I started from the punk cover (there’s a cover for each narrator) and read the story from 15-year-old Cindy’s point of view. no way! Not only has it won the Bisto Book of the Year prize in Ireland, but it has a character called Mr Gravy.Įven without that happy coincidence, I would have been impressed by the two energetic and plausible voices who tell the same story from their separate perspectives. One to curl up on the sofa with, particularly for anyone who feels they can’t escape their genetic destiny Libby is here to tell you that you can. It’s written with a light touch, in Libby’s convincing teenage voice. Ostensibly about Libby’s pursuit of the “serious kiss” of the title, this book actually takes on much graver issues, such as the impact on the family of the father’s growing alcoholism and the eldest son’s dalliance with crime. In The Serious Kiss, Libby, the permanently mortified 14-year-old heroine, lives in small-town California with a mother who mangles the language into such coy shapes as “dinnerooney” and “poopadilly”, and a father who never lets go of the remote control and has a drink problem.

Weren’t social relationships Jane Austen’s material? And, in the end, each of these novels reaches far beyond eternal boy-girl wrangling. The Bad Girls’ Club By Rhian Tracey Bloomsbury pound 5.99īreakfast at Sadie’s By Lee Weatherly David Fickling Books pound 10.99Īm I bothered that this selection of books marketed at girls mainlines on boyfriend and relationship trouble? Well, frankly, I wanted to be, but I was won over. no way! By Siobhan Parkinson O’Brien Press pound 5.99īoy Proof By Cecil Castellucci Walker Books pound 5.99 The Serious Kiss By Mary Hogan Simon and Schuster pound 5.99 A bunch of books about relationship issues gets the thumbs-up from Jo Klaces

The Serious Kiss by Mary Hogan