Sarah Miller (2)

It's interesting to read "Carter Finally Gets It" and "Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn" within the same time span. Both novels attempt to get inside the mind of a teenage boy and find out what makes him tick. I imagine this is a valid concern for many teenage girls, trying to figure out what makes certain guys tick and why we act that we do. And while each novel concludes that guys are driven by one thing, it's interesting to see how differently each novel approaches that driving show more factor.

With "Gideon" the feeling I got was that guys are motivated only by one thing--sex. And that's it. The insight into the guy's mind is that teenage boys think about sex A LOT. They think about the ways they could possibly have sex, where they could have sex and who they would like to have sex with. And that drives just about everything they do in trying to win over and impress girls.

Honestly, the story doesn't go much deeper than that and, in the end, it becomes a bit repetitive by the halfway mark of the book. What will keep you reading is the curiosity factor over which of the characters is the first-person narrator with the all access pass to Gideon's mind. There were times I felt like skipping ahead to find out, but I kept thinking I might miss some pivotal moment or some character development. Alas, that never quite happens.

On the other hand, you've got "Carter Finally Gets It," a story about high school freshman Will Carter and his journey though his first year of high school. Carter and his fellow male friends are clearly motivated by lust for their fellow females, but most of them would clearly have no idea what to do with a willing female should they get one. In fact, Carter and his crew really have no clue as to who they really are and instead put on airs and try to be the stud they all think the should be. The results are humorous and realistic. Carter starts off the book in a romance with his home ec partner from the previous year who has blossomed a bit. Helped by his older sister's advice, Carter is able to at first woo her but allows his early small successes such as holding her hand, kissing her and getting to first base to cloud his judgment and boost his ego. Before you know it, Carter is trying to have his cake and eat it too instead of just being the guy that he liked being and that most people liked him being.

It all catches up to him in a realistic way and then the rest of the novel finds Carter finally "getting it" and figuring out who he is. Yes, by the novel's end Carter is still a hormonally imbalance waiting to happen, but there's been some growth and learning by Carter along the way. There's also been a couple of nice laughs that are grounded in the character. As I said in my review of "Swim the Fly," the tone is similar to the early "American Pie" movies where you had some crude humor but it was balanced by some heart. That's the case with "Carter" and while the book isn't necessarily perfect, it's still an interesting and enjoyable enough read. show less

Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn by Sarah Miller is the story of Gideon's first year at prestigious and pretentious Connecticut prep school Midvale Academy as told by a female student there who has somehow managed to enter into Gideon's thoughts. The identity of the narrator is kept under wraps until the very end providing just the tiniest bit of suspense as we follow Gideon through his first year. It just so happens that in his first year at Midvale, the hapless Gideon ends up rooming with show more two big men on campus, good-looking, womanizing, pot-smoking Cullen McKay and quirky, vegetarian, also good-looking Nicholas Westerbeck. The two, upon finding that Gideon's virginity, despite one near miss, is very much intact make a bet as to whether Gideon will be able to get Molly McGarry, a girl within his "range," to go to bed with him by Halloween. Unfortunately, Gideon is distracted from his pursuit of Molly by the stunningly beautiful and far outside his reach Pilar Benitez-Jones who seems to be more into him than he could have ever expected. Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn is a fun romp as the more or less innocent Gideon gets sucked into Midvale's bizarre prep school culture where he learns its ins and outs and what makes its shallow students tick all while trying to bed preternaturally beautiful girls in part to win the friendship and respect of his slightly twisted roommates. It's probably not going to broaden your mind or increase your understanding but it's definitely a fun read. show less

Any book that offers a promotional ‘thong’ on the jacket can’t be all bad, eh? Although aimed at the ‘upper’ end of the teenage market, this is truly adult stuff – the US college students at Midvale Academy are too preoccupied with sex, drugs and practical jokes to worry about studying, and it is into this world our hero Gideon Rayburn is plunged headlong. What makes this book stand out is the clever twist: a girl seems to be eavesdropping on Gideon’s brain, giving us a unique show more perspective on this teenage boy’s thoughts. Scary stuff, you might think…true, but it is extremely entertaining and has more of a moral point to make than most other ‘college’ novels. show less

The Other Girl is the follow up book to Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn. Molly McGarry has been in the mind of her boyfriend, Gideon, for about six months now. While on one hand this is great because she can anticipate his every desire there is also the downside of over hearing him checking out their beautiful classmate, Pilar. When Molly’s jealousy gets the better of her she ends up breaking up with Gideon and then watching as he hooks up with Pilar. Suddenly Molly finds herself out of show more Gideon’s mind and in Pilar’s mind instead. She tries to use this opportunity to sabotage the new relationship but everything she does seems to push Gideon and Pilar closer together.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first book in the series and did not want to put it down. Gideon’s mind was pretty one tracked about girls and sex. Seeing inside of Pilar’s mind was much more interesting. We see that while Pilar is arguably the most beautiful girl on campus she still has her own insecurities and wants to be known for more than being the dumb cutie. I found myself liking her much more than I did in the last book and even found myself liking her more than Molly. I actually felt sorry for Pilar and was hoping there would be a happy ending for her. This book will have you smiling and laughing to yourself as you read what goes through Pilar’s head.

While we do not see as much of Gideon’s roommates, Nicholas and Cullen, they do make some appearances that always liven up the story. It was also enjoyable to get to know Devon and Edie more in this story as well. This was a thoroughly enjoyable book that I highly suggest picking up even if not a fan of the first book. show less