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Pants on Fire

by Meg Cabot (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 10,144 ratings · 539 reviews

Katie Ellison is not a liar.

But she can't exactly tell the truth, either--not when she's juggling two boyfriends, secretly hating the high school football team everyone else worships, and trying to have the best summer ever. At least Katie has it all under control (sort of). Her biggest secret, what really happened the night Tommy Sullivan is a freak was spray-painted on...more

Hardcover, 260 pages

Published May 1st 2007 by Harper Teen

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Jun 20, 2012 Lily Bart rated it 2 of 5 stars

In all honesty I can't give this book more than two stars -- since it was tooth-grindingly awful about 85 percent of the way through. Nevertheless, the ending, where the weak-willed heroine FINALLY tells the town where to get off, really was moving and interesting to read.

There are so many things that sink this book. There's the inane heroine, and the basic setting and premise. The whole "stuck up jocks run the town and beat up anyone they don't like," concept has been a cliche for at least fif...more In all honesty I can't give this book more than two stars -- since it was tooth-grindingly awful about 85 percent of the way through. Nevertheless, the ending, where the weak-willed heroine FINALLY tells the town where to get off, really was moving and interesting to read.

There are so many things that sink this book. There's the inane heroine, and the basic setting and premise. The whole "stuck up jocks run the town and beat up anyone they don't like," concept has been a cliche for at least fifty years. It's just silly, especially when there is NO payoff for the plot as far as boys actually, uh, fighting. What a gyp! And why set a football story in a Hamptons like resort town like this one? Why not at least set the story in West Texas?

Then there's the heroine. Katie Ellison, for most of the book, is so silly, dishonest, and annoyingly cute that she makes Scarlett O'Hara look like Melanie Wilkes. Can anyone believe this girl ever opened a book in her life? And HOW did she get to be tops on the honor roll? And WHY would anyone fight a whole football team just to get back with a weak-willed, lying girl who cheats on three different guys at once?

Tommy Sullivan, the hero, is just as annoying, but for opposite reasons. He's perfect. Not only physically so, (just reading Katie's thoughts about his hotness nearly made me throw up) but mentally and morally too. The whole town tried to ruin his life, and he never shows a trace of bitterness, resentment, or self doubt. A whole football team wants to beat him up and he never shows any fear -- or any anger either. And the girl who hurt him the most and turned her back on him? Well, Tommy just thinks that's so cute!!! This guy is such a blatant fantasy it's like he's some sort of pleasure robot in someone's closet.

I won't even mention the fact that the whole plot is a total rip off of the old Clint Eastwood western, HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER. Innocent man exposes shameful secret. Whole town turns on him. Years later, innocent man comes back to take revenge!

Great story idea Meg! Only thing is, Katie is no better than the nasty girl in HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER who watches Clint get whipped to death and then hooks up with his "ghost" as soon as he comes back to town. And then she hooks up with the guys trying to kill him! Katie's just dumber and cries a lot more. I'm surprised Tommy didn't just sneer like a flea-bitten range bum and say, "I kin do better than you in a four bit fancy house!"

Katie's big speech at the end was great. But it didn't save the book. Nothing could have, except maybe a HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER shoot out. You know, Tommy paints the town red, renames it Hell, and shoots all the football players he doesn't hang or bullwhip to death. Or at least a WEST SIDE STORY gang fight where Tommy kills two or three Quahogs, is shot by cops, and dies in Katie's arms on the docks while the other beauty contestants all softly sing "There's A Place For Us." And the Gulping Gull restaurant slowly burns to the ground in the background.

PS As bad as all this is, something else makes me angry too. The football players are a bunch of losers -- damned beyond redemption -- because they "cheated on their SAT's." Now Katie cheats on PEOPLE, not just once, but again and again and again -- but that's just a cute habit she'll grow out of. WTF? WTF?? WTF???

What message is this even supposed to send?

Oh, and there is one funny moment in the book that Meg Cabot did NOT intend. At the end, one of the doomed jocks is reduced to dating a Goth chick who reads Japanese Manga comic books. And cute little Katie sneers (she's very mean-spirited for a cute little innocent) "oh, Manga is fine for him. He moves his lips when he reads."

Great cheap shot, Meg! But the fear is all too real. After all, we can't have foreigners and freaks cutting into the American teen dollar, can we? You can feel the fear, and Meg's desperation. She's chasing the same nickel as the manga kids, and losing.

And that is genuinely funny.
(less)

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Oct 10, 2007 JJ rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: yafiction

I'm new to Meg Cabot, and this was the first book of hers that I had read. I know she's the Queen of teen lit, so I was a little suprised when I read this book. It wasn't what I had expected.

Meg Cabot tries to write like a teen would talk, saying things like "not" or what seems to be her favorite word, "macking," which means kissing or making out, of course. And she says these words - a lot. After about the fifth "macking" I almost gave up. But I stuck with it, and my final verdict is "so-so."

Th...more

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 05, 2007 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars

Can somebody please have the courage to edit Meg Cabot? Every single one of her writing quirks comes out in this story about a girl who is cheating on her hot boyfriend with another hot guy, and then another hot guy comes along, and oh yeah, something really bad happened to him a couple of years back that completely ostrasized him and now he's back to get revenge. Or is it love?

Confused or bored enough yet? I was.

On her blog, Meg Cabot has a tendency to kind of brag about getting her manuscripts...more

11 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2007 Amielle rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 13 and up

Another book from Meg Cabot. Her writing is good, but, she needs to widen her range. Her books are all starting to sound the same, and only small twists in the plots are the differenciating point.

This was not (in my opinion) her best book. Even if you hadn't read any of her others, it still isn't the best read. From the beginning I knew who was going to end up with who, and what was going to happen, reactions and such.
Though, I was a little sad that her parents (and the entire town) were so o...more

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May 12, 2010 Ruby~Am I a Part of the Cure? rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Meg Cabot. I learned you should not lie. Even if it hurts. Aww I love it!
And Tommy is NOT a freak ;)

6 likes · like · see review

Apr 10, 2008 Liv. rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone looking for a good