Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

In BOY TOY, author Barry Lyga takes readers on an incredible journey into a world that, for some, like main character Josh Mendel, is all too real. Josh's life was changed at age twelve when his teacher took the role of educator far beyond the limits of acceptable behavior. Lyga's story does not cut corners or mince words. He is straightforward and direct in telling Josh's story. His graphic descriptions may have earned him criticism, but they have also made his story a powerful one.

Josh Mendel loves baseball. He is a wiz at math. His best friend, Zik, seems to be the one with the rocky home life and all the problems, but not for long.

Mrs. Evelyn Sherman is the new history teacher recently transferred from the local high school to the middle school. She is drop-dead gorgeous. All the boys probably find it a bit embarrassing to stand up and leave the classroom some days. Josh certainly does.

Josh's involvement with Mrs. Sherman begins when she praises his writing and asks him to help her with a project for her graduate class. Honored and excited, Josh is eager to help. Problems at home make staying after school, and later actually going home with Mrs. Sherman, a convenience for Josh and his parents. He begins spending more and more time with her even after her project is complete.

At first, being in Mrs. Sherman's apartment everyday after school is exciting, because Josh gets to play unlimited video games, drink Coke, and hang out with an attentive, beautiful woman. His time in the apartment becomes even more fascinating when Mrs. Sherman begins inviting him to help her cook dinner and sip wine with her. Then kisses begin - tentative and then passionate. The passion moves from petting to full-on sexual experimentation.

Josh is addicted. There are feelings of guilt, but those feelings are outweighed by the incredible physical pleasure Mrs. Sherman offers. Life is spiraling out of control.

The world comes crashing down when Josh finds himself playing spin the bottle with Rachel. He and Rachel have been friends on the baseball field for as long as he can remember, but when Josh's newfound experience turns the innocent teenage game too sexually explicit, Rachel runs screaming to her parents. The "game" is over, and Josh's secret is about to come out in the open.

BOY TOY is not a short romp between the sheets. In fact, it has raised many eyebrows in the world of YA literature. Readers will see exactly what went on with Mrs. Sherman, but they will also see deeply into the world of a young man trying to continue with life, make amends to his friends, and make plans for his future. It has a strong, powerful story to tell, and it tells that story well. ( )

Barry Lyga writes a powerful story in which he holds nothing back. Boy Toy's written back and forth between Josh's flashbacks from 5 years ago and the present. At any given time, you're chance to be wondering what Josh's thinking, and later you find out. Joshua has withdrawn himself, and avoided Rachel, because of the incident 5 years ago, until he bumps into her. Now he must face himself and open up with the truth. The plot kept me flipping pages, waiting to see what Josh would do next. Josh was a great narrator, his voice was pleasant and kept you reading. I definately will be checking out Barry Lyga's other works! ( )

Based on the cover title, some of you might think Boy Toy lacks substance. I mean, what can you expect with a title like that, not to mention the curvaceous figure of the woman? Well, you’ve got it all wrong because this is 409 pages of literary YA…yes, “literary.” The boy toy in question is actually a boy and the conflict faced by this boy is more of the sinister kind.
At the age of 12, the life of Josh Mendel shatters as innocently as a shard of ice pricked into his skin; he learns how to please a woman, but to put it that way it seems something pleasantly memorable. And, in a way, this is true. He was truly in lust with his 6th grade teacher, Eve Sherman, but his teacher is a pedophile. What she teaches him turns his life upside down. See full review at http://athenasbooks.blogspot.com ( )

Merideth says: Josh, athletic and smart is, now a senior in High School. Josh was manipulated into a sexual relationship with his teacher, Eve, when he was 12 years old. Despite years of counseling, Josh still suffers guilt and shame surrounding the events. When he learns that Eve is being paroled, it sets off a series of climatic events.

This is a book of extremely powerful moments, that make the entire book seem better than it actually is. The flashback scenes, in which Josh describes his relationship with Eve, are the most arresting, as the reader understands the situation in ways that Josh cannot. The scenes after the relationship is discovered, in particular, are very vivid. The part of the book set in the present is much weaker, as Lyga can't seem to decide what he wants us to think. Josh is not particularly likable or sympathetic, and in some ways that works to the book's advantage, as it throws the reader off kilter. On the other hand, it does make you sympathize with those who dislike him. Josh's obsession with baseball statistics fell flat for me, as I don't know enough about baseball to have them inform the text, nor do I care enough to find out.

The ending of this book was a little to pat, a little to perfect. Much has been made about the sex scenes in this book, which I will say, strayed too far into bodice-ripper territory for me. ( )

This was a frank, realistic look at an very under-explored, misunderstood topic. I was extremely impressed by how deftly Lyga handled this; so many people romanticize child molestation when it’s a woman who is the offender. There is none of that in this story. You get to see how the abuse affected Josh, his parents and his friends, and you even gain some understanding of Eve (nice symbolic name there)'s motivations. ( )