Roaring Brook Press, 2011
281 pages
MG; Contemporary
3.5/5 stars
Source: Library
I loved the premise of this novel which is two geeky best friends communicating the story through notes and navigating the complicated world of middle school friendships and romances by forming a "Flirt Club." Over the course of the novel, they learn some surprising things about boys, old friends, and relationships.
This was a pretty cute book; I especially love that it's told through notes as I am a sucker for epistolary novels. Main characters Annie and Izzy were super tight best friends (except for a brief period of time) and I loved how they were usually on the same page and supportive of each other. They also make some more friends and spend a lot of time talking about drama including musicals. More YA books should have the main characters be in musicals!
I was a little surprised by some of the content, which involved 13-year olds drinking and coming very close to having sex. Is that what middle school is like now? I had none of those pressures although admittedly I was even nerdier than these girls. If it is like that, I'm very glad to be away. The other topic was one girl's semi-frequent constipation and discussions of such under euphenisms. Kind of gross to me but someone with a different sense of humor could find that hilarious.
Overall: A cute novel, recommended for 13/14 year olds.
Aww, this sounds like such an adorable book! I love the idea of two geeky-cute best friends and a Flirt Club too, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I definitely agree that some books put younger teens through things that are so mind-blowing sometimes. But then again, kids ARE growing up so fast these days because of the media -- my seven-year-old cousin has the mouth of a trucker, and I've never dropped the f-bomb in my life! x)
Awesome review, B! I think I might pick this one up! :)