The Boy Book by E. Lockhart

Picked this one up at my school library. They aren’t very well stocked, but it’s not as bad as I would have thought. Anyway, The Boyfriend List was written before The Boy Book and is apparently about the same group of characters. Well, I did not realize this until halfway through the book… I do believe this complements my intelligence quite well. ;-)

Title: The Boy Book

Author: E. Lockhart

Number of pages: 193

Published by: Delacorte Press

Rating: 3.5

Summer: (from: goodreads)Here is how things stand at the beginning of newly-licensed driver Ruby Oliver's junior year at Tate Prep:

• Kim: Not speaking. But far away in Tokyo.

• Cricket: Not speaking.

• Nora: Speaking--sort of. Chatted a couple times this summer when they bumped into each other outside of school--once shopping in the U District, and once in the Elliot Bay Bookstore. But she hadn't called Ruby, or anything.

• Noel: Didn't care what anyone thinks.

• Meghan: Didn't have any other friends.

• Dr. Z: Speaking.

• And Jackson. The big one. Not speaking.
But, by Winter Break, a new job, an unlikely but satisfying friend combo, additional entries to The Boy Book and many difficult decisions help Ruby to see that there is, indeed, life outside the Tate Universe.

My Summery: I’m sorry to start with spoilers, but it’s a necessity to understand what’s going on while reading this review. Here’s what happened before The Boy Book: Ruby dated and fell for a guy named Jackson. Ruby’s best friend, Kim, went out with Jackson shortly after he dumped Ruby. (In my own opinion, I believe Jackson dumped Ruby for Kim.) Ruby is heart broken and angry. But she tries to forgive Kim, because they are best friends. Well, Jackson asks Ruby to go to a party/dance with him for old time sakes because Kim can’t go. At this party/dance, Ruby and Jackson kiss. There were witnesses. And that’s when Ruby becomes a leper, loses all her friends, and is labeled a slut.

Okay, now that you’re caught up, I can begin. This story just didn’t make sense to me. Ruby and Kim had been friends for such a long time. And for Kim to go for Jackson when she knew it would crush her best friend did not seem realistic. But, Ruby forgave Kim. It’s what best friends do. They forgive each other when mistakes are made. Now, when Ruby made the mistake of kissing her ex-boyfriend whom she still loved, did Kim forgive Ruby? No. She made Ruby an outcast and a leper. It seems to me that their friendship may not have been very strong, though they had been ‘best friends’ sense elementary.

People at Ruby’s school labeled her as a slut for kissing someone else’s boyfriend. Again, I was confused. Maybe it’s not the same at other schools, but at mine, people aren’t labeled as a slut for kissing someone else’s boyfriend. Girl’s are labeled as a slut for *gasp* being a slut. Or by definition, “A woman considered sexually promiscuous.” I don’t think kissing fit’s the definition, but hey, every school is different I suppose.

As for Ruby, I did like her. She was a well developed character with interesting quirks. There was so much about her that teenaged girls in general would be able to relate to. Though, her parents seemed totally strange to me. At times, they made me laugh. But after a while, they annoyed me more than anything else. Ruby’s mother kept accusing her of being lesbian just because she didn’t have a boyfriend and no longer invited anyone over. That would not only offend me, but it’d get on my nerves beyond belief. She was just so out of tune with her own daughter.

All that aside, it was an interesting story and a quick, light read. Although I don’t recommend you ever buy it, I do suggest picking it up at the library if nothing else is available. It’s a good enough story with a quirky main character.

sixth book of 2010