Saturday, August 27, 2011

Book Review: Falling in Love With English Boys by Melissa Jensen


Falling in Love With English Boys by Melissa Jensen
Published: October 28, 2010
293 pages (paperback)
Publisher: Speak (Penguin Group)
Genre: Young adult romance
Acquired this book: at the library
Warning: may include spoilers
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Catherine Vernon has been stranded in London for the summer - no friends, no ex-boyfriend Adam the Scum (good riddance!), and absolutely nothing to do but blog about her misery to her friends back home. Desperate for something – anything - to do in London while her (s)mother's off researching boring historical things, Cat starts reading the 1815 diary of Katherine Percival her mom gives her - and finds the similarities between their lives to be oddly close. But where Katherine has the whirls of the society, the parties and the gossip over who is engaged to who, Cat's only got some really excellent English chocolate. Then she meets William Percival - the uber-hot descendant of Katherine - and things start looking up…
 
What I thought of Falling in Love With English Boys:
This novel is Cat and Katherine’s stories woven together - Cat’s blog-style in the 21st century, and Katherine’s through her diary in the 1800s. Through the diary-style writing, we get a glimpse inside the girls’ lives and what they consider important in life. They both start out shallow and kind of self-centred, but evolve and mature, learn some hard lessons about life, and do a lot of growing up throughout the story.

I thought it was interesting going back and forth from Cat’s hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny commentary, messages to her friends, inner dialogue and dialogue between her and the other characters, then going back in time to Cat, who’s very proper and often tries to censor herself, even in her diary. Both writing styles really rang true and were very believable.

I desperately want Cat’s London friends. They are, I think, probably every girl’s dream friends - loyal, caring, and supportive.  I also loved the boys that both Cat and Katherine fell for. There was enough romantic tension to keep you wondering (and worrying), and I thought Cat especially really rang true with how she described her feelings for Will, and how she acted around him (awkward, unsure, sometimes eager, but trying to play it cool).

This book is categorized as young adult, but I think anyone who loves romance or chick lit would enjoy this book. 
  


5 comments:

  1. i want to read this book so bad! even more so after seeing your review :)

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  2. Great review! I'm a fan of diary/letter style of writing.

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  3. Oooh! I just bought this one. Your review makes me want to bump it up on my TBR list! :)

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  4. Laugh out loud funny? Sign me up please! Lol.

    I'm a new follower!

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  5. Anything laugh out loud funny- sign me up! Will be adding this to my TBR pile!

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~Marie

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