The Girlfriend Project

February 26, 2007
Seventeen-year-old narrator Reed, a "Card-Carrying Dork," has never had a girlfriend or even kissed a girl, so his popular best friends launch "The Girlfriend Project." Twins Ronnie, a girl, and Lonnie, a guy, provide Reed with a "tip list," and Ronnie builds a Web site where classmates answer survey questions, creating an instant buzz about Reed. But even with his new social life, the hero struggles with some big questions, from how important appearance really is, to how to tell Ronnie that she
is the girl of his dreams. Friedman (How I Survived My Summer Vacation
) adds some clever touches here: she blends Reed's own identity search with his home state's search for a motto, which leads to some fun exchanges between the characters ("New Jersey," Reed suggests after a heart-to-heart with his grandma, "We'll Let You Know When We Figure It Out"). Readers might be unnerved by Reed's first kiss with a girl so drunk that she is nearly "lifeless," or when he begins watching another girl play basketball from his car, making confessions that she cannot hear. The plot does take a creative turn towards the end, but even so, readers may wish for more about Reed's dates and Web site—and less of his angst. Ages 12-up.