The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart is a
cute and quirky novel about finding yourself when you lose everything
else.
Ruby Oliver has had a terrible week.
She's lost her boyfriend, her best friends, had a panic attack, lost
a lacrosse game, and become a social pariah. Her mom makes her go to
therapy. In telling her therapist about her interactions with 13
boys, Ruby shows us the ups and downs of middle school and high
school romance and friendship.
I have somewhat conflicted feeling
about The Boyfriend List. I loved the writing style: the little
footnotes with explanations and asides totally do it for me. It might
annoy other people, but I loved it. I loved that there was a chapter
per boy (and a few more besides). I love the idea of looking at the
people who've affected your life.
But I'm not sure that I loved Ruby.
There were parts where I was like, okay Roo, I totally feel you. But
then there were moments where I was like, good god girl, get yourself
together!! In some ways, Ruby was just flat out annoying. And maybe
that's just because some of the things she didn't appreciate were
things that I would have appreciated. She'd expect creativity, but
she wouldn't accept it when it occurred.
That's why I can't decide if I want to
finish the series or not. Has anyone else read the rest of these
books? I'd keep going purely for the writing/reading enjoyment if
Ruby changes. It seems like she grows up a little by the end of the
book, but I think I have to know that she does before I embark on the
next book.
I would recommend these books for
people who like contemporary romances with ambiguous endings. It's
really more about Ruby than about a love interest, which I really
liked.
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