The International Kissing Club

Dec 10, 2011

Rie Conley rated it

When I began this book I thought to be an insipid version of The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants. One that was even worse because of the skanky Facebook page that they made. As I read on I found a book that was fully charming and characters that truly grew as the book went on. Everything wasn’t tied up with smiley bow, but it ended in a completely natural way.

Each of the characters had real faults and they often did not truly realize their faults until they landed on their faces. Quite...more

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Jan 02, 2012

Melissa rated it

Shelves: 2012-teen-book-reviews, read-in-2012, teen-general-fiction, read-in-2011, with-reviews, teen-romance

Four teen girls, best friends, have wished their entire lives to get out of their small town of Paris, Texas. When the opportunity arises for the four of them to participate in a foreign exchange program the girls jump at the chance. Piper will go to Paris, Mei to China, Cassidy to Australia, and Izzy will remain in Texas because her parents can't afford her trip. Four girls, 10 weeks, and many exciting experiences, new guys, new kisses, but will they be the same people they were before they

...more

Four teen girls, best friends, have wished their entire lives to get out of their small town of Paris, Texas. When the opportunity arises for the four of them to participate in a foreign exchange program the girls jump at the chance. Piper will go to Paris, Mei to China, Cassidy to Australia, and Izzy will remain in Texas because her parents can't afford her trip. Four girls, 10 weeks, and many exciting experiences, new guys, new kisses, but will they be the same people they were before they left? Welcome to the International Kissing Club.

There is no way to avoid the comparison. The first thing I thought of when I saw this book listed was Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (SOTTP). As much as I would like to there is no escaping the comparison. There is even an allusion to that series in this novel that definitely made me chuckle. Like SOTTP, this novel features four best friends separating for the first time in their lives. Each teen has her own reasons for wanting to leave their tiny town and start fresh somewhere else. Like SOTTP, these girls are searching for identity, and to some extent their first real encounter with love.

The characters in this novel are easy to relate to--you know them or have even been them. First there is Piper, who longs to escape the bullying and harassment of the queen bee of their school Germaine. Ever since falling victim to a cruel pageant prank, Piper has been known as Kiss the Pig Girl. Every where she goes the nickname and insulting oinks follow. She longs to get away and go somewhere where she can find a boy who isn't familiar with her notorious past.

Mei is the overachiever trying to prove that she is worthy of her adoptive parents who love her. She is the smart sensible member of the group, but she really wants to know more about who she really is. Little does she realize that in China, the students will see her as one more Chinese girl among millions--one that was unwanted.

Cassidy is the only daughter of a single mother who had her while she was a teenager. Her family has lived in Paris for generations, and Cassidy longs to seek adventure elsewhere. She wants to escape the stereotypes of her small town life and have people know her for who she is rather than where she is from.

Finally ther is Izzy whose breakup with her boyfriend has left her reeling. She had hoped to get away from her chaotic family life and the painful memories of her breakup, but when her irritating older brother breaks his hand and has no hope at a football scholarship, Izzy is forced to give up her trip and stay without her friends in their small town.

While they are apart the girls form the International Kissing Club, a Facebook page for them to share their adventures and conquests. But the page becomes so much more as more and more people begin to follow and support these young adventurers.

The technological aspects of the story, and various pop culture references may eventually date the story, but the themes of growing up and searching for your own identity will remain true. All of these young women are charming characters who you would want to know. You can even see bits of yourself in each of them. The novel manages to tackle serious topics such as bullying, and identity without taking itself to seriously. I love that this novel could make me laugh and cry.

Overall this charming novel is a great addition to the realistic fiction genre. I can see it appealing to fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and many others. This is a really fun read.

