A well-written, but fundamentally irritating work by one of the funniest and freshest YA authors currently writing. Victoria, or Egg as she likes to be called, discovers she needs to tone down her personality in order to endear herself to her parents, friends and love-interest. I found Boy Proof to have an almost quaint anti-feminist tone reminiscent of Beverly Cleary’s Fifteen, which, while delightful in a 1950s teen romance, is cringe-worthily dated for a novel dedicated to “all nerdy girls everywhere.” ( )

Egg is deliberately boy proof and revels in being a loner. Then Max moves to town.
One would suppose that all geeks need to be the prom queen is a makeover. At least, that's what most books and movies tell us. Boy Proof looks at the geeks that are happy being geeks. His protagonist loves sci fi and even dresses up like her favorite character every day. It's nice to see that although she may eventually drop the character, she never gives up what makes her different from other people.
This books belongs in every high school that has "alternative" people. ( )

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Victoria "Egg" Jurgen is a loner and she likes it that way. Dressed in her long white cloak, with a shaved head and drawn-in eyebrows, she doesn't talk to people and doesn't want people to talk to her. Her look and attitude cause her to be "boy proof," according to her mother. Egg's unique style is fashioned after her favorite character from the movie Terminal Earth, which she has seen multiple times and as many as four times in one day. Egg refers to herself as a cinephile. She loves the film industry, especially the Sci-Fi world.

Egg considers herself the smartest person at her school and feels Valedictorian is pretty much in the bag. That is until Max shows up in her AP classes. Egg's first impression of Max is that he stinks, literally. The only thing she likes about him at all is his t-shirt that has the name of one of her favorite comic books on it. Max seems to be everywhere. He is a wonderful artist and joins the school's newspaper where Egg acts as a photo journalist. Getting to know Max turns out to be a life-changing experience for Egg.

As senior year progresses, Egg becomes more involved in activities that put her in contact with people. She learns what it means to be a friend and how important it is to have them in your life. She realizes that people aren't always as they seem and that being perfect isn't necessary for happiness. Egg learns a lot in one year's time; even how to leave Egg behind and become simply Victoria.

Cecil Castellucci has written a thoughtful story about the sensitive time in every young adult's life - self-discovery. Written in first person, this novel launches you into Egg's world and leaves you feeling as though you are experiencing life through her eyes. The reader will sympathize with the ups and downs of the typical teenage angst that Victoria goes through in order to, once and for all, decide what it really takes for her to be happy. ( )

Inscribed with a dedication to "all nerdy girls everywhere," Boy Proof, by Cecil Castellucci, an endearing romantic comedy-type novel set in Hollywood, has plenty of Sci-Fi references to go around. Now, as someone who recently made an X-Files related "Erlenmeyer Flask" reference in casual conversation, I may be biased, but I found the book's geekiness refreshing and engaging. Victoria "Egg" Jurgen is obsessed with the Sci-Fi movie Terminal Earth to the point where she dresses like Egg, its main character, quotes extensively from the movie, and holds everyone and everything else at a generous distance. She believes that her big brain and general aloofness have made her "boy proof," which of course invites the introduction of the other main character, Max Carter, a cool transfer student who seems genuinely smart and wonders why Egg doesn't use her talents for some better purpose. Cue adorableness! ( )

I could really identify with Victoria/Egg. I remember being that age and being so angy and trying so hard to find my identity. I even remember changing my name to Cassandra (my older brother still gives me a hard time over that). I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers, however. Victoria's defiance of her mother is something that I wouldn't want younger readers emulating and I don't think that they would be mature enough to understand the resolution of that relationship at the end of the book. In addition, I found the drinking scene over the top. But for older readers, 18+, I think they could pick up the subtle nuances of the behavior changes and how Victoria matures (hatches from her "Egg" if you will) from an angry, clueless adolescent to a thinking young adult. It might also resonate with the slightly older crowd because Victoria is also stuggling with decisions about what to do after high school. All in all an enjoyable read. ( )