Title: Chasing Boys
Author: Karen Tayleur
About the Book: El Marini just isn’t fitting into the new life she’s been forced to create without her dad. Her mom and sister have accepted his absence and moved on, but El is convinced things will get back to normal if she just keeps her feelings of loss to herself and waits it out.
Life at her new public school would have been unbearable if weren’t for Eric Callahan. As her crush grows to epic proportions, she’ll do anything to be more like the popular girls he notices, even buying the first pink top she’s ever owned. But then she meets Dylan, a quiet artistic-type who is both unnerving and annoying as he shines a light on El’s misguided attempts to attract Eric. El’s need for acceptance will hit home with teens as she finally sees that chasing boys has distracted her from making peace with the past and finding herself.
My Review: Another YA dose of realistic fiction. One that took me back to high school and my own teenage years. This book is full of issues that many teens have to face: changing schools, cliques, jealousy, crushes, acceptance, and more.
El is one of those teenagers. She is used to living the high-life, but with her dad gone, she has to get used to less, a lot less. Her mother has issues that El refuses to acknowledge. All of this changes El, as I assume it would many teens. She doesn't know how to deal with all the changes in her life, so she retreats into herself at times, changes her appearance, and gets new friends.
This book has all the romantic elements, without all the mush that many girls can't stand to read about. I enjoyed it for it's honest approach to all things typical, teenage girl. El must make a decision between 2 boys, who wouldn't want that problem. The fact that the boys are two totally different guys doesn't help matters. Does she go for the jock, I have it all type, or the artistic, bad boy type? Oh to have to have those type problems again.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the chapter lengths. Some chapters only had one sentence, but it was a big idea one! Tayleur says what needs to be said in each chapter without adding unnecessary information or filler ideas. Way to go!
Chasing Boys receives 4 out of 5 stars from me.
