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

Imagine how life might change if you were cleaning under your mother's bed and discovered her stash of steamy romance novels and her latest self-help book. That is just what happens to Evangeline Logan.

Evangeline can sort of understand the presence of this collection of reading material since her father recently divorced her mother in favor of another love interest. Forgiving her father is something Evangeline has not even considered. She has watched the hell her mother has gone through and wants nothing more than to move on.

Normally, Evangeline wouldn't be interested in reading trashy novels, but one caught her eye and promptly changed her life. Now Evangeline is in search of "the crimson kiss." The way it is so romantically described, she knows her life will not be complete until she experiences it.

The problem starts when Evangeline begins feeling the need to kiss everyone. The fascination with finding this wonderful kiss leads her into some pretty horrible kissing situations. There are kisses with way too much pressure, kisses with more than enough moisture, and kisses that totally miss their mark. For Evangeline, this kissing experiment seems like a bit of fun, but when she mistakenly kisses her best friend's crush, she realizes that things have gotten terribly out of control.

Wendelin Van Draanen, author of SWEAR TO HOWDY and FLIPPED, will have readers laughing aloud when they read about Evangeline. But CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER goes farther than kissing and telling; it offers a serious side as Evangeline learns how to handle what life has thrown at her. ( )

After discovering her mother’s secret stash of romance novels while cleaning one day, 16-year-old Evangeline wants a “crimson kiss,” a perfect kiss of passion and intensity and meaning. She begins to scout out potential bearers of the crimson kiss in her high school—with unpredictably disastrous results. Before long Evangeline is gaining a sour reputation and engaging in misinterpreted encounters with various boys…all while ignoring her cheating father.

As she gets more and more tangled in the web of wrong kisses that she has spun, Evangeline wonders why she hasn’t found the crimson kiss. Soon, however, that becomes the least of her worries, as her actions begin to hurt those she cares for most. How will Evangeline ever straighten her life out without losing her best friend or her family, and remaining true to herself?

CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER is just the kind of light and sweet read that I want: plenty of straightforward cuteness without the melodrama and inanity. It’s a great combination of confectionary-like escapism with relatable realism.

Evangeline’s character, while seemingly simple (she wants that feeling of belonging and safety that characters in her romance novels have), is actually delightful well-rounded. Despite her rather successful attempts to be a gutsy and attention-grabbing girl, readers know at all times that deep down she is an optimistic sweetie with a love of music and absolute loyalty to those she cares about. As a result, we are able to understand her actions and her outlandish desire that lands her in such ridiculous situations.

But CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER is more than just a girl searching for passion: it’s also a story of loyalty and family. Evangeline’s conflict with her father was extremely well done, and never threatened to overpower or quench the delightful wackiness of her boy problems. Instead, it added depth to what could’ve otherwise been a silly and shallow story. In fact, all of the interactions between characters in this book were totally believable; none of the characters and their motivations are forced upon us.

Overall, CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER was a gem of a find. Younger teen readers will appreciate another strong novel from middle-grade favorite Wendelin van Draanen, and older readers who perhaps read and enjoyed FLIPPED back in the day will also be delighted with this different, but fun and touching, read. ( )

You got that right willowwaw! You can relate to characters in the book. Evangeline reminded me of a friend of mine who is one of the popular kids; she kisses tons of guys but unlike Evangeline she's not looking for the crimson kiss. But she is also very similar to Evangeline because like Evangeline she has a reputation of kissing tons of guys.
I enjoyed this book a lot! I think almost every girl is looking for the right guy and the crimson kiss(sparks!). ( )

I enjoyed reading the book, Confessions of a Serial Kisser, because I could easily relate to the main character, Evangeline. The book's strenths are the main character, suspenseful plot, and many underlining mature themes of friendship, betrayel, finding yourself, coming of age, and forgiveness. However, the book in my opinion also had some weaknesses. Even though the plot was very suspenseful and full of surprises I thought it was too busy. Additionally, I think Evangeline went a bit out of control in her search of finding the perfect kiss. The book really lives up to its' catchy title! ( )

Wendelin Van Draanen has written another good one. It's a clever romance story - or maybe I should call it an "unromance" story. Evangeline, the main character, learns a lot about romance, friendship and herself in the quest for a perfect kiss. ( )