Daisy's Review of Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Title/Author: Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Publisher/Date published: Graphia, May 8th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "A story of crushes, corsets, and conspiracy
Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum. But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem."

You guys, reading Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink was like hanging out with my best girl friends as in that I was smiling and laughing and just having a blast! And it was just so cute!

I absolutely adored the writing! It was just that perfect blend of lighthearted mixed with some serious things and Stephanie Kate Strohm definitely knows how to bring on the funny! It was just amazing! I immediately fell for the characters and the museum and history camp with all the cute little 8-year-old girls in Libby's group and it just had this wonderful feel-good vibe going on!

Libby is a wonderful, charming and very easy to love main character! She's the smart girl with a sense of style, with a shoe buying addiction as well as a passion for history. And Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink does a lovely thing in showing you how 'don't judge a book by its cover' is something we should all remember! Because of Libby's shoe obsession and her Hello Kitty tendencies, people sometimes judge her to be not all that smart and not so serious about history and the job she's there to perform. It's funny how first impressions sometimes get you, huh? Libby does everything with a passion and she really knows her stuff! I loved her and was rooting for her the whole time, even though she does this thing where she puts her phone in her bra (which I've seen people doing a lot lately), which I HATE (no offense if you do, but it's just not my thing), I excused her for it because she was just so adorable. And it made for a funny moment later on, so I'm good with it.

Libby doesn't have the best douchebag radar, I mean, the gorgeous sailor was basically holding a sign with the term on it and waving it around. But well, I feel like a little old lady saying this, but I haven't been out of my teens all that long and I get it. I mean, at 16-17 my bullshit-o-meter wasn't all it should have been and well, hormones and all you know?
But seriously, the other guy? The BETTER guy?? My little nerd loving heart pitter-pattered all over the place! I absolutely loved the moments between him and Libby, getting to know each other, getting over their prejudices and just having great chemistry and laughter-inducing banter. Their scenes together had me smiling and it was just great! Also, HELLO, KITTY! :) *inside joke, if you read it you'll understand* And the boy had the whole movie kiss down, it was swoonworthy in the extreme!

There were just so many characters for me to love, including Libby's best friend Dev. Who, admittedly, is a bit of a stereotypical YA gay best friend, but I loved him and his quirks! And he totally made it work! And the friendship between him and Libby felt real to me. They were very similar and I loved their interaction and the over the topness of it all sometimes.

So, to sum it all up: Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink is an adorable, feel-good read that had me laughing out loud and had me still smiling a couple of hours after I'd finished it! It's a fabulous debut and Stephanie Kate Strohm is definitely someone I will be watching out for in the future, I loved her voice!

My rating: 5 stars