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Overview
There's a difference between falling and letting go.
Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy?
It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: She's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things (like sex) because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the "right" thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect boyfriend?
But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can't see herself in -- and as Lauren's craving for Evan, and moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all the more fierce -- Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice...before one is made for her.
Synopsis
There's a difference between falling and letting go. Lauren has a good life decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy? It ...
KLIATT
Lauren's boyfriend Dave is one of the most popular boys in their high school. He plays football and baseball, gets great grades, is gorgeous and liked by everyone. While Lauren is the envy of the younger girls in school, the popular girls in Dave's circle never make her feel welcome. They can't figure out why Dave is dating her, and frankly, neither can Lauren. Dave thinks Lauren is the perfect girlfriend and that their relationship is wonderful. The reality is that they have little to talk about, almost never go out on dates, and hardly even kiss. Lauren wishes Dave would be more physical, but Dave's strong religious beliefs prohibit that. When Evan, someone from Lauren's past, starts at their school, Lauren knows she's in for trouble. She starts lying to Dave, her best friend, and her father so no one will know that she's spending time with Evan. She can be open and honest with Evan in a way she never has been with anyone else. For the first time in her life, she feels genuinely happy. But as her past begins to get in the way of her present, Lauren worries that she's becoming reckless. She'll have to decide if she's strong enough to let herself give into the feelings she's having. Lauren knows what she wants, but letting go of what she has may prove to be harder than she thought. Lauren is a refreshingly complex character. Her narrative voice is authentic, as is her struggle to find herself among everyone's expectations. Initially, Lauren comes off as distant, but as her story progresses and she slowly reveals more of herself to the reader, she quickly grows compelling and likable. Scott has created a pitch-perfect look at the life of one teenager just trying to figure out how to beherself.
Editorials
VOYA -
Conflicted and likeable characters add a smidgen of interest to a predictable teenage romance novel. Lauren's mother abandoned her family many years ago. Although she feels plain and unlovable, Lauren now has a perfect boyfriend, Dave. He is a wildly popular football star, good looking, kind, and devoted to her. Deeply religious, he has decided not to have sex before marriage. Lauren loves being his girlfriend but feels emotionally detached, and his church-focused family life seems rather dull. Lauren's father has had several relationships that ended badly since his wife left. Evan, son of one of his former girl friends, appears in Lauren's high school, and she is deeply attracted to him. Torn between the safety of Dave and her passion for Evan, Lauren initially lacks a confidante. Her father is absorbed in work, and her best friend, Katie, is focused on her own love affair. Even after Lauren commits to a sexual relationship with Evan, she hesitates to break with Dave. Eventually, however, her father is able to talk with her honestly and lovingly, and she finds the courage to level with Dave and Katie. Although Lauren wants to be a librarian, she appears not to have the slightest interest in or time for education. Commendably Lauren and Katie use contraceptives, although Lauren is a virgin for most of the book. It is a pleasant story with a happy ending, at least in the short term, and should be popular with many teenage girls.KLIATT -
Lauren's boyfriend Dave is one of the most popular boys in their high school. He plays football and baseball, gets great grades, is gorgeous and liked by everyone. While Lauren is the envy of the younger girls in school, the popular girls in Dave's circle never make her feel welcome. They can't figure out why Dave is dating her, and frankly, neither can Lauren. Dave thinks Lauren is the perfect girlfriend and that their relationship is wonderful. The reality is that they have little to talk about, almost never go out on dates, and hardly even kiss. Lauren wishes Dave would be more physical, but Dave's strong religious beliefs prohibit that. When Evan, someone from Lauren's past, starts at their school, Lauren knows she's in for trouble. She starts lying to Dave, her best friend, and her father so no one will know that she's spending time with Evan. She can be open and honest with Evan in a way she never has been with anyone else. For the first time in her life, she feels genuinely happy. But as her past begins to get in the way of her present, Lauren worries that she's becoming reckless. She'll have to decide if she's strong enough to let herself give into the feelings she's having. Lauren knows what she wants, but letting go of what she has may prove to be harder than she thought. Lauren is a refreshingly complex character. Her narrative voice is authentic, as is her struggle to find herself among everyone's expectations. Initially, Lauren comes off as distant, but as her story progresses and she slowly reveals more of herself to the reader, she quickly grows compelling and likable. Scott has created a pitch-perfect look at the life of one teenager just trying to figure out how to beherself.VOYA -
Lauren is an avoider. She is content to float along in her life, careful not to upset the balance of things. She avoids talking to her father about why her mother left the family. She avoids telling her best friend, Katie, that she wants to discuss topics other than breath mints and nail polish. She avoids telling her hot boyfriend Dave that she wants to have sex with him. Enter-or rather reenter-her childhood friend Evan. Evan's reappearance throws Lauren's life into turmoil but serves as her wakeup call as well. She begins to question her relationships with her loved ones and confronts her problems. Scott's debut novel is both endearing and disappointing. Although the stream-of-consciousness prose expertly conveys the endorphin rush that accompanies first love (and lust), the novel neglects the other plot threads. Katie's unstable home life makes an intriguing appearance but is never elaborated. The book might leave some readers wanting a deeper exploration of the relationship between Lauren and her emotionally absent father or the repercussions of Lauren's infidelity. Other readers might devour the sometimes syrupy and repetitive descriptions of Lauren's feelings for Evan. Despite this less-than-perfect start, Scott's work deserves notice.School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
In a style reminiscent of the work of Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti, Scott tells the story of Lauren, a not-so-popular high school junior who is dating the secretly celibate most popular boy in school. Without warning, Evan, the loner son of her distant father's former live-in girlfriend, returns to town and stirs up confusing emotions for Lauren, who once believed that a popular boyfriend was all she needed to secure happiness. Soon, she invents extra band-practice time as an excuse to avoid her boyfriend, her super-stressed best friend, and her empty house, and spends more time with the decidedly not celibate Evan. While the setup is fairly standard fare for YA romances, Lauren's inner conflict over her affair with Evan, and the various lies surrounding it, rings true, and the novel has enough drama to keep readers interested.
—Sarah KrygierCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.