Cautions for sensitive readers: Mild sexuality, but nothing graphic.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012

Bonnie at A Backwards Story added it

Shelves: contemporary, blog-tour, 2012

While the title of THE INTERNATIONAL KISSING CLUB sounds light and carefree (and, okay, yes, it's that, too), the book digs a bit deeper than the title might otherwise suggest. This book isn't really about a club full of people who only care about kissing. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but I wasn't anticipating the extra dimensions that grew as I read. When I first started reading, I compared the book a little to THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series by Ann Brashares (and it m...moreWhile the title of THE INTERNATIONAL KISSING CLUB sounds light and carefree (and, okay, yes, it's that, too), the book digs a bit deeper than the title might otherwise suggest. This book isn't really about a club full of people who only care about kissing. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but I wasn't anticipating the extra dimensions that grew as I read. When I first started reading, I compared the book a little to THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series by Ann Brashares (and it made me laugh when the girls referred to the series in the novel). It started off slowly, but as I grew invested in each of the characters, I came to care more about what happened to them and was sad when the book came to an end.

The International Kissing Club isn't just the book's title, but an online Facebook page put together by four best friends (Piper, Cassidy, Izzy, and Mei) after getting opportunities to study abroad for ten weeks. Piper wants to go to Paris, France after one of the school's most popular girls, Germaine, torments her in the most humiliating way possible--and posts the results online, making Piper a viral sensation. Over three million people witnessed her humiliation on YouTube and everyone at school still makes fun of her. She can't wait to get away from Paris, Texas, and go to the real Paris to study art...and boys. Cassidy also longs to get away from Paris. She's had people talking about her and her mother, who was an unwed teenager when she gave birth, her entire life. She can't wait to go down under to Australia, even if it means sucking it up and talking to her estranged father for the first time in years. Mei is adopted and longs to go to her Chinese homeland in order to discover more about herself and learn a little Mandarin. Izzy is all about saving the environment and would love to visit the rainforests of Costa Rica, but she's the middle-child, wedged between a football-playing older brother who recently broke his hand and ruined his chances at a scholarship and a younger brother who is a piano-playing prodigy and always traveling to compete in various competitions. There's no money left for her, "Invisabel Isabel." Instead, she finds herself working on a classmate's farm...and feeling more for him than she ever thought possible. While all four girls relish their single status and start The International Kissing Club with the best of fun intentions, they quickly realize that kisses are meaningless if you're not sharing them with that special someone.

My favorite part about this novel was all the character growth. All four girls grew a lot; no one returned home the same as when they left. Piper started out as my least-favorite character because she was so self-absorbed, but in the end, I found myself rooting for her the most. The novel also ends in a natural fashion that remains true-to-life. No story arc is tied up with a pretty bow. Readers get hints of what might come--and those hints could potentially lead to stand-alone sequels focusing on each girl in the future--but no one story is too easily concluded, which I really appreciated (as much as I wanted to know more about certain things!). I like the way the girls evolved abroad, too. Piper had the time of her life--and grew up a lot before returning home, Mei didn't have the experience she hoped to and went through a lot of culture shock, and Cassidy experienced a lot of home sickness. All of these reactions are natural when living abroad for any length of time and I was pleased to see them focused on in the novel. I also loved the four guys that the girls found themselves falling for and fell right alongside them. The characters were truly well-developed in this novel and I would read any sort of continuation that might come out.
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Dec 28, 2011

Britta rated it

When the novel opened, I was not impressed... but that quickly changed. It took a few chapters for the speed to pick up, but once it did, I was completely hooked.

After an extremely embarrassing incident leaves Piper in constant torment, she, with the help of her three best friends; Izzy, Mei and Cassidy, come up with the International Kissing Club (or IKC for short). They plan to each take part in their school's international exchange program; Piper to Paris (the real one), Mei to C...more

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Dec 21, 2011

Heidi Bennett rated it

We have four friends: Piper the quintessential non-pageant girl even though that is what her mother wants her to be; Cassidy the super jock daughter of a single-mom; Mei the adopted Chinese daughter of white parents; and Izzy the ordinary daughter of a high school football coach who is invisible behind her older football playing brother and her younger piano prodigy brother.

