Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras

Oh my! A very funny teen book! I liked that the main character was frustrated and unsure of herself minus a lot of the whining and self wallowing many of the authors make these young girls do! It was just a fun light read and very quick.

A cute YA book about 14 year old Lucy, who feels awkward when everyone else around her seems to have their lives together and on track to become the adults they want to be. She not only doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up, but she thinks she's losing her best friend, Izzie, to the new and infinitely more glamorous than Lucy, Nesta. She doesn't look 14 and she has had the misfortune to fall head over heels with Nesta's older, more sophisticated brother before she knows who he is. Definitely all the makings for teenaged drama here but Hopkins handles it deftly and without losing the naivete that makes her heroine sweetly entertaining. Less comedic than some similar books but also less world weary than others, this book show more fits in that small niche that makes this appropriate for my pre-teen daughter but also equally worthwhile for slightly older teens to read as well. This is the first in a series and while I'm not sure I'll follow the series any further, I will be offering it to the girl-child who likes real life sorts of books and I'd be happy for her to read the series if it does capture her interest. show less

Quick Review:

This is a great YA teen romance to spice up your TBR! It's really amusing jumping back into early 2000s YA novels, and it's quite the treat for me. It's definitely different reading them as an adult rather than as a teen, and I'm not sure if they hold up with the times but I still enjoyed them! It's all about falling in love and chasing the boy of your dreams for the very first time... With a catchy title!

Lucy Loverling is a girl after my own heart. She's short, and people are always assuming she's 12, when she is 14. Story of my life (when I was in high school). Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras starts off with Lucy in class. Her teacher, whom she calls Wacko decides to assign the students an essay question, "What makes me me?"The whole book then consists of Lucy's search for self, her search for her special talent and her first kiss. I definately think this book would work well with younger girls. What tween girl isn't obsessed with themselves? I mean, when I was 13-14-15, I was boy-crazy, self-concious, and had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I think this book would have gone over very well with that version of myself.

Very cute and funny British-girl-meets-dating-world book. Fourteen year-old Lucy is starting to feel very left out as her best friend, Izzy spends more time with newcomer, Nesta. Also, she looks so young she can’t even sneak into the movies when they all try together. When she unknowingly falls for Nesta’s sophisticated brother things get really messy. Worse yet, in answer to a school assignment, everyone seems to know exactly what they want to do when they grow up, even if they just say ‘rock star’ or ‘actress.’ Lucy just has no idea at all. It’s not until someone else notices her great clothing designs made from scrap and antique fabrics that she begins to understand that she too has a special talent. The tone is sweet show more while still being relatively funny and there’s the common message that not everyone is as perfect as they seem once we really get to know them. This is a big series (16 books?) so could really keep someone occupied for a bit. show less

I really enjoyed this quick YA read!!! Lucy is like most 14 year old girls, life is awkward her friends are blossoming and she's not, she feels threatened when the new girl arrives and starts hanging out with her best friend. With a little guidance from her friends and a whole lot of understanding and friendship she pulls through this little awkward stage and finds herself a more confident young lady. Although, more awkward phases could very well be right around the corner!! :)

This book is perfect for it's audience. I loved it when I was a tween and I love it now.

It felt like a young teen's [a:Sarra Manning|42559|Sarra Manning|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1267401953p2/42559.jpg]. Which is probably why I moved on to her once I'd read these books and grown up a little.

When you're fourteen you feel so grown up - then you have to make choices. You have to, effectively, decide what you're going to do with your life. You have to chose your GCSEs And my god, that's hard.

Lucy is a nice character, struggling with growing up, leaving childhood.