If You Really Loved Me by Anne Schraff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Part of the Urban Underground series, I liked Destini, who was really hard on herself as not being as pretty, smart and having nice clothes as her friends at Harriet Tubman High. She dislikes school, her teachers and her classes. Until she meets Tyron who is her first boyfriend and gives her such good feelings of love that she overlooks his faults of anger. It is after Tyron hurts her two times that Destini realizes she can't change Tyron and has supportive friends and and a mother that Destini breaks free. Recommended.
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interpersonal (3)
Something Like Fate by Susane ColasantiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The characters in this romance novel are all really finely drawn by Colasanti and I found Lani very believable as a teen who doesn't follow the crowd and realizes she has angered friends by distancing herself (they think Lani thinks she is too good for them) and becoming very involved in her own club to save the earth. Her good friend, Blake is gay but hides it for fear of his father's anger. Lani and Blake are compulsive about checking their horoscopes and Lani truly believes in fate (hence the title). As the narrator, we find out from Lani about how her best friend, Erin, saved her when they were younger and they have been inseparable since. Lani has also become friends with Danielle in her ecology club. But Lani is insecure and also unaware of herself as being interesting to guys. She has never had a real boyfriend and when she meets Erin's latest flame, Jason, she has no reason to believe he might be interested in her. But it becomes obvious to Blake that Jason is interested in Lani and when they start hanging out together, Lani likes Jason but just sees him as a friend and nothing more. It is when Jason finally tells Lani he cares about Lani, that things get really interesting. Jason is a great guy;athletic, funny, a mentor to younger kids and a lifeguard during the summer. With only 2 months left before summer, Lani and Jason stay friendly; when Erin leaves for summer camp, Jason breaks up with her in an email and Lani and Jason begin seeing each other and it is a pretty perfect summer, what will happen when Erin returns? A great book for girls.
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