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What Boys Really Want

3.22 of 5 stars 3.22 · rating details · 299 ratings · 68 reviews

National Book Award winning author Pete Hautman lets us in on the secret.

Lita is the writer. Adam is the entrepreneur. They are JUST FRIENDS.

So Adam would never sell copies of a self-help book before he'd even written it. And Lita would never try to break up Adam's relationship with Blair, the skankiest girl at school. They'd never sabotage their friends Emily and Dennis....more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published January 1st 2012 by Scholastic Press

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Lists with This Book

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

2012 YA Contemporary Challenge!

136th out of 254 books — 997 voters

YA Romance Novels

67th out of 119 books — 11 voters

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Jan 13, 2012 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

What Boys Really Want is a cute story that superficially illustrates a few of the fundamental differences in the way men and women think in a light, humorous way using two teenagers as the token representatives for their gender. There are no groundbreaking or overly astute observations and analyses of gender relations, but nor are there meant to be, instead we get to enjoy a quick romp through a world of misunderstandings and drama created by the lack of effective communication from one person t...more What Boys Really Want is a cute story that superficially illustrates a few of the fundamental differences in the way men and women think in a light, humorous way using two teenagers as the token representatives for their gender. There are no groundbreaking or overly astute observations and analyses of gender relations, but nor are there meant to be, instead we get to enjoy a quick romp through a world of misunderstandings and drama created by the lack of effective communication from one person to the next. We’ve all surely experienced such situations, and probably have made the quick judgments of character quality based on appearance and rumor as Lita does, so it’s an easy story to fall into despite the fact that once we’re in we really don’t wade in more than ankle deep.

Lita and Adam are more than opposites in just sex, their personalities placing them on opposite ends of the spectrum from one another and resulting in rather hilarious interactions that seem to be taken directly from our own lives as we’ve tried to communicate with members of the other gender. Lita is a meddler, constantly insinuating herself into the lives and happenings of others whether invited or not, dispensing snarky advice and generally focusing outward instead of dwelling on her own life. Adam, on the other hand, is distinctively more internal, often in his own little world and slightly oblivious to the thoughts and actions of those around him which causes him no shortage of trouble with both best friend Lita and with life in general. We don’t necessarily feel a strong connection to either character, but our time spent with them is enjoyable in a more shallow way, allowing us to walk away amused yet not inclined to sprint to our computers or phones to find someone with whom to share our reaction.

What Boys Really Want is the perfect read for those looking for a book that’s not overly emotional, dark, or intense, but who instead want to briefly escape into a relatable and familiar world that brings a quick laugh and then lets them go easily to move on to something perhaps more poignant or profound. This book is akin to an episode of Seinfeld: we’re not sure exactly what it’s about other than a brief snippet of time in the lives of others, but it’s enjoyable just the same. Mr. Hautman has a wonderful sense of humor, one that’s the perfect appetizer to get us in the mood for perhaps something slightly richer and more layered where the emotions are truly visceral and the reading experience a bit more powerful.

Rating: 3/5(less)

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Jul 29, 2012 Terri rated it 3 of 5 stars

One of my goals for the summer of 2012 is to try to add to my bag of tricks for reluctant readers by reading Young Adult books that might be considered humorous and light. Pete Hautman's "What Boys Really Want" is a book that I will add to this bag of tricks. It contains the requisite language, sex jokes, drinking, and teenage angst - though nothing graphic or over the top. These characteristics, the title, and the concept will entice both teen female and male readers.