When Piper becomes the laughing stock of Paris, Texas, and an overnight YouTube sensation for kissing a pig a...moreWe have four friends: Piper the quintessential non-pageant girl even though that is what her mother wants her to be; Cassidy the super jock daughter of a single-mom; Mei the adopted Chinese daughter of white parents; and Izzy the ordinary daughter of a high school football coach who is invisible behind her older football playing brother and her younger piano prodigy brother.

When Piper becomes the laughing stock of Paris, Texas, and an overnight YouTube sensation for kissing a pig at the Cotton Festival, she wants to escape. Her friends try to comfort her, but there is just so much they can do. Their classmates are relentless in their constant pig squeals and oinking making Piper’s life miserable.

Dreading the first day of school, Piper is excited to learn that a foreign exchange program is being offered. The four girls come up with an idea to each go away for a semester. Piper picks Paris so she can study art. Mei decides on China in hopes to find herself and her biological parents. Cassidy picks Australia because it is the furthest from Texas and Izzy picks Costa Rica so she can study the rain forest.
Being foreign exchange students isn’t all they had planned.

The girls create the International Kissing Club – a Facebook fansite – where they will detail, anonymously, their kissing exploits. They even created a points system.

With the friends about to head it, Izzy drops the news that she isn’t going. Invisible Izzy is told that the finances aren’t available for her, but she knows deep down that her parents are only spending money on her brothers. Izzy feels left out and alone and is determined to at least enjoy her summer.

Piper is kissing her way through Paris while Cassidy is learning to surf from hottie Lucas. Mei struggles in China and quickly discovers that she doesn’t fit in with her classmates there and Izzy, she’s gone to work on Tanner Colt’s farm – resident quarterback for her dad’s team – and current Piper crush.

The International Kissing Club fansite is a huge hit with people chiming in from all over the world, but once the school finds out how the girls spent their time, people are none too happy and there are consequences to pay.

I will say this; this story is very interesting and pretty close to real life. The girls are likable and you can’t help but feel for them. Each one has their own set of issues, but their strong friendship holds them together like glue.(less)

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Jan 12, 2012

Sonya rated it

Disclaimer –Don’t be frighten by the negative beginning keep reading it gets better. Remember bookies these are just my opinions so take it with a grain of salt, thanks.

When I started reading this book I thought I made a mistake. I don’t want to make comparisons but it was shaping up to be another insipid substance-less bore with Piper’s whining it was annoying, but after about two chapters in. I started to see a real story begin to emerge. Each of the girls had their own set of is...more

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Jan 16, 2012

Jade rated it

onceuponawanderer.blogspot.com

Author: Ivy Adams
Pages: 400
Publisher: Walker & Company
Publication: January 3rd 2012
Age Group: Young Adult (14-18)
Book Source: ARC
Challenge(s)- Debut Author Challenge (2012)

Meet Piper- fashionista, drama queen and kiss the pig star.
Mei- Adopted, serious, studious.
Cassidy- sporty, flirty, fun.
Izzy- wholesome, over-looked- with an idiot family.

What do these four girls ...more

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Jan 27, 2012

Sarah (Catching Books) rated it

Shelves: debut-author-challenge-2012

What a really fun read!! When I first got this book from the library..I wasn't sure what to expect! But the concept of this novel sounded awesome so I had to give this one a try.
What I really liked about this book was that it rotated chapters between all four girls..so it was nice to see all of their different perspectives on their travels instead of just seeing one of the girl's thoughts. I also really liked the travel aspect of this book..who doesn't want to go abroad to study? I know I ...more

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Jan 30, 2012

Gabbi Calabrese rated it

Shelves: 2012-contemp, 2012-standalone, 2012-dac

http://bookbreather4lyfe.blogspot.com

Upon hearing the premise for The International Kissing Club, I was extremely intrigued. A book focused on kissing? Yes, please! As far as contemps go, I thought it had a pretty unique little twist to it and I was really happy to get the opportunity to read it. However, the novel didn't contain that certain spark that I wanted it to.

