Author: Katie Sise
Publisher: Balzar +
Bray
Date: Available now
Source: Publisher via
Edelweiss
My grade: A-
In The Boyfriend App
by Katie Sise, super-smart, somewhat geeky Audrey McCarthy can’t wait to get
out of high school. Her father’s death and the transformation of her one-time
BFF, Blake Dawkins, into her worst nightmare have her longing for the new start
college will bring.
But college takes
money. So Audrey decides she has to win the competition for the best app
designed by a high schooler—and the $200,000 that comes with it. She develops
something she calls the Boyfriend App, and suddenly she’s the talk of the
school and getting kissed by the hottest boys around. But can the Boyfriend App
bring Audrey true love?
Go Geeks!!!
Cover story
Actually, I love this cover. It is perfect for the story and it is
completely related to the plot of the book. Imagine that.
There’s no kissing either! I’m
not crazy about the color scheme, but I’ll take it! And the title is ok, too. It’s not really imaginative, but it works.
What’s the story?
I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would. No, wait, that’s not exactly right. I knew it would be cute and fun, and it was. But it is much more of a coming-of-age story
than total brain candy. It’s still on
the sweet side, but with a little more substance than I first thought.
First, there is Audrey.
She and her friends are total computer geeks, complete with the tech
talk. I’m glad that I’m married to a
computer geek because I actually knew what Linux is!!! The tech talk could get a little complicated,
so keep Google and Wikipedia close by. J
Next, there are Audrey’s friends. Aiden, Mindy and Nigit are her geeky school
friends and they were wonderful. Lindsey,
her cousin, is the total opposite of Audrey and her friends, but I just loved
Lindsey! She writes a fashion blog and
was totally plastic, but with a heart of gold.
I think that what makes this book so good is this exquisite
cast of characters. They are sort of
larger than life and very complex. Katie
manages to write them in a way that moves them beyond the cardboard cut-out
cliques they represent. Even the mean
girl has a back story. I think that because
these characters are so grounded and feel so real, the over-the-top nature of
the plot can still work. Because believe
me when I tell you, things get a little insane in the middle part of the book!
There were times when Audrey seemed so dense that I just
wanted to smack her! Girlfriend had a
lot of growing up to do. And she did it
in this book. I love it when I can close
the book and see that the character has progressed as a human being and I feel
good about where everything stands. I
reached the end of this book with a giant smile on my face, and that pretty
much sums it up, right?
This is a fun book with great characters and the theme is
very current and relatable for teens (and for everyone, really. There are 30 somethings that would love an
app that would find their perfect match!) There are times when the plot gets a little
out of control, but honestly? I didn’t
even care. I was so invested in the
characters by the time that happened that I just kept right on reading.
The Soundtrack
The Middle by Jimmy Eat World
Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus
At My Most Beautiful by REM
Only One by Yellowcard
Buddy Holly by Weezer
She Blinded Me with Science by Thomas Dolby
The Final Grade
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