Young Adult Book Reviews

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  199

RAC Book:  No

Josie is a confident, independent girl who refuses to form attachments and has her own style.  She criticizes any girl who would want to be in a couple because she feels that makes girls vulnerable and compromises their true selves  That all changes when Carson Gold decides he wants her to be the next girl he dates.  There have been many before her and even though Josie has seen how destructive these relationships are she can’t help but get pulled in by the star of the football team who drives the beautiful car.  Of course, she ends up losing or hurting all of her friends and her parents as she tries to be the perfect girlfriend to Carson.

This book was trying to show how girls let themselves get pulled in by guys and try to change anything about themselves in order to make these guys happy.  Unfortunately, Josie never sees what’s happening to herself.  Even when Carson dumps her, no surprise there, she is begging and crying for him to take her back.  She never regains any dignity in the relationship and has to go wounded back to her friends, whom she has alienated for this guy.  Girls often do fall into this pattern, but this book offers no hope for them to ever beat the cycle, stand up for themselves, and take control of future relationships.  This book makes teen dating seem hopeless.