The story begins with a prologue from Piper's perspective. I'm not a fan of prologues, so I probably wou...morehttp://bookbreather4lyfe.blogspot.com

Upon hearing the premise for The International Kissing Club, I was extremely intrigued. A book focused on kissing? Yes, please! As far as contemps go, I thought it had a pretty unique little twist to it and I was really happy to get the opportunity to read it. However, the novel didn't contain that certain spark that I wanted it to.

The story begins with a prologue from Piper's perspective. I'm not a fan of prologues, so I probably would have liked it a lot more if it was just chapter one, but the prologue did help me easily sympathize with Piper. I mean, being humiliated in front of the entire town by having to kiss a pig? Not a particularly ideal situation. The prologue also helped readers grasp just how far Germaine, Evil Popular Girl, is willing to take her and Piper's feud. Maybe it's because of the prologue that I felt for Piper the most, and that out of all four girls, I was rooting the hardest for her.

As for the other girls...I liked them, but I didn't really connect with them to a full extent. Each one of them was strong, independent, and good for some laughs. But like I said above, Piper was my favorite of the girls. Out of the boys, Lucas, Cassidy's love interest, was definitely my favorite, because he was the only one where I saw how great he was, rather than being told. Well, that's not true. It was obvious how great a guy Guiran, Mei's love interest, was, but he fell a little flat to me. Piper and Izzy both went on and on about how sweet and hott their guys were, but I couldn't really see it or feel it.

The way the perspective alternated between Piper, Cassidy, Izzy, and Mei wasn't particularly annoying or bothersome, because it was all very necessary, but it definitely made it difficult for me to fall for all of the characters and connect to them. In the beginning I also kept getting their background stories confused and I'd have problems following along with who is saying and doing what, but once I learned about the girls it was a lot easier.

I didn't like the way this novel ended. I know that some authors like to keep the ending open in order for the readers to make inferences about what happens, and that's fine. I didn't want an epilogue twenty years in the future, but I felt the ending of The International Kissing Club was unsatisfying. None of the major conflicts were really resolved. And I also didn't expect everybody to live la-dee-da-da happily ever after perfect lives, but it's like by the end, the girls were in the same position they started - only worse because they're friendship is being tested and some of their hearts have been broken.

Aside from those things, though, I did enjoy the novel. It was really cute and great for a good laugh! The writing was clear and sweet and snarky and I absolutely adored reading the posts on the IKC facebook page between chapters! The dialogue between the girls is hilarious because they don't take any crap from each other.

My favorite part of this story, though, was the power of friendship. Every girl craves the kind of friendship that these girls have, and some have even found it themselves. It's the kind of thing that makes my heart happy, as lame as that sounds.
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Jan 30, 2012

Jessica Day rated it

I really wanted to love The International Kissing Club. Seeing the world is my new niche and I’m looking forward to traveling in college. However I found this book to be very lacking on the “international” side while instead loaded with plenty of “kissing”. I ended up disappointed. That isn’t to say IKC wasn’t a good book, it was. It just wasn’t a great one.
Let’s start with my compliments. IKC has all the requirements of a short, chick lit book. There is humor, boys, drama and plenty of ki...more

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Nov 23, 2011

Reading Vacation's Mom rated it

The International Kissing Club has a very “unique” premise. Four girls from Paris, Texas join the foreign exchange program so they can get out and see the world. To make it interesting, they make a Facebook page to anonymously track their romantic encounters while they are away.

Okay, so anonymous or not, the idea of tracking your romance on Facebook sounds really weird to me. I would think the guys who are involved wouldn’t be too happy if they knew their kisses and private mom...more

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Feb 11, 2012

Erica rated it

Shelves: 2012-debut-author-challenge, 2012-completely-contemp-challenge

3.5 stars

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams was an interesting read. It turned out to be a very different book from the one I was expecting. Once I got well into the book, I found the story to be very cute and I didn't want to put it down.

