Having taught in an all-girls school for over 15 years, I can say with authority that Caroline Hickey has succeeded in capturing the authentic voice of an adolescent girl struggling with issues of family, friends and young romance. Taryn, the main character, finds herself obsessed with a cute guy who has given her some positive attention but who is also in a pretty solid relationship with another girl. Taryn bumbles her way through this dilemma, expressing her guilt as she makes some poor decisions and learning some valuable lessons in the midst of it al. The story is right on the money when it comes to the drama and angst adolescent love, and Hickey tells the story with honesty and humor. Particularly accurate are the moments of misdirected communication (she said you told her..., did you tell him that I said..., he thinks that I told her that you said..., etc.) Perfect for "tween" and young teenaged girls! Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.comTaryn Greenleaf just wants to change into warmer clothing before walking their dog, Camille, after school. But Camille is impatient, so Taryn, dressed in her school uniform, heads out for their daily walk. It's snowing and it's cold. During the walk, Taryn stops to let snowflakes fall on her tongue. She glances up and encounters an absolutely gorgeous guy walking towards her. And he stops!! And of all things for this boy to talk about, it's Camille. He introduces himself as John "Epp" Epplin. Taryn's never seen him around before, and she soon learns the harsh truth. He's in the area to take care of his girlfriend's dog while her family is off skiing. And his girlfriend is none other than Isabelle Graham from school. Isabelle is everything Taryn isn't, and thus goes all of Taryn's hopes of anything happening with Epp. Taryn tells her friend, Lila, all about meeting Epp. He's everything that Taryn's ever wanted. Lila doesn't think a little thing like Isabelle being his girlfriend should deter Taryn. So the two of them start to brainstorm on ways for Taryn to run into Epp again. Since he goes to St. Ivan's, the boy's school, it's not like they will see each other in the hallways. They stumble across his name on the driver's education class sign in sheet, and things start to look up. But then Isabelle returns home. Isabelle and Taryn aren't NOT friends, but they haven't hung out together since they were much younger. When Isabelle finds out Taryn has met Epp, all of a sudden, Isabelle is talking to Taryn and inviting her to hang out with them. Lila warns Taryn to be careful, and watches as Taryn does things to hurt their friendship. When Isabelle and Epp set Taryn up with their friend Pete, things get even more complicated. Taryn realizes she's using Pete to get what she wants, but she can't seem to stop the snowball effect of her actions. Ms. Hickey slowly builds the story to the point where the reader knows something is going to happen. And usually, in most cases, that something generally is bad. It takes a revelation from the most unlikely source to bring everything to a head and make Taryn realize how awful she's been behaving.
What do You think about Isabelle's Boyfriend (2008)?
It was a quick read, but I wish she would have stayed with Pete.
—BJPE7
