After Reading: The Boyfriend List

By: Meradeth Houston on 3:49 PM

by E. Lockhart

Fifteen-year-old Ruby Oliver has had a number of unfortunate experiences lately. In the past ten days she has: lost her thirteenth boyfriend as well as her best friends, drank her first beer and got caught by mom, had an argument with a boy, did something suspicious with another, did something advanced with yet another, lost a lacrosse game, failed a math test, became a social outcast, hurt someone's feelings, and had stuff written about her in the girls' bathroom with graffiti. All of this leads to her having panic attacks and seeing a psychologist to help her deal with them.

While seeing the psychologist, Ruby talks about her home life and the experiences she has had with all her boyfriends. She reveals, among other things, that her best friend stole one of her boyfriends and that boys were denying that they had ever gone out with her. She also says that her mother has gone crazy with all the health food she forces everyone else to eat, her parents fight a lot over her, and they're way too protective of her. Will Ruby ever stop having panic attacks and be able to live her life peacefully?
(Reviewed by Ashley Hartlaub)

Have you ever read a book and have to set it aside a few times because you seriously think somehow your mother has been bound between the pages? No? Well, probably not with a YA book all that often. But, this book made me seriously think about my mom. Not to go into too much detail, but it's very strange to be the grown daughter of a mother who is dating. I mean, looking through Ruby's list of boys, I swear I started picking out my mom's past boyfriends. That was a little disturbing. And Ruby grumbles the same way (or, well, sort of) that my mom does. It's amusing, in parts, and other ways just makes me want to scream a little. I mean, I don't know, I've been married too long. I no longer have any hope or expectation for phone calls, or niceties, or anything like that. (Yes, being married is just that fun!) So, I spent most of the book thinking about that. I did like the ending and felt that it was really well done. I'm curious about the next books in the series and will see if I can snag them from the library. But, if I start hearing my mother's voice in the binding, well.... :)