The Boyfriend List (2005)

Oh how I love YA novels. The boys, the drama-it was totally a trip down memory lane. This book almost made me want to be 15 years old again. Almost. ( )

I remember when I read this book in high school. It brings back funny memories, I read it probably over 10 times. I really enjoy and recommend this book to teen girls. ( )

I know what you're saying "Chick Lit. Ag!" YES, it's about a teenage girl trying to sort through her feelings about various and sundry boys. But it's also about relationships in general, and she learns a few things about herself without it being (I think) preachy, or sacchrine or overly pink. It's set in Seattle, but is not so "10 Things I Hate About You"-ish. Ruby's use of footnotes is pretty entertaining, too. ( )

Took me a little while to really get into it, but once I did I thought it was very cute. I wasn't a fan of the footnotes, but didn't hate them as much once I started to really like the main character. ( )

I was the complete opposite of Ruby in high school. Whereas Ruby gets tangled in a web of misunderstanding between guys she may or may not have kissed and friends she may or may not have betrayed, I was ignoring everyone around me. I was basically too worried about my grades (and too socially awkward) to even think about developing relationships with my peers. After reading this book, I don't know if that was a good thing or not.

What I'm essentially getting at is that this confessional was a different perspective on high school for me. Truth be told, there are a lot of stories with a similar high school setting/plot but I think Ruby's story in particular is so easy to fall into and enjoy. It's confessional nature just draws readers in. There were aspects of the book that I thought were out of place or unnecessary, but it was overall just a quality depiction of high school in all its gory glory. Though I could never imagine this occurring to me in high school, it still read authentically and realistically on the page. I felt like I got to experience a version of high school I hear so much about but never encountered myself. Overall, a great read!!! ( )