The International Kissing Club had a very slow beginning. Nothing much happened until well over 100 pages into the book. Then I found that things picked up. Even then I definitely favored Cassidy and Izzy's storylines, they wer...more

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Jan 09, 2012

Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it

Shelves: 2012-release, arcs-i-own, mundie-moms-reviews, signed-books-arcs, 2012-100-book-challenge

Friendship, trust, falling in love and a little bit of self discovery are just a few of the things you'll discovery while reading the story of Cassidy, Izzy, Piper and Mei, four friends who are desperate for an escape from their small TX town. The International Kissing Club is a facebook group they started to track the international kisses they receive as three of the friends venture to China, France and Australia, while one of them stays behind in Paris, TX for 10 weeks. During the course of th...moreFriendship, trust, falling in love and a little bit of self discovery are just a few of the things you'll discovery while reading the story of Cassidy, Izzy, Piper and Mei, four friends who are desperate for an escape from their small TX town. The International Kissing Club is a facebook group they started to track the international kisses they receive as three of the friends venture to China, France and Australia, while one of them stays behind in Paris, TX for 10 weeks. During the course of this time the girls learn a few things about love, romance, heartbreak, being a true friend and falling in love.

I liked that through out the course of the story each of the girls grow in a different way. Mei, Cassidy, Izzy and Piper all have different ambitions and goals. They all have their reasons for wanting to get out of their small TX town, and away from their dramatic high school issues. Which can I just add, I'm so glad my HS days are behind me. Honestly the drama that goes on in this story started getting on my nerves a little bit. I know these years are tough, but the things kept happening at the girl's expensive were making me mad. I got really irritated that no one would really stand up and do or say anything about it except for one of the girls. I grew really frustrated with Piper and her in-ability to just stand up for herself. I wanted to help her tell of the queen "you know what". I loved Cassidy, because she didn't have any problems standing up for her friends. With Izzy despite doing something one of her friends deems uncool, I loved that she did what she felt was right and I adored Mei for realizing friends are like family.

I enjoyed getting to know the four friends from Paris, TX. It was great seeing how they each grew through the story, even though at times I cringed at some of the things they did. Unfortunately the public face book page where they track their international kisses was cringe worthy moment for me. I personally had a hard time buying into doing something like this, especially since they not only have an arch enemy who would do anything she can to make the girls look bad, but they could have made their page/group private for just the four of them to see. Instead the girls gain an internationally following, and sadly what started out as a fun idea for these four close friends ends up back firing a little bit for two of them.

I liked how well the different girls all meshed together and their various backgrounds. I also liked reading about some their experiences during their travels. I felt like Ivy Adams nailed that small TX town setting perfectly! I couldn't help but laugh at the Dairy Queen comment that's made in the book. What TX town doesn't have one of those. haha In the end this wasn't a book I enjoyed as much as I wanted to, but I think it's one teen readers will. There is some mild language, some sensual scenes, and mentions of underage drinking and sex.
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Dec 24, 2011

Loni Flowers rated it

Shelves: the-teen-book-scene-blog-tour

When I saw the premise to this book I though it was so funny and I though to myself, has anyone kept points like this before? I think I would have fit right in with the girls (Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy). If joining the schools foreign exchange program wasn't good enough, starting The International Kissing Club (IKC) Facebook page would have been. Spending a semester overseas and no only do you get to experience culture, sightseeing, and amazing people and food... but you get to kiss foreign...moreWhen I saw the premise to this book I though it was so funny and I though to myself, has anyone kept points like this before? I think I would have fit right in with the girls (Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy). If joining the schools foreign exchange program wasn't good enough, starting The International Kissing Club (IKC) Facebook page would have been. Spending a semester overseas and no only do you get to experience culture, sightseeing, and amazing people and food... but you get to kiss foreign boys too... AND you can get points for it??! I think I'd call that a total win-win. Where can I sign up? Okay, Okay... I'm too old to do this now, but I would have totally down for it (If I would have been brave enough.)

