Lovesick

Ted is a former basketball player whose life was turned upside down when he lost his college scholarship, and Erica is a bulimic girl from a wealthy family, determined to go to college despite her father unease about her moving out. Their paths cross when Erica’s father offers Ted the opportunity of a lifetime: keep an eye on Erica and have your college tuition paid for. Through a mix of narrative and e-mail correspondence between characters, readers are taken on the emotional roller coaster that is addiction, and does not shy away from controversial issues like alcoholism and bulimia. Rather than alluding to them, he says them up front: the reader is inside Erica’s head as she binges and purges, seeing her thought process and the show more euphoria she experiences throughout. The reader is exposed to an accurate depiction of college life, parties, hook ups, explicit language, and all. Love and addiction are not the only elements, though. The two main characters are deeply developed and become rather humorous. Because of their complexity there is an element of suspense toward the end. Coburn does not gives clues as to how the story will end, leaving readers guessing until the last two pages. Readers who are thirsting for love, lust, struggle, controversy, mystery and suspense—here it is! show less

Ted was a star basketball player with an Ivy League scholarship until he lost his knee in a drunk driving accident. Erika is the only child of a millionaire who has a bingeing problem, but still wants to attend the same Ivy League school. So through an intermediary, Erika's dad offers Ted a scholarship of his own, with one criteria - he has to spy on Erika. Coburn brings together two characters with addictions, and helps them through the recovery process through their love for each other. I liked the rough love story, but kept reading because I knew this huge lie was between them and wondered how it would be resolved. Coburn comes up with a good, messy resolution which is true to the characters and their lives. Well written and not as show more popular as it should be. I'll start recommending it. show less

Although some might feel as though this was a "depressing" book, it dabbled on some problems that many teens face. I felt that it was real, with vulnerable aspects.

After Ted York's drunk driving accident, he ruined his dreams for getting a basketball scholarship. While attending AA meetings, Ted thinks that nothing is going to get better. Then a man, with a daughter of bulmia, offers him a chance to go to college that'd be pay for as long as he watches his daughter. When Ted meets her though, he finds out that just watching her isn't all that he wants.