny and high energy, it was a very entertaining treat. The ending, BTW, felt very sequel friendly, which is a nice thought.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

If you enjoyed Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon, you will probably enjoy How I Magically Messed Up My Life in Four Freakin' Days as they both feature a snarky, sort of whiny, self aware narrator who wants to be like Deadpool but isn’t quite as cool.

At the beginning, I was not a fan of this book, or Bryant, its narrator/main character. My first impression was that he was a racist dick because made a comment about “old black ladies” watching out for him. That opening chapter really made me think the book drew unnecessary attention to race, and made me want to punch Bryant in the face.

But Bryant grew on me. He made me laugh. I loved the idea of the magic cell phone, and the world was well built. That first chapter was really the only one that had a racist vibe. There were some lines that were a bit too corny, even for this character, but in the end, the plot and the world drew me in. Bryant did grow and change throughout book, and he learned something in the end, which is more than I can say for the leads in Valerian.

Speaking of the end, it wrapped up the main storyline, but left plenty room for a sequel, which I would probably read. However, I never read the second book in the Chronicles of Nick, so maybe I will be content to leave Bryant with one book. Books, like all arts, are subjective, and Bryant’s voice just wasn’t one I connected with. That doesn’t mean it was bad -- just not my cup of tea.

Bryant finds a lost phone and suddenly there are fires springing up all over town, a huge flower growing in central park, he finds out he's a magician and the girl of his dreams has finally noticed him. A fun read.

I enjoyed every second of this book! It's funny,it's charming,it's magical!

This book is funny, witty, and cute -- not to mention intense and involving lots of crazy magic and an angry vampire-dude named Eric.

The voice in this book is awesome, and I always love seeing women writing funny, witty male characters -- not because we don't have enough main characters, but because I think people assume women can't write funny, witty books. And that's just not true -- evidenced by this one that I've just read.

Ever have your phone fall out of your pocket? Ever find someone's cell phone? Ever try and check out what's on that phone? DON'T!

Cabs in New York are a luxury, so when a pale drunk guy stumbles out just as you are hailing one, you don't take the chance of someone snagging it while you return his cell phone to him. But, unlocking the phone and checking it out, not a good plan. And don't play with apps you don't understand either. Bryant learns this the hard way.

This was a cute romp through the Big Apple...lots of action...and a love story to boot. I really enjoyed this book. I am glad I took a chance on it!

Reviewed by Jenn of the GothicMoms Review Team

Received from NetGalley for my honest review
Completed 5/10/18
214 page ebook

This book was FUN! Just fun! It was unique too, there's a lot of ways to gain magical abilities but I think this is the first, and only, time that the abilities came from finding a cell phone. Definitely unique and grabbed me from the start.

The characters weren't completely fleshed out, but that was to be expected from a shorter book, but the story was so engaging that it didn't matter to much. It kept my attention and made me want to keep knowing what was going on. The magic was pretty neat and what all happened with it was entertaining. Would definitely read more, if another book comes along.

Recommended for a younger audience, or (like me) adults who like a captivating story, even if it is geared for middle grade.

Setting = A
Plot = A
Conflict = B
Characters = B
Theme = A