Piper picks Paris for art. Cassidy picks Australia to get away from her troubles in Texas, Mei wants to go to china, hoping she'll find her biological parents there, and Izzy picks Costa Rica so she can learn all about the Rain Forest. Disappointment comes early when Izzy can't join in on the international fun because there isn't enough money for her to make the trip. But she's determined to make the best out of a horrible situation. She goes to work on Tanner Colt's farm, the hottie quarterback of her dad's football team. There's just one little problem...he's Pipers current crush and we know that you don't kiss your best friends love interest, even if said boy might not be interested. Even if Piper is kissing her way through Paris- it's the number one best friend rule.

It's a summer to remember! Piper is kissing in Paris, Mei is trying to fit in with the people in China (and being very unsuccessful), Cassidy is having fun learning to surf, and poor Izzy is on a stinking farm! How will this summer turn out... it's interesting to say the least, especially when word gets out around school about the IKC Facebook page. What will happen when the school finds out how they spent their time kissing when they should have been learning?

This was definitely a fun read but we also learn what true friendship is all about. My only dislike came when the chapters skipped ahead. One minute a character was doing this and then the next chapter, time skipped a month ahead. Sometimes I felt like I was being told how it happened instead of getting to experience it for myself. All in all, this didn't hinder my feelings for the book. It was fun and if this book interests you, I recommend you give this a read!(less)

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Jan 17, 2012

Tara rated it

Shelves: 2012debut, challenge-ccc2012, own-arc

I am a sucker for any book that contains international travel. I studied abroad in London for the first half of 2011 and ever since then, I am full of wanderlust and I gobble up movies and books about going abroad. The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams was right up my alley.

I loved reading about Piper, Cassidy, and Mei’s time abroad in their various places, and even Izzy, being stuck in Texas, was adorable. Mei’s story particularly was probably the most interesting to me – I re...more

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Dec 06, 2011

Amber rated it

Shelves: bloomsbury, books-i-own, arcs, reviews

Fun, flirty and with a very liberal amount of kissing spread through out, The International Kissing Club is an adorable novel exploring the farthest reaches of friendship. Told in the third person following four best friends as they go their separate ways in the student exchange program, The International Kissing Club is an easy read with something for everyone.

The four friends in this novel are different from each other in all the best ways but love each other so fiercely that they ...moreFun, flirty and with a very liberal amount of kissing spread through out, The International Kissing Club is an adorable novel exploring the farthest reaches of friendship. Told in the third person following four best friends as they go their separate ways in the student exchange program, The International Kissing Club is an easy read with something for everyone.

The four friends in this novel are different from each other in all the best ways but love each other so fiercely that they can get through anything. Piper is the artist with a flair for the dramatics and more than a little boy crazy, Mei is the practical brainy star student, Cassidy is the sports guru and Izzy is the green friendly hippie. Following each of these girls around the world was a pleasure as they all had life lessons to learn. I originally thought I'd identify with Piper but I ended up really liking Izzy which is odd since I'm so not like her. I like how each character was stretched to their limit and forced to change in order to help them when the got back into town.

Ivy Adams is a pen name for three separate authors who came together to write this book. I always find author collaborations interesting so this was no exception. I could tell where one author started and the other ended. As a result, I felt like I got the best of each author in the prose. I've made it no secret that I'm not a fan of third person but this one was done well enough that it didn't bother me, I liked that the voice stayedconsistent throughout each chapter yet it was also tailored to the person the narrator was following. For instance, Mei's chapters had very sensible metaphors whereas Piper's were a bit more dreamy. The voice overall kept a fun light tone, even when the girls were learning some serious life lessons.

The plot was quite good. I couldn't figure out where the story was going until it finally got there. I do wish the chapters hadn't jumped around so much. One chapter Piper had landed in Paris (France) and in her next one she'd been there for almost four weeks. I felt like sometimes we were just told things instead of actually shown them which did get me a bit frustrated. For instance, Mei talks about these two mean girls but we only ever see them in a scene once and supposedly they terrorize her for the rest of her trip. Regardless, I really liked the concept for this book. The girls used a social media site to try to stay closer together and I liked that at the end of each chapter we got to see the Facebook page and some of its updates. It was definitely one of the highlights for me.

