The Treasure Map of Boys

So funny! I adore Ruby Oliver....she is such a great character. She has her strengths and her flaws. She doesn't know what she wants but she figures it out when she needs to. She cares about the people in her life, even if they don't always seem to care about her and even when they drive her certifiably insane. Such a domestic adventure. I love when I read this series because I end up interacting with the book and everything that happens. I laugh, I smile, I pout, I squeal. This series does this to me and I am very grateful for it. Had a bit of a rough patch yesterday and when I did, and I picked Ruby up, she had one too. And we shared our misery, even though they weren't related and not at all in the same contexts. I don't need a show more shrink and I don't need to make a treasure map of my peer-relationships...although maybe that would've been useful throughout my high school career. I can't wait to start book 4. I can't wait to reunite with crazy, psychotic, lovable Ruby Oliver. =) show less

Now in the second half of her junior year, Ruby Oliver seems to have reached a sort of satisfying plateau in her social standing. No longer a social standing after the incident with the boyfriend list in sophomore year, Ruby now has several friends, of both genders—but, alas, she still does not have a boyfriend!

This is not to say that she doesn’t have any prospects. A school bake sale she runs prompts several guys to participate, and to maybe show an interest in her. Roo also can’t decide how she feels about her ex, Jackson, newly single after breaking up with Roo’s ex-best friend, sending her more gifts and always hanging around her. And finally, she has trouble interpreting the actions of Noel, her friend and someone she may show more like.

But then things get worse—much worse. And suddenly Roo is back in a position of trying to figure out who her true friends are, and whether or not she is a good person after all.

E. Lockhart’s Ruby Oliver books are, quite simply, some of the best studies of high school platonic and romantic interaction that ever exist. What I love about Roo and the books about her are how thoroughly and realistically complex the characters are. Teens do a lot of crazy things in high school, and there are never easy explanations for their motivations. Similarly, Roo is constantly trying to analyze her behavior and decide whether she is being a normal teenage girl or a horrible person.

This kind of three-dimensional psych study isn’t just limited to Roo, however. All of the other people in Roo’s life—with the exception of the adults—are prime candidates for loads of discussion. What makes them do what they do? Are they right to put so much blame on Roo for things going badly, or are they themselves also partially at fault? All the questions that teens subconsciously must answer in high school, and yet rarely have the ability to voice as clearly as Roo does.

The excellence doesn’t stop there, either! E. Lockhart not only creates wonderful characters, she also writes humorously. Roo has a habit of using footnotes liberally to either go off on tangents that usually involve cinema knowledge or to make a funny and/or informative note. The result is a book that is easy yet fun to read.

Due to E. Lockhart’s insightful observation about the behaviors of teenagers in a small school, as well as Roo’s admittedly dramatic life, the Ruby Oliver books would make great presents for teen girls who read a lot of manga but not many actual novels. The situations involving friends and love interests will be familiar to them, and the language will be accessible and enticing. And at the same time, there are plenty of smarts in this book to win anyone’s heart. If you want to relive those painful high school years of confusing and crazy emotions, this is a great series to pick up. show less

These Ruby Oliver books have truly wormed their way into my dark, judgmental heart. Reading series books all in a row has been a reading goal of mine ever since I got partway into the Wheel of Time books, took a break and couldn't remember anything by the time I came back to it, meaning I would have to start over. Still, I don't follow through on my series-reading plan most of the time, because sometimes you just don't want to begin the next book immediately after closing the one you've just completed. With Ruby Oliver, I want to segue directly into the next one, because I just need to know what will become of these flawed and loveable characters.

To a large degree, I do not have a lot to say about these books besides what I've said in show more my previous reviews, which I do not see a point in repeating ad nauseum. Ruby remains a marvelous character, with ups and downs, but general positive improvement. She grows and changes, but in a slow, natural way. Her whole situation feels so lifelike, and so does she. Her narration remains spot-on, consistently Ruby.

These books have been incredibly consistent in quality and narrative voice. In the previous installment, The Boy Book, I encountered some difficulties with infodumping information about the first book, but Lockhart locked that down here, keeping any needed back story for an unfamiliar reader to Ruby's footnotes. With that small weakness fixed, the writing is perfect and engaging for anyone who appreciates Ruby's way of expressing herself.

One aspect of the series I've as yet neglected to mention is Ruby's feminist viewpoint. She does wonderful things like getting boys to contribute to the bake sale, insisting that the idea that only women should bake is antiquated (true). Of course, Ruby still suffers from our society, struggling with labels like slut, and whether she's a good or bad person because of how she behaves with boys (she's not). I love to imagine Ruby in college and squelching these unhealthy societal attitudes from her mind, and loving herself wholly. Speaking of that, Ruby is not one of these heroines who goes on and on about how ugly she is; nor does she have perfect self-confidence. Basically, she's a normal girl who feels sexy sometimes and like a roly poly leper troll other times.

