The Things You Kiss Goodbye

Starred review from May 12, 2014
Having led a sheltered life, sophomore Bettina Vasilis is surprised when her strict Greek-American father allows her to date basketball star Brady. Brady is sweet and attentive, at first, “what anyone would call a good boyfriend,” but his dark side soon emerges. After a disturbing incident with Brady, Bettina almost literally falls into the arms of a handsome mechanic she nicknames Cowboy, who works near her school. During the weeks that follow, his garage becomes her refuge, and he becomes her confidante as she sorts out her uncertainties and nurses very real bruises. First-person narration brimming with emotion traces how Bettina and Cowboy’s friendship evolves, although both of them know her father (not to mention the law) wouldn’t condone a romantic relationship. Beautifully capturing the intensity of first love, Connor (Waiting for Normal) draws readers into a world filled with Greek culture and punctuated by upsetting moments of abuse. Readers will be unprepared for the book’s shocking climax, which changes Bettina’s life forever and brings her closer to her family as she discovers who she is and what she wants. Ages 14–up.

May 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-After 15-year-old Bettina Vasilis's best and only friend moves away, she is left socially stranded in the home of her traditional Greek family. Suddenly her life as the thrift shop-raiding, bad girl "dancerina" comes to an end. Lonely and unoccupied, Bettina's sophomore year ends with the unlikely attention of the up-and-coming basketball star, Brady Cullen. Even more surprising is the acceptance of this new relationship by her strict father, Bampas, who allows her to date and grow closer to Brady throughout the summer. The teen rarely questions why their summer dates only include the two of them or why Brady encourages her unlikely application to the cheerleading squad, but as their junior year begins, she develops an awareness of Brady's new social standing as the school's star athlete. Soon Bettina begins to question her changing relationship. Then she meets "Cowboy," an older auto mechanic who challenges her to focus more on the things important to her, like her art. What begins as a chance friendship turns into something more, despite the taboo age difference. This novel is compulsively readable. The characters are well developed, the plot is compelling, and the ending plausible and satisfying. Bettina's Greek family is a welcome dimension to the complicated love triangle. An enjoyable addition to YA chick lit.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2014
A shy, overprotected girl is the focus of this character study of a victim of physical abuse.Sixteen-year-old Bettina keeps to herself. Her Greek father dominates her life, rarely allowing her out of the house. She has no friends until she meets Brady, a good-looking boy who asks her out, politely seeking her father's permission. With approval, Bettina begins a relationship that at first seems just what she needs, until Brady pushes her for sex and begins deliberately to hurt her, always claiming his violence is accidental. By chance, Bettina meets a young man she calls "Cowboy." She immediately feels an easy connection to him and begins surreptitiously visiting his small car-repair shop. As events progress, Brady becomes even more abusive, while the undercurrent of a real romance develops between Bettina and Cowboy, despite their 10-year age difference. Once the two realize they are truly in love, disaster strikes. Connor keeps her story completely realistic, a welcome relief from standard-issue romances. Her fluid prose and convincing characterizations lift the story beyond the average. Only Cowboy seems idealized, as readers see him through Bettina's eyes-also true to life. The book's examination of abusive relationships is cleareyed and instructive.Romance fans who happen upon this will find an absorbing portrait of abuse and recovery. (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 It's not easy being Greek, as 16-year-old Bettina can attest. Her Bampas and Momma insist that she return directly home after school, and she can forget about going out at night. Then she meets Brady Cullen, a handsome basketball player who seems smitten by her. Bampas approves, so Bettina is allowed out in Brady's company. But to her dismay, Brady begins hurting her, inflicting scrapes, bruises, and worse. As he gets meaner, Bettina is increasingly drawn to a kind-hearted older man (think midtwenties) whom she nicknames Cowboy. Still, she won't break up with Brady, using the stand by your man rationale that holds so many women in abusive relationships. This is what Bettina has learned herself in her traditional family, where peace depends on acquiescence to Bampas' rules. With compassion and respect, author Connor explores the ways in which loving relationships can get twisted into cycles of misery. Be ready with the hankies; this one is a real tearjerker.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)