Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape)
By Kate Pavao,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
So-so sequel with teen pregnancy, mean girl, and a gay ex.
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What's the Story?
This book takes place where the first installment, Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend, left off: Belle is in her senior year of high school, and is still dealing with her gay ex-boyfriend, a mean girl who has it in for her, and a strange neighbor, who is trying to make up for attacking her at school. What's more, she also discovers that her best friend is pregnant -- just as she and her own boyfriend think they might be ready to take their relationship to the next level. And she is having seizures again.
Is It Any Good?
Belle's problems, even the more subtle ones, may intrigue readers. How do you support a pregnant friend? Why doesn't her dreamy boyfriend seem to want to have sex with her? Why does she always try to explain everything that everybody does? Is she secretly very selfish? The problem here is the same as in Jones' first installment: In the middle of her intriguing plot and striking writing, she dumps all the quirky small-town characters. For starters, there's Belle's duct tape-obsessed boyfriend, and her best friend who takes photos constantly so she won't forget anyone. These contrived characters deplete any connection that readers might feel for Belle or the people she cares about. Fans of the first installment might find enough to like here. Everyone else might as well skip this volume -- and hope that Jones moves on to another town for her next writing adventure.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sequels. What is the appeal of returning to the same character -- both for readers and for writers? What's in it for publishers?
This book deals with both a mean girl and rumors -- both topics that have been popular in the media lately. Do you ever see this kind of behavior at school? This might be a good opportunity for parents to check in with their kids about the kinds of bullying they see, including cyberbullying.
Book Details
- Author: Carrie Jones
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Flux
- Publication date: March 1, 2008
- Number of pages: 264
- Last updated: September 16, 2015
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