Germaine was deliciously evil. I couldn't believe what happens to poor Piper in the beginning of the novel and how Germaine is able to get the friends again. My biggest thing is that I wanted to see Germaine punished and she wasn't. I know in real life sometimes the bad guys win but I like my fiction to give the baddies a huge dose of their own medicine and I didn't see the happen to her. I really wish it would have. I dealt with her evilness only because I knew she had it coming but then she never got hers. It made me sad.

The destinations were glamorous which I loved and the kissing scenes were knock-your-socks off good! I really liked all the guys the girls kissed. I think my favorite smooch goes to Mei (though I could be biased as she is stopping by the blog a bit later on). I knew that some of the relationships had to end because they were all foreign exchange students but I didn't know which ones I wanted that to happen for. I liked them all so much! I also liked the humor in this story because they mention The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants which was what came to my mind when I read the summary for this novel.

The International Kissing Club utilizes a fun, flirty voice to tell a great story about the bonds of friendship and how far they can stretch. There's a character for everyone to identify with and plenty of sexy smooching to keep the pace going. While it did have a few snags for me, I have to say that over all I really enjoyed it. I'd defintiely "like" The IKC Facebook page any day of the week!(less)

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Jan 26, 2012

Lauren rated it

Shelves: 2012, netgalleybooks

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams is one of those perfect feel good kind of books. It's adorable; it's romantic; it's hilarious; and most importantly, the girls presented in it are one hundred percent realistic! Basically it's a win in all ways possible!

The International Kissing Club begins the story of Cassidy, Piper, Mei, and Izzy, three girls who are sick of living in small town Paris, Texas. Nothing every happens in Paris, but when it does, it usually involves massive emb...moreThe International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams is one of those perfect feel good kind of books. It's adorable; it's romantic; it's hilarious; and most importantly, the girls presented in it are one hundred percent realistic! Basically it's a win in all ways possible!

The International Kissing Club begins the story of Cassidy, Piper, Mei, and Izzy, three girls who are sick of living in small town Paris, Texas. Nothing every happens in Paris, but when it does, it usually involves massive embarrassment for at least one of the girls. Everything changes, though, when the girls are told of a new foreign exchange program their school has. Piper decides on France, hoping to find a cute boy or two to help ease the pain of the "Pig Incident" as well as her lackluster family. Mei decides on China, hoping to find out a thing or two about her birth country. Cassidy decides on Australia. And while Izzy would like nothing but to go away as well, she's stuck in Paris, Texas for the time being. The girls can't wait to set out on their new adventures, and to stay in touch over the semester, they start The International Kissing Club. What happens next? Will each girl find their perfect guy? And will The International Kissing Club come back to haunt them? Only more time and pages can tell!

One thing that always makes or breaks a contemporary YA book for me is the characters. I have to love them, or at least like them, or the whole book "fails" in my eyes. Luckily, I plain out adored the girls in this book! Mei was the serious one of the group, the one most likely to succeed in life, and while sometimes I wished the girl would come out of her shell and live a little more, she was an awesome person. Piper was the "wild child" of the group. She's the one who comes up with the whole kissing idea, and while at first, I was somewhat put back by her tell like it is attitude, I really came to love her as the book progressed. Cassidy was probably my favorite. Her story will managed to strike a chord in me (and not just because I ADORED her love interest), because to me, she was one of the most real out of the group, and I really loved that she got her moment to shine in this! Lastly, Izzy...this girl was one confusing person, but I adored her nonetheless. I felt bad for the fact that she was left behind in Texas while the others jetted off, but it ended up doing wonders for her character. What I adored most about these four girls, though, was how realistically Ivy Adams presented them. They had their setbacks and their problems, and while they suddenly didn't become "perfect" overnight, they really managed to grow as the book continued, and I just love seeing that transformation occur.