If you've been enjoying the Ruby Oliver books, The Treasure Map of Boys will not leave you disappointed, but will however leave you wanting more, namely the final book in the series, Real Live Boyfriends. Thankfully, I'm reading this next, because I just have to know what will happen with Ruby, Noel, Meghan and the rest. show less

The Treasure Map of Boys begins with a quick recap of events, not getting in the way of the story, but serving as a nice reminder. Ruby is as quirky a narrator as always, and I loved her typical engaging thoughts. Although not that much happens plotwise, Ruby's snarky narration is just awesome enough to keep my interest. I'm proud of how much Ruby has developed over the series, into the self-assured girl we see in this book, reminding me of Meg Cabot's Mia Thermopolis and her endless quest for self-actualization. I felt that the book had a solid ending that would have worked even as an ending to the series. It really felt like a complete work, though, unlike many books found in series, where they sometimes feel incomplete as individual show more works of fiction. On a different note, I think it is important for readers to realize and keep in mind through the reading that this is a work of fluff fiction, and should not be taken seriously. Ruby overexaggerates a lot, is completely obsessed with boys, and when it comes to it, leads a pretty shallow existence. Don't go into these books looking for a heavy read, go into them for a bit of relaxation and unwinding, a distraction from the busy realities of life. It's a cutesy story about a girl and her day-to-day relatable adventures. Ruby is one of those characters that I know I would hate in real life, but reading it from her perspective, getting her outlook makes me like her. I don't love her, but I see the reasons behind the actions and Ruby makes more sense as a person--as much sense as a fictional character can make. And isn't that what books are all about? A heightened sense of understanding about the world around us?

Rating: 4.5/5 show less

After reading the first two books in this series, I became a fan of Ruby Oliver; after reading this third book, I think she’s my new hero. Ruby is a strong, smart, witty girl who has to navigate the minefield of small, private school where her reputation is less than desirable. Oh, and she’s surrounded by cute yet frustratingly vague boys who may or may not want to date her. It can be a difficult thing to create a neurotic character who is quirky and lovable rather than whiny and loathsome, but Lockhart keeps Ruby in the loveable camp. In fact, were it not for her various neuroses, I’d find her to be unrelatable and, quite frankly, I’d probably hate her for being so desirable. This is, in fact, the issue most of the girls in her show more school have with her. But since the book is told from Ruby’s point of view, the reader is able to see that she really is trying to be a good person, is actually trying to work through her issues.Throughout the book, Ruby faces situations that bring on panic attacks. In the middle of a panic attack at school, Ruby wonders, “If I had to be neurotic, couldn’t I turn glamorously pale and faint into someone’s arms and make him want to rescue me? Did I have to hyperventilate in an ugly coat and sit in the mud?” It is moments like this that flesh her out as a realistic teenager. Yes, she plans to get her fellow students to let go of their antiquated notions of masculinity, and she hates the idea that her friend Meghan wants to work on being in love by spring fling with an as-yet-undecided boy; but she’s a normal teenage girl and she’s still boy-crazy, even though she doesn’t want to be. In this book, far more than the previous two, Ruby grasps what Dr. Z has been trying to get at for over a year. But Lockhart doesn’t write it in a saccharine way. Although I had an idea of how things might end, Lockhart kept me guessing until the end. show less

When you stop looking for love and start appreciating what you've got, that's when you'll find love.

A great follow-up to the other two Ruby Oliver books, which I enjoyed. The main character has a very unique yet utterly familiar voice that almost any heterosexual female can identify with. It's about how we get obsessed with things (boys) and think we're crazy, only to find out that we're actually normal. It's also about friendships, and which ones are worthwhile. I completely agree with Ruby's likening friendship to the unconditional love of a dog. If it isn't there, why bother?

Oh this one you guys. Everyone.How bad does it hurt seeing Ruby have trouble. She is so mad and so trying. She's learned how to stick up for herself but that sometimes makes things worse. The fight at the zoo, and Nora still judging her, and every single time she dissolves into another panic attack, which get so much worse in this book I lost count.I love the Tate Boys Bake campaign. And the fight with the older girl, and the scene there at the bake sale. With Jackson, when she says what she thinks. I cried on the subway.The chapter titles are particularly good. And the emulsions. Am not super excited I caught the misspelling in Hilary Duff's name. (Not Hillary.) YA is a little perilous, I guess.In addition, I am tempted to try this "my show more therapist says you have to get me a really big dog" thing at home. show less