So where do I begin? This is hard because I’ve had an okay-meh-hate relationship with the book. The plot is kind of cliché-ish. Pretty, smart, shy Sara wishes to find a perfect boyfriend when the popular Dave finally asks her out because of course he’s only after her for her “goods.” On the periphery, an equally interesting and possibly the right guy in the person of Toby waits in semi-patience. But even though the plot is familiar, the events and the dialogue seem authentic like the author did overtime researching on teen speak. On the one hand, because of the author’s attempt to be genuine, sometimes it comes off shallow and a bit overdone. Lines like:
“So those lyrics were about her? She’s such a slut.”
For a supposedly super smart girl, Sara can be very dense a lot of times. She gets mad that Tobey slept with another girl before her. She’s often jealous and insecure and I really disliked her constant ill-natured slut-shaming while the guys including Tobey himself always objectifying the girls is really irritating. Also, many of the events don’t seem plausible like discussing with a teacher your detailed list of love problems and him listening intently and really giving sage advice? Well…
I could keep on with my rant but I just don’t have that much time and energy so I’ll end here. Anyway, this is Ms. Cosalanti’s debut novel so she definitely had plenty of room for improvement since its release. I did like her other book, Keep Holding On, better. And generally minus all its flaws (hehe), this was still an okay and easy read, entertaining enough I guess since I managed to finish it. ^^