Best friends Lita Wold and...more

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May 07, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: families, ncbla2013, romance, school, writing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I almost always enjoy the books of Pete Hautman because they are fast-paced, honest, and provocative. The witty exchanges among his characters seem honest and authentic and not pretentious and more clever than anyone has a right to be. He almost always hits the mark when describing teens and high school, and this one, while not as incredible as Godless, his National Book Award winner, is satisfying and made me laugh while also providing insight into what makes others tick. The premise here is th...more I almost always enjoy the books of Pete Hautman because they are fast-paced, honest, and provocative. The witty exchanges among his characters seem honest and authentic and not pretentious and more clever than anyone has a right to be. He almost always hits the mark when describing teens and high school, and this one, while not as incredible as Godless, his National Book Award winner, is satisfying and made me laugh while also providing insight into what makes others tick. The premise here is that Lita and Adam are long-time friends. As soon as I realized that, I steeled myself for one of those stories about how they eventually realize that they are meant to be more than friends, but (happily) that's not the case here. As the storyline moves to its conclusion, it quickly becomes clear that although the two are friends, they haven't always been honest with each other. Lita, who loves to write, has never told Adam that she's actually blogging as acerbic advice columnist Miz Fitz and that she has often plotted to wreck his previous romantic entanglements and plans to do the same with his current attraction to Blair Thompson, a girl she judges as a skank because of her appearance. Adam, on the other hand, fails to tell Lita that he's writing a book about what boys really want, and that many of the ideas in the book have been taken from other writers, including the blog Lita writes. In many respects, this book is about assumptions about others, close calls and near misses and miscommunication or failure to communicate. It's about the daily drama that is high school, and if Lita is high strung and more emotionally unbalanced than might be desired, Adam himself seems clueless about basic ethical issues such as plagiarism. Although some might disagree, I liked how Lita justifies her own actions as being for the good of others, leaving her smug and clueless while readers know that she's heading for a fall. Perhaps while fooling herself, she ends up fooling no one in the end, a lesson worth considering by us all. (less)

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Feb 19, 2012 Ken Kugler rated it 2 of 5 stars

What can I say other than I am very disappointed. The only reason I finished this book was because I admire the author. The book is written in a he said/she said format. The girl, Lita, was so unsympathetic until past page 120. Lita, for the most part acts like a hurt young girl, but she inflicts most of pain herself. She writes an anonymous blog under the name Miz Fitz where she gives love advice to others where it is she who needs it the most.
Her protagonist is Adam, a seeming nice kid who, fo...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Paige rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-ya-contemporary, mystery, pretty-cover, romance

In the past, I've read a few of Pete Hautman's other novels. His books are very sweet, contemporary books kind of stripped down to the essence. I enjoyed his other reads, and when I found out about his newest release, the romantic comedy What Boys Really Want , it was one of my must-haves for 2012.

The story felt a little too heavily based on romance, but I enjoyed the read.

Adam and Lita are friends. JUST FRIENDS.They've been best friends forever, both firmly in their own roles: Adam is the entr...more In the past, I've read a few of Pete Hautman's other novels. His books are very sweet, contemporary books kind of stripped down to the essence. I enjoyed his other reads, and when I found out about his newest release, the romantic comedy What Boys Really Want , it was one of my must-haves for 2012.

The story felt a little too heavily based on romance, but I enjoyed the read.

Adam and Lita are friends. JUST FRIENDS.They've been best friends forever, both firmly in their own roles: Adam is the entrepreneur and Lita is the writer. Adam comes up with the idea to write a book, though, shaking up their roles and making both of them unsure of their identities. Adam decides he will write a book on what boys want -- hence the title of the novel -- and Lita turns her attention to matchmaking her friend Emily with her crush. Their friendship becomes more and more distanced, though, as Adam becomes more and more engrossed in the book and people become more interested in reading his book.

This book is really refreshing. I mean, a boy-girl friendship? Where neither of them are interested in dating the other or harboring a secret crush on the other? Fantastic. I love boy-girl friendships and I have lots of guy friends. I thought this was a really refreshing part of the story. The friendships are done very well, and they make up a large portion of the novel: Lita and her friends, Adam and his friends, and Adam and Lita's friendship are very prominent. The book is also really funny -- there are a lot of humorous moments and they all are realistic while being hilarious. So in some parts the book is really refreshing. But there were also issues I had. The romance is obviously a key part of the book. I expected it to be a big part of the novel, and it is. There's a major subplot with Lita attempting to hook up her friend Emily, and both Adam and Lita gain love interests. I liked the love interests, Blair and Brett, but my issues were more with the love subplot. Throughout the entire book Lita had been fixtated on her plan, and she wanted to make sure Emily got the guy of her dreams. But at the end, the subplot kind of fell apart. Emily started to date her crush, and while their relationship ended realisticly it seemed like a low ending. The entire book had been working up to some kind of interaction between them, and I expected it to end a little better. The two characters moved on so quickly it made me wonder why the author had even inserted the subplot.

