How To Meet Boys by Catherine Clark | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Find out what happens when you fall for your best friend's worst enemy in this hilarious tale of a forbidden first love and forever friendship. The author of Maine Squeeze and Love and Other Things I'm Bad At, Catherine Clark, has once again crafted a romantic coming-of-age story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.Lucy can't wait to spend the summer at the lake with her best friend, Mikayla. But when Jackson, the boy she's been avoiding ever since he rejected her, reappears in her life, Lucy wonders if this summer to remember is one she'd rather forget.Mikayla's never had much luck talking to boys, but when she (literally) runs into the cutest guy she's ever seen, and sparks fly, she thinks things might be looking up . . . until she realizes the adorable stranger is the same boy who broke her best friend's heart.As things begin to heat up between Mikayla and the one guy she should avoid, will Lucy be able to keep her cool or will the girls' perfect summer turn into one hot mess?

I am not going to lie, when I got How To Meet Boys by Catherine Clark in the mail I kind of laughed, because you know the title is something that I don’t have problems with. Then, of course, my partner saw it and he was like, really? My personal immaturity aside, I decided to give How To Meet Boys a shot because it was a wicked short book with a summer-looking cover so I kind of figured it would get me in the mood for summer. Also? I just love light contemporary books. Unfortunately, I never totally gelled with How To Meet Boys.

Catherine Clark’s book alternates chapters between two girls — Lucy and her best friend, Mikayla. The girls are spending a unique summer away from home, staying in Lucy’s grandparent’s cottage. They both spend the summer working and fixing up the cottage. Honestly, I liked this part because I just like books where people take run down places and turn them into a home. It’s totally my inner Swiss Family Robinson coming out. Anyways, the summer is about more than the cottage, but also about romance. For one, Lucy has to work with this guy who totally spurned her when she was a kid, Jackson. And then Mikayla nearly gets run over by some guy, but there’s total chemistry between them that just may develop into some summer loving.

Okay, so I read How To Meet Boys back in May but have been putting off reviewing it until now, in August. So, here’s what I remember about Lucy and Mikayla: NOT MUCH. Like, I remember that they were both nice girls. I remember that they were best friends. I remember that there was a third best friend who couldn’t stay with them because she had an internship. I also remember that they were the kinds of girls who don’t seem to have much trouble or issues in their lives. In other words, they were perfectly safe and kind of a little dull.

Least you think that How To Meet Boys is a terrible book, you should know that there actually is some romance. There’s some dates that culminate in a few really adorable scenes. Also, you probably can guess at this point that Jackson is the guy who almost runs Mikayla over and this totally causes some tension between Mikayla and Lucy. However, the two are a good couple. Further, Lucy finds someone of her own too, this guy named Gus who is perfectly nice and who takes her boating. Honestly, there’s just a lot of nice people in this book.

So, I guess my low rating of this book comes from my personal expectations. I mean, it’s not like it was a terrible book or even that it was bad. It’s more that this book was kind of boring. Like, there’s not a lot of tension. It’s just nice people doing nice things and it’s not even written in a way that makes the ordinary seem beautiful. I guess I just like more drama in what I read. Furthermore, this book felt really, really young. I mean, the girls are staying in a cottage with no adult supervision, they have licenses and yet, there’s no talk of drinking or sexytimes or anything, which LOL REALLY?! The romance level in this book made it feel like something that should be aimed at middle schoolers, yet the characters were clearly older young adults. I guess really I just feel a level of disdain. If you’re looking for a light read without much drama, definitely you should try How To Meet Boys, I did not love it, but you might.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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