Giving love a 'Shot'
A few years ago I read the prequel to this, Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty.
Skater-girl and valedictorian nominee Geena has been dating her academic rival, Ben, for the past six months - which would be great, if not for the fact that a) Geena has never been in a relationship before, b) Ben's glamorous childhood friend Sophie clearly wants to steal him from her, and c) he wants to get physical with her. Not helping her situation is her mother, back on the dating scene and and acting like a teenager in love. Geena's friend Amber recruits her to help Amber win over Mr. Sands, who happens to be Geena's young, devastatingly handsome English teacher who has a thing for beat poetry. Together, they craft a Myspace page that reflects not a flirtatious, wild, 16-year-old Amber, but a mature, literary 21-year-old Amber. But the more she helps Amber - and the more she lets the stuck-up Sophie get on her nerves - the quicker Ben starts to slip away from her. Geena doesn't know how to be a good girlfriend, and with a surprisingly needy Amber, she can't be sure if she's being a good friend, either.
Yikes! Geena's got her work cut out for her in this outing, which doesn't exactly help with the quality of the book as a whole. Although populated with funny characters with essentially good hearts, the plot is a little too busy to be completely enjoyable. Geena, likable and vulnerable, is simply overloaded with problems. Every time I got interested in one aspect of the story, another subplot would rear its head and demand my attention. For crying out loud, Amber is given two love interests, and she's only a supporting character. Some (Amber's insecurities about her class and Geena's struggle with opening up to Ben) are given more weight than others (Amber's violent home life and Geena's scruples about doing the deed). I would've liked for Gehrman to have focused more on Geena and Ben, although in this go-around her friendship with Amber was more palatable. And I don't like that she resorted to using Sophie, a one-note rich bitch, as a prop.
However, the message of the book is accessible and well-stated. As Amber tries to change too much to impress Mr. Sands, Geena has problems adjusting to the role of "girlfriend." While you need to adapt to other people, you should never do a complete overhaul, and this is illustrated with the two girls. And whatever problems the book has, it's a quick and fun read with characters worth caring about and a triumphant ending.
Rating: 3.5 school hallway make-out sessions out of 5.
Skater-girl and valedictorian nominee Geena has been dating her academic rival, Ben, for the past six months - which would be great, if not for the fact that a) Geena has never been in a relationship before, b) Ben's glamorous childhood friend Sophie clearly wants to steal him from her, and c) he wants to get physical with her. Not helping her situation is her mother, back on the dating scene and and acting like a teenager in love. Geena's friend Amber recruits her to help Amber win over Mr. Sands, who happens to be Geena's young, devastatingly handsome English teacher who has a thing for beat poetry. Together, they craft a Myspace page that reflects not a flirtatious, wild, 16-year-old Amber, but a mature, literary 21-year-old Amber. But the more she helps Amber - and the more she lets the stuck-up Sophie get on her nerves - the quicker Ben starts to slip away from her. Geena doesn't know how to be a good girlfriend, and with a surprisingly needy Amber, she can't be sure if she's being a good friend, either.
Yikes! Geena's got her work cut out for her in this outing, which doesn't exactly help with the quality of the book as a whole. Although populated with funny characters with essentially good hearts, the plot is a little too busy to be completely enjoyable. Geena, likable and vulnerable, is simply overloaded with problems. Every time I got interested in one aspect of the story, another subplot would rear its head and demand my attention. For crying out loud, Amber is given two love interests, and she's only a supporting character. Some (Amber's insecurities about her class and Geena's struggle with opening up to Ben) are given more weight than others (Amber's violent home life and Geena's scruples about doing the deed). I would've liked for Gehrman to have focused more on Geena and Ben, although in this go-around her friendship with Amber was more palatable. And I don't like that she resorted to using Sophie, a one-note rich bitch, as a prop.
However, the message of the book is accessible and well-stated. As Amber tries to change too much to impress Mr. Sands, Geena has problems adjusting to the role of "girlfriend." While you need to adapt to other people, you should never do a complete overhaul, and this is illustrated with the two girls. And whatever problems the book has, it's a quick and fun read with characters worth caring about and a triumphant ending.
Rating: 3.5 school hallway make-out sessions out of 5.
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