This book reads like the little sibling of a John Hughes movie. It’s not as inspired or accomplished as its older brother, but it is loveable in a similar way.
Trixie and her two best friends, Harper and Meg, are in the top 10 of their class. They study hard, make weekly trips to their local comic book store, and decide to become interested in boys. Trixie is reluctant to spend her energies on the opposite sex despite a very obvious budding romance between her and her arch-nemesis, Ben West. While the girl trio focuses on attaining boyfriends, several of their classmates are caught allegedly cheating. It isn’t long before someone in their group of friends is dragged into the mess.
This is the story of a privileged group of kids getting into the kind of trouble that has low-stake consequences. It is done in the best possible way. The characters are privileged without being bratty. For the most part, they don’t seem to take themselves too seriously. It has just the right amount of teen angst – a titch of angst rather than a heaping spoonful.
This is a book that knows its niche without being overly derivative of its predecessors. Though I found some of the nerd-girl references overdone, overall the dialogue is well written. It’s feel-good, easy reading. It’s also surprisingly wholesome. The most the main characters get up to is a little snogging. If you are a parent who worries about the content of your teenager’s reading material, you can rest easy on this one.
Now that I’ve said that, there will undoubtedly be some parent, somewhere, who chooses to disagree with me. Please spare me your outraged email.
Coffee Then Books 