May 31, 2010
Henry Arlington is a self-confessed ladies' man (his personal rules include "Never tell a girl your real name" and "No hos before bros"). But all it takes is a chance encounter with knockout new girl Garrett, and he is contemplating breaking another rule—no girlfriends. Their relationship evolves in alternating firstperson chapters; Henry becomes more sympathetic as it becomes clear that his attitude toward women stems from abandonment by his mother, though his love of film (evidenced mostly by conversations that appear in screenplay format) feels as artificial as the incorporation of song titles and lyrics into Garrett's narration—"Then my thoughts turn to Ben and ‘The Day We Fell Apart' (Kelly Clarkson, 2009)." The secondary characters, from the J Squad clique to Henry's oafish cohorts, never amount to more than stereotypes. Still, the emotional intensity—sometimes passionate, sometimes tender—that develops between Garrett and Henry should help some readers care about them enough to want to find out whether, against the odds, they can make their love work. Ages 14–up.
July 1, 2010
Gr 10 Up—-elf-proclaimed player and party crasher Henry Arlington has every intention of following the "Crasher Code" that he and his buddies established, including never being with the same girl twice. But while cruising a Sweet Sixteen party with a fictitious identity, he meets beautiful and intriguing Garrett Lennox. New to East Shore High School, she struggles to make friends among the cliques of the senior class. While Henry ignores her and perpetuates the rumor that they hooked up at the party, Garrett is given a proposal by three mean girls, the J Squad. Lonely and missing her ex-boyfriend back in Chicago, she decides to accept the trio's challenge—in exchange for membership in their group, she must convince Henry to be her boyfriend and then dump him at a hotly anticipated, MTV-aired Sweet Sixteen party. As readers will anticipate, they wind up forming real feelings for one another and are faced with the consequences of their separate deceptions. Using interspersed movie-script format for dialogue and song references throughout, the narrative is trendy and indulgent. The evolution of Garrett's and Henry's characters is difficult to believe, and the supporting characters are stock and one- dimensional. However, romance fans will enjoy the familiar theme of reluctant, ill-fated love and entertainment aficionados will appreciate the popular-culture references. While the events surrounding the demise of the relationship stretch believability, the ending is realistic if not rewarding.—"Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD"
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2010
Henry crashes sweet sixteen parties; Garrett is new to town and in need of friends. The J Squad (i.e., popular girls) will befriend Garrett, but on one condition: she must break Henry's heart. Narration shifts between Henry and Garrett, giving readers a front seat on their emotional roller coasters. Its nothing that hasnt been done before, but the story is mildly diverting.
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)