The premise of this is one of the reasons I originally read the book, and it turned out to be just as great as I imagined and hoped. For one, the kissing club idea was unique as well as lots of fun, and I especially loved how they added a social media aspect to this novel by including the Facebook page of the group as well as the interactions and comments they had through it. I also enjoyed seeing each girl take control of their lives in this book, because while this book does have a lot to do with kissing and boys, it's mainly about coming to age, and learning to live and make your way on your own. Lastly, the settings in this book were amazing as well! I loved seeing Paris, Australia, China, and Paris, Texas through the eyes of the characters, even though it made me yearn to take a trip of my own.

In all, The International Kissing Club is a fabulous debut from Ivy Adams, and if you love contemp or just a GREAT book, this one is for you! My only compliant? I really want a second book!

Grade: A+(less)

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Dec 18, 2011

Andrea rated it

3.5 out of 5 rating

Even though this book made a snarky reference to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book series, I found that the premise was kind of the same (minus the kissing part in the Sisterhood books). But I liked that series, so I was hoping to like this one too. Plus the girls used aliases of Disney Princesses, and anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with Disney and the Princesses, so I just HAD to like this book. And I did!

Yes, it was cheesy....more

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Dec 13, 2011

Anna rated it

This was a great book. I had a hard time putting it down. It is a great story about four girls who are close friends who decide to study abroad for 10 weeks each in a different country. They keep together through a club they create on facebook called the International Kissing Club. They keep scores on how good their kisses are that they are having with boys in each of their countries. It is a great story of friendship and romance. If you like the Sisterhood of Traveling Pants series, you will en...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Esther Shaindel rated it

Shelves: 2012-debut-author-challenge

Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2012...

With depth and meaning, but awash with flirtatious fun as well, The International Kissing Club ROCKS!

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Jan 03, 2012

Jeff Raymond rated it

Shelves: arcs-manuscripts, books-i-own, read-ya-contemporary

This book may better be described as the #firstworldproblems Twitter hashtag personified.

You have four girls who have great lives, all things considered, but want to expand their experiences somewhat, so they decide to all enroll in overseas exchange programs. There's a secondary goal, of course - to kiss as many boys as possible omg.

Yeah.

I can't really think of anything good to say about this book, so it may be in my best interests to say nothing as all. I ...more

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Sep 12, 2011

Sarah rated it

Shelves: books-i-own

Kissing and getting points for how many guys you get? How sluttly is that? I liked how the international program let us see what other countries are like.

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Oct 18, 2011

Heather marked it as to-read

Shelves: not-published-yet

jan 2012

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Feb 06, 2012

Jordin marked it as could-not-finish

Shelves: young-adult

I tried reading this book. I even like how there are three best friend authors who wrote this as Ivy Adams but, well, I can only do so much and this book was asking a lot from me to read it. Sorry Justin! I know you picked this book out for me to read but I hope I don't let you down too hard. Maybe I'll try again some day.

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Jan 08, 2012

Karis (YA Litwit) Jacobstein rated it

Shelves: 2012-wt-jan-mar-challenge, arc, 2012-debut-author-challenge, 2012-dac

3 1/2 stars. Very cute. Read my full review HERE.

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Feb 16, 2012

Inspired Kathy rated it

Shelves: read-in-2012

Slow Start... Good Finish.

Took me forever to get into and get through this one but I ended up liking it by the end.

Review to come.

Content: Language, innuendo

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Jan 01, 2012

Lindsay Cummings rated it

Shelves: reviewcopies

great, fun read!!

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Feb 20, 2012

Andi rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: dac-2012, own, to-be-reviewed

Cute story. A little long, but still cute. Review to come.

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Feb 16, 2012

Reading Angel rated it

Shelves: arc, 2012-ya-contemp-challenge

review to come

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Feb 22, 2012

Mimi marked it as to-read

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