The other thing I want to note is that Adam does self-publish his book. I have nothing against self-publishing -- I've read many great books that were published by their authors -- but I did wish that Hautman had discussed traditional publishing/self publishing a bit more. He had a character state that he disliked self-publishing, and another character who was published traditionally, and briefly explained the traditional publishing route (writing the book, editing, getting a literary agent and then having the agent go on submission). I did think it would have been interesting to have more on this topic, and kind of make for some interesting parallels to Adam's way of publishing compared to the traditional way of publishing shown by Lita's mother. Overall a strong plot and a good story with some confusing subplots and some things that could have been addressed better.

The characters were fantastic. Lita and Adam both had very distinct personalities and narrations. It was easy to tell that Adam was a boy and Lita was a girl, which doesn't always happen with double-gender POVs. The dialogue was very realistic and sounded like real teenagers. The other characters were also very developed, and the best friends -- a trope that sometimes creates flat characters -- were also developed. The love interests were both interesting, and I loved how Hautman broke down gender stereotypes with his love interests while still giving the interests their own personalities. Brett was very into auto mechanics but also enjoyed English lit and Blair acted skanky but wasn't as skanky as she seemed. There's also a fun twist about Brett and Blair at the end but I won't give it away. :) Very strong, realistic characters.

Hautman's writing is very realistic. His characters all sounded like teenagers, and that reflected in his writing as well; the narration sounded like how a teenager would speak and act. His writing's also very funny, and he's a very good humorous writer with a good sense of how teenagers act.

If you enjoy contemporary YA this would be a good read for you, and if you're interested in romance and "he said, she said" stories you would probably also enjoy this read. I had some issues with the book but it turned out to be a good story and I'm glad I chose to read it.

A lovely contemp.

Four stars. (less)

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Jul 14, 2012 Judy (Geeky Reading) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

~3/5
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]

I was surprised by some of the things in this book, in a good and bad way. I liked it alright, but it wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping, in some ways.
This book is about two friends, who have known each other forever, and how one of them decides to write a book about what boys really want, while the other has a blog snarkily answering questions related to boys and girls, mostly.
It’s told in alternating point of views, for which...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Karen Ball rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-challenge

Help me Miz Fitz!
How do I know if a guy doesn't like me, or is just shy? -- qwertygurl
Miz Fitz sez:
Those two things are not mutually exclusive. Maybe he doesn't like you AND he's shy. Here's a test. Ask him out. If he turns red, he's shy. If he gags, he doesn't like you. If he does both, perform the Heimlich maneuver.
I've finally found it... a book that is funny, has enough sex jokes and language to keep my 8th graders interested, and actually deals with copyright and plagiarism (usually an inst...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Jennifer Rayment rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Good Stuff

Very realistic in terms of dialogue and the relationships between the friends
Absolutely hilarious at times
Nice messages about understanding the differences between men and women and how they can communicate more effectively and not done in a preachy way which really ticks off YA readers (and old Mom's too)
Characters of Lita and Adam are likeable and develop throughout the story
Likeable Librarian who is not at all stereotypical (ok there is another stereotypical librarian in it too,...more

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May 02, 2013 Angela (: rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, books-library-owns

DNF at p. 62

I can't say I expected anything out of this. I randomly picked this up from the library.

Something about Adam working on a book of his won really bugged me. What about my book? I thought about all the hours I'd spend blogging and texting and talking on the phone while my novel sat moldering in its drawer. I hadn't looked at it in months. That is not a good way to finish a novel. [...]
One hundred seven pages later, [...] the story ended. Or rather, it stopped. I would have to write an

...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Britta rated it 4 of 5 stars

No, this is not a nonfiction informational book about what boys really want. Instead, this is a hilarious fiction book about a boy writing said nonfiction book. But Lita, the other half of their best-friend relationship, is mad (or rather jealous) - she is supposed to be the writer in this relationship! When Adam becomes obsessed with writing this book, getting it published as soon as possible, his relationship with Lita seems to be getting jeopardized in the process. Which begs the question, wh...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Angie Cui rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is set to come out in early 2012, i think...

