Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty

April 21, 2008
In first novelist Gehrman's inventive retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
, the setting is Sonoma, Calif., where Geena looks forward to a summer with her wild best friend, Amber, and prim cousin, Hero, who has just returned from boarding school. They do not automatically bond, as Geena had hoped, but when Hero and Amber become targets of a deceptive golden boy, they learn to depend on each other. There is plenty that is true to Shakespeare (including clever exchanges and a surfeit of romantic confusion), and the author has made some smart updates. The girls, for example, work together in a drive-through coffee shop; a subplot has Hero's good-girl reputation put in jeopardy when the supposed golden boy posts faked sexy pictures of her on MySpace. Readers may find the girls' revenge scheme a bit outrageous, but will root for them anyway, especially strong, skateboarding Geena, who, when her new boyfriend refuses to help, bravely tells him, “Then you're no friend of mine.” Even those unfamiliar with the Elizabethan model will enjoy this savvy remake, with its traditional ending, where everyone gets exactly what they deserve. Ages 14–up.

Starred review from July 1, 2008
Gr 9 Up-Geena, 16, plans to spend her summer working at the local coffee shop in her Sonoma Valley town with her cousin Hero and her friend Amber. She envisions grinding out espressos and supersize iced mochas during the day and spending sleepover nights painting toenails and confessing secrets. Within the first few hours of her arrival home from a Connecticut boarding school, Hero falls in love with an Italian boy working at her father's vineyard and it's clear that she and Amber are not going to be friends. As the story unfolds through Geena's diary entries, readers discover each girl's strengths, flaws, and personality. Truly updating this story inspired by Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing", Gehrman includes a contemporary subplot in which John, whose affections Hero rejects, posts faked nude pictures of her on MySpace, thanks to Photoshop. To save her reputation, the girls concoct a complicated revenge plan that succeeds, revealing the popular and confident John for who he really is. While the drama of this situation might seem outlandish to adults, the author touches on a very real concern of Internet safety. Reluctant readers will be attracted to the hot-pink cover and "hot guy" plotline, but more competent readers will enjoy the novel as well. Gehrman blends realistic teen characters who use slang, curse, and talk about sex with skillfully descriptive writing, leaving readers with a double shot of a highly caffeinated and hard-to-put-down book."Sarah O'Holla, Village Community School, New York City"

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