He's So Not Worth It

May 15, 2011

Ally wants her dad and her boyfriend, Jake, to come back; Jake wants Ally back, but he can't figure out how to approach her. Failure for both leads to over 300 pages of tantrums, but the teens will learn in the end, as might some readers.

In chapters dominated by Ally but punctuated by passages about Jake, Scott spins her story of adolescent angst. Ally wants to escape being one of the rich kids whose families vacation every summer in expensive beach homes. She doesn't want to stay with her mom's new boyfriend, but she makes an impulsive decision to go to the shore anyway and begins a relationship with a local boy who clearly stands on the wrong side of the law. Jake's mom grounds him for the summer, forcing him to get a summer job with none other than Ally's dad, now running a local coffee shop. Both teens react with frequent, instant and extreme anger when their fantasies fail to meet reality. The author plays fair by highlighting the stupidity and rudeness of many of their actions, allowing readers to assess the behavior realistically. As Ally makes ever-more-foolish decisions, Jake eventually moves in the opposite direction and helps to save the day.

It's chick lit with redeeming features that may help it appeal to a wide audience. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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September 1, 2011

Gr 8 Up-One might think that Ally had become accustomed to things not going her way. Her dad is, after all, the one responsible for her friends' parents' hedge funds plummeting and the tension with said friends. This sequel to She's So Dead to Us (S & S, 2010) starts with her father looking to reconcile, but that's not looking easy with his new gig: working at the local coffee shop. And that's before Ally learns that Jake, the guy who just broke her heart, will be working alongside him. She can't even keep an eye on things, since her mom's new boyfriend insists that they spend the summer at his beach house, so her friend Annie keeps tabs on the home front. Chapters alternate between Jake, Ally, and Annie's "field journal." Some of Ally's challenges are hard to get too worked up over: being stuck in a fancy beach house, dealing with "mean girl" friends, and figuring out her feelings for Jake. However, many readers will relate to her concern for her parents' relationship and longing for the way things used to be. Unfortunately, Jake comes off as completely self-involved and downright mean at many points. Still, teens seeking a quick, escapist read set at the Jersey Shore will find one here. A worthwhile purchase for libraries that have gotten mileage out of the first book.-Jennifer Barnes, Malden Public Library, MA

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