Pete Hautman is a really quirky and fun writer, but this book kind of missed the mark for me. It's told in a two-person narrative (two best friends, a boy and a girl) and switches off speakers two or three times during each chapter. My first issue with this book is that it's really really confusing and at times annoying to read the narrative switches. I've read books that do this really seamlessly and beautifully, but the way he uses the two...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Amy Diop rated it 2 of 5 stars

"What Boys Really Want" by Pete Hautman, Is told in two perspectives Adam's and Lita's. Adam and Lita are best friends. Adam wants to write a book about what boys want. Lita gets jealous because she is the one who mostly cares about books and writing. When Adams book does really well Lita gets all jealous. Lita has a blog named "Miz Fitz" on this blog people ask her questions about relationships and boys and girls. Adam copies most of the stuff from Miz Fitz just changes the words. Nobody knows...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Chels rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was funny, but I really think that Pete does not know what boys or girls are truly thinking. All the girls in this book were crazy...like insane. If I ever acted like the girls in this book do, my parents would have me at a psychologist so fast my head would spin. I hate that Lita was so selfish and manipulative. She has a superiority complex. Adam is completely dense and oblivious. I did enjoy the plot though and think that no one truly could write a book like this and have great revi...more

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Dec 28, 2012 TeenFiction Teton County Library rated it 3 of 5 stars

TCL #: YA Hautman

D-3.5 stars

Hautman and Mary Logue started out co-authoring this funny little look at love as a teen, and Hautman finished it. It’s really about navigating relationships and negotiating all the things that happen in both friendships and love relationships, specifically from a teen perspective. The narration goes back and forth between the female and male protagonists, which paints a funny picture of how the two genders come away from situations with two very distinct perceptions....more

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Jan 31, 2012 InkBitten rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sarah

Judged by a Cover: Well, It Makes Sense

I don’t have much to say about this cover except for THANK GOD IT WASN’T OVERLY PHOTOSHOPPED!!!!!! The girls on the cover look like regular teens, instead of plastic surgery advertisements and, I can even see fly away strands of hair. Still, it’s slightly embarrassing to show if I’m not reading it around my friends. From a marketing perspective, it’s excellent, because, come on, who doesn’t want to know what boys are really thinking.

What’s Up?

Lita and Ada...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Parts of this book had a real touch of cleverness, and I'm happy to say that it wasn't as predictable as I had ...well, predicted. But overall I felt the writing style lacked polish, the back-and-forth points-of-view seemed amateurish to me, and the characters weren't even likable!
I did appreciate the part where Lita kicked the crap out of Adam, though. I liked that they were comfortable enough with each other to engage in a scuffle, and even though the girl made it out unscathed (yay!) there we...more

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Mar 15, 2012 MyTeenReads rated it 5 of 5 stars

To read the original review and others, go to: http://www.myteenreads.blogspot.com

Let me introduce you to our two main characters: Lita and Adam. Lita and Adam are best friends and have a rather violent relationship (when they first met she hit him with a lunchbox). Lita has always wanted to be a published author, like her mother. So when Adam decides to self-publish a book called “What Boys Want”, a self-help book that gives readers an insight to boys thinking, she can’t believe it. How could h...more To read the original review and others, go to: http://www.myteenreads.blogspot.com

Let me introduce you to our two main characters: Lita and Adam. Lita and Adam are best friends and have a rather violent relationship (when they first met she hit him with a lunchbox). Lita has always wanted to be a published author, like her mother. So when Adam decides to self-publish a book called “What Boys Want”, a self-help book that gives readers an insight to boys thinking, she can’t believe it. How could he be taking her dream away? Especially because she’s sure that he can’t write a book. She is also trying to help her friend, Emily, get with Adam’s friend, Dennis. But Dennis has his eyes on Blair, who is known for her “skankiness”. But Blair seems to have a thing for Adam, which is not OKAY with Lita. And Adam has his own problems, with figuring out how to publish his book and of course, what he wants.

