Summary:
As the “oracle of dating,” Kayla is supposed to have all the answers about love and relationships. She’s supposed to have the perfect relationship. But now that Jared is “taking a step back,” Kayla feels like a total fraud. So the expert on dating starts taking her own rebound advice—and some from her friends—and stops moping around. Yeah, there are other possibilities out there—including the beyond-cute French foreign exchange student she’s showing around town. But when controversy erupts about the Oracle’s advice, Kayla is sent reeling once again. Will anything work out for her this year? Yet when her friends start seriously needing the Oracle, Kayla begins to focus on what really matters: Viv, Sharese, Amy and Ryan, her trueblue buds. And suddenly, everything starts making sense again…
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: November 1, 2010
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 208
Source: NetGalley
This was a fun read. I enjoyed the story, characters and writing style. I just love reading a first-person narrative! This book is the second in a series---I have not read the first book but there was enough backstory and explanation so that I had no trouble catching up.
Kayla is a sixteen year old high school junior who moonlights as "The Oracle of Dating." She has her own website and provides dating advice to other teens. I enjoyed reading about Kayla growing her site and the controversy that occurs when she guest posts for other popular teen sites. Only two of Kayla's friends know that she is the Oracle, so she suffers alone when she comes under fire for one of her guest posts.
It's so nice to read about a female character with good sense, gumption, and good morals. Kayla does let loose once (she gets drunk) but she learns from her mistakes and does not repeat them. This kind of characterization of a sixteen-year-old girl is the kind of thing more YA authors need to do.
Overall, this was a fast, light, fun read. While somewhat predictable, I still enjoyed it.
Just One Gripe:
I think I'm too old for this type of story. I would have enjoyed it much more as a teen.
The Best Thing About This Book:
The way the author develops Kayla's character.
Appropriate for a younger audience:
Yes
Score:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Setting/Imagery: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Ending: 4/5
Total Score: 17/25
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review! =) I've run into too many YA novels lately that have left me with a similar gripe--that they're "too young" for me but that I might have liked them ten years ago--so I probably won't be reading this one.
But recently read another book in which the main character is an advice columnist (although that isn't worked into the story as much as I would have liked); and the concept of people giving advice to others when their own lives are secretly messy seems wonderfully human to me. I hope that shows up in the Oracle series for those who do read these books. =)
I have totally been there. You read a book an think, if I had read this when I was younger :)
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