Derek's clearly the love Marisa's been waiting for, but there's just one problem: he has a girlfriend. Nash is clearly wrong for Marisa, but he's crushing on her. And, as if life wasn't complicated enough, Marisa's also contending with a best friend who won't stop falling for older guys, a family that's acting totally bizarre, and a secret crush on a guy whose identity is a mystery - even to her.
It's the beginning of Sophomore year and Marisa has just got back from two months of summer camp. She and her best friend Sterling have decided they are going to reinvent themselves, especially after Marisa's breakdown the previous year due to her anxiety disorder. Her first goal is to find a boyfriend and she is totally head over heals for Derek who unfortunately is head over heals for Sierra...or is he? Marisa first notices Derek smiling at her whenever she steals a glance at him in school. Then one day in art class he sits by her and starts up a conversion. Maybe, just maybe he does like her!
Meanwhile, Marisa has rekindled her childhood friendship with Nash her geeky, brainy neighbor who she feels she can talk to about anything. Things get complicated when Nash admits he likes Marisa but he is still there for her when she needs him. BFF Sterling is also causing complications for Marisa with her aspirations of finding an online boyfriend in addition to getting mad whenever she feels Marisa isn't spending enough time with her.
Colasantis' easy flowing prose made this book an enjoyable easy read. At first I felt like Marisa was saddled with what seemed like an overload of stresses until I really thought about all the issues that kids are dealing with today. Although Marisa is also dealing with her anxiety disorder everything else was pretty much what EVERY kid deals with. Dating, friends, school, family and self-image issues just to name a few.
I totally recommend this book for middle schoolers, high schoolers and beyond. I left a few of the subplots out of the review but they are just bonuses to this sweet, sensitive coming-of-age story.
Score: 4 points
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