What Boys Want was surprisingly good! Despite the awful cover (I will get to that later), I decided to read it because I had read another book by Pete Hautman. The plot of this story is quick paced, interesting, and humorous. There were so many times that I found myself LOLing at the hilarious events and things these characters said. The dialogue is very real, and I can imagine teenagers actually saying those things. This is very rare in a YA book because let’s face it. Adults, as close as you can get, you’re not our age and don’t know how we talk even though you think you do. All the characters were really funny and lovable. There’s Adam and his strange logic and Lita with her temperamental scheming. Even the minor characters like Blair are likable. The idea of this book is really cool too because I learned more about the book publishing process. It was interesting to see all the different relationships between people unfold. And I really appreciated how Adam and Lita never liked each other and that they were seriously just friends. Although the word “friends” is debatable because Lita seems pretty cold towards Adam the whole story if you ask me.

One thing I must says is how I think Pete needs to get a new publisher. I think this is a wonderful read, but the amazingness is taken away because of the presentation. First of all is the title. It is “What Boys Really Want” when the book that Adam is writing is called “What Boys Want”. This is very deceiving and I do not like the title lying to me, even though at the end of the book Adam’s book is renamed. Maybe they added the “really” to draw in readers. Still. Next is the cover. I do not like seeing people on the cover of my books. I do not like this cover. It’s relevant to the book, but could have been majorly improved. And the last thing is the inside flap. “And Adam would never end up in a fistfight with Lita’s boyfriend.” Okay, during the story, Lita does not even have a boyfriend. And the event they are talking about happens in the last 20 pages. So why would you even put that in your description if it’s basically a lie? Therefore, I think Pete needs to get a new publisher who will actually read the book before the jacket and cover are designed. If anyone read “The Big Crunch”, you may remember how the jacket flap said that there was a character named “Jen” when really they meant “June”. How can you put the wrong name in your description??? Case in point.

Anyway, despite my ranting I really did like this book. It was funny, realistic, and a great light read. I recommend it if you don’t want to read anything too serious. 5 out of 5 stars.

(less)

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Mar 07, 2012 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, realistic-fiction, washyarg-reviews, young-adult

Told in alternating voices of best friends Adam and Lita, this is a fun, but somewhat predictable, story. Lita is the daughter of a romance novelist. Although she hasn't told anyone, Lita wants to be a writer as well and anonymously blogs as Miz Fitz, a snarky advice columnist. Adam always has some grand new scheme for an easy way to make money. His latest inspiration is to write a book from the male teen perspective about what boys want. Drama ensues.
Although one of the main characters is a boy...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Hannah Cobb rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

This one gets four stars just for its snarkiness. Lita wants to be a published novelist, but lately she's been distracted by her blog, which answers relationship questions. Adam decides, on heh spur of the moment, to write a self-help book about boys to answer all those questions girls have about the opposite sex. Problem is, Adam isn't much of a writer, and he ends up stealing lots of ideas off Lita's sarcastic (and anonymous) blog. Things come to a head in a true battle of the sexes when Lita...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-eval-book

Lita Wold and Adam Merchant have been best friends since kindergarten. Now they are juniors in high school and trying to figure out who they are and how the opposite sex fits into their lives. Lita is trying to fix up her friend Emily with Adam’s friend Steve but Steve likes Blair who LIta thinks is skanky. Then Adam decides to write a book telling girls what boys really want. He begins to search the Internet and finds the relationship blog of a Miz Fitz, unbeknownst to him written by Lita. You...more

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May 02, 2012 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-literature, realistic-fiction, humor

I found this book surprisingly light-hearted and entertaining. The main premise of the book deals with communication struggles and differences between the genders, and while the characters in this book are teenagers, the theme can easily cross that age gap and makes this book easily applicable to anyone who's experienced difficulty in communicating with the opposite sex at one time or another.

While the cover looks like one that'll mainly attract girls, the story is told from alternating viewpoi...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Sherry Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lita Wold and Adam Merchant have been friends since they were very young, and now they are juniors at Wellstone High School. Lita, who is working on a romance novel, aspires to be a writer like her famous author mother. Unbeknownst to anyone, Lita also secretly writes an advice blog under the alias, Miz Fitz, doling out answers on dating and boys. Adam, on the other hand, has no interest in writing, so Lita is surprised, but also a little upset, when Adam announces his intentions to write a book...more Lita Wold and Adam Merchant have been friends since they were very young, and now they are juniors at Wellstone High School. Lita, who is working on a romance novel, aspires to be a writer like her famous author mother. Unbeknownst to anyone, Lita also secretly writes an advice blog under the alias, Miz Fitz, doling out answers on dating and boys. Adam, on the other hand, has no interest in writing, so Lita is surprised, but also a little upset, when Adam announces his intentions to write a book on what boys really want from their relationships with girls. Writing a book turns out to be a lot of work, so Adam ends up obtaining much of his book from material he finds online. Unfortunately, a good bit of it comes from Miz Fitz’s blog!

What Boys Really Want is a quick, playful read about relationships built on a book about relationships! It is told in the alternating voices of Lita and Adam and spiced up with “quotes” from Lita’s Miz Fitz blog and Adam’s book. There is a lot of humor in the book; I found myself laughing out loud at some of the scenes in the novel!

I loved both Lita and Adam. Lita is a sarcastic, tough realist; she tells it like it is. Adam is exactly the opposite; he is easy-going, fun-loving, and happy-go-lucky. Adam’s eventual love interest, Blair, who some students think is a “skank”, actually has the same type personality as Lita. It is no surprise Adam is drawn to her. Dennis, Adam’s friend, is the typical geeky tech guy. I was delighted to find that two school librarians figure prominently in the story. One is the strict, stereotypical librarian, and the other is a cool, laid-back bibliophile.

The dialogue is realistic and believable, and the teen interactions are spot-on. The blog and book snippets at the beginning of each chapter add a lot to the mood of the book. There are some surprises and twists in the story that I did not expect! Although the book is a little over three hundred pages, it did not take long to read at all.

Teens will easily relate to the events, dialogue, and characters in the book! I recommend What Boys Really Want to middle school, high school, and public libraries.

**Note: The copy reviewed was an advanced reader's copy obtained from Library Media Connection in exchange for an honest review.(less)

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Feb 22, 2012 Midnight Bloom rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really did want to like Pete Hautman's What Boys Really Want so much more, but sadly, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I read Hautman's The Big Crunch last year and thought it was a delightful, quirky contemporary novel that deserved some more love than it had received... so when I began reading his latest novel, I was hoping it would be along these similar lines. That didn't happen.

There was nothing really likeable or endearing about any of the characters, which made it rather difficult for m...more I really did want to like Pete Hautman's What Boys Really Want so much more, but sadly, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I read Hautman's The Big Crunch last year and thought it was a delightful, quirky contemporary novel that deserved some more love than it had received... so when I began reading his latest novel, I was hoping it would be along these similar lines. That didn't happen.

There was nothing really likeable or endearing about any of the characters, which made it rather difficult for me to actually care what happened to them. When Adam suddenly decides that he'll write a book about relationships, Lita scoffs and laughs at the idea. And for good reason, because he's such an unlikely person you'd ever expect to spend time writing anything. Surprisingly, he doesn't give up on the idea though... but he's completely clueless that most of his book is actually plagiarized and taken from a blogger named Miz Fitz who gives relationship advice on her blog. I mean, how does any high school student not know what plagiarism is?

And then there's Lita, whose biggest secret is that she's the mastermind behind the Miz Fitz blog, a fact nobody else knows. As Miz Fitz, she replies to reader questions with the kind of sarcasm she never would have used in person. (These were fun to read!) When she learns that Adam is writing a book, she becomes jealous and starts pulling away from him because she's always wanted to be a writer. Instead, she turns her attentions to helping her best friend, Emily, go out with the fellow student she's been seriously crushing on. Normally, I would think Lita was being a supportive friend... but I just couldn't agree with the superficial methods she told her to do.

It hurts to say it, but I was disappointed with how What Boys Really Want turned out to be. There wasn't really any character development and I found it hard to find acceptance in their actions. The novel had a great premise with tons of potential to really explore relationships... but in the end, the result just didn't live up to my expectations.(less)

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Jan 11, 2012 Ms. B rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ya

Not bad, I thoroughly enjoyed the latest romantic teen comedy from Pete Hautman. Told from the alternating voices of Adam and Lita, this is the he said, she said story of what happens when they attempt to play matchmaker for their friends Emily and Dennis. Meantime, Adam decides to write and publish a book as a moneymaking scheme when Lita is the one who really wants to be a published author.
Between this and The Sweet Crunch, Pete Hautman is becoming the new voice of first love and teen romance....more

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Jun 21, 2012 Alexis rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is very good and entertaining. The book was about this boy named Adam making his first book with his friend Lita. The book was actually created by Adam but Lita found out that he stold some information her website and put it in his book. So a lot of hated and jelousy was going on. So onevday her anger came so high she punched him right in the nose. It was so humiliating for him because he got punched at his publication party. You guys should read it.

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Nov 22, 2011 AnQi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-books, books-in-review, humor, realistic-fiction, recommended-young-adult-fiction, romance-romance-romance, young-adult

WHAT BOYS REALLY WANT BY PETE HAUTMAN

So what do boys really want? In Pete Hautman’s unique romantic comedy, humor and reality meet as this question is explored again and again. Hautman perfects the he-said, she-said format in a book where both characters are immensely likable and distinct. The story adds on enjoyment with its true to life situations and is a quick and spunky read. Fans of Flipped will devour this well-written realistic fiction.

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Feb 14, 2012 Liana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cute. I liked the role reversal. Adam was the cheerful, easy going one and Lita was the snarky, suffering one... the voices were on point. Very fun read. I finished it very quickly. It was very enjoyable and I laughed out loud at many points. The best part was that there was no sexual tension between the leads. A girl and boy just being friends? Imagine that. But they had friend chemistry so that was cool. Recommended.

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Mar 19, 2012 Mel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed

I checked this book out thinking it would be amusing because of the title. I liked Adams character but Lita annoyed me with her bad attitude and selfishness. Her 'Miz Fitz' blog is annoying and she is rude and doesn't seemingly help anyone. I don't know why she couldn't have attempted to help people. I only read the whole book because I was interested in Adam and what he was going through.

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Jan 19, 2012 Alexa rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenbooks, lightreading

I am do sad about this book. Hautman usually avoids cliches and generic, predictable plots. Not so here. I couldn't believe that Adam produced any sort of good book even though he basically plagiarized it. Yes, this book is the dream of many teen authors, to write something good on basically the first try. Unfortunately, the award winning Hautman can't even produce a good book about what boys want.

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Dec 01, 2012 Annie Allen rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had a really hard time getting into this book and almost put it down several times. The only thing that really kept me reading was the snarky, female lead, Lita. The book doesn't really get good until well over halfway through and even then I wasn't extremely impressed. The one thing I really liked about this story was the message it sent about plagiarizing another person's work.

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Romance

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Young Adult > Young Adult Romance

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About Pete Hautman

Pete Hautman is the author of Godless, which won the National Book Award, and many other critically acclaimed books for teens and adults, including Blank Confession, All-In, Rash, No Limit, and Invisible. Mr. Was was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Pete lives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Visit him at petehautman.com.

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Quotes from What Boys Really Want

“He's kinda shy. Maybe I should ask him out."

"I think it's more traditional for you to trick him into asking you out. That way he feels more manly.” — 5 people liked it

“Guys have four personalities: the one they use with their parents, the one they use around other adults, the one they use for talking to girls, and the one they use for hanging with their friends. Leakage between the various personality types can cause serious problems.” — 4 people liked it

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What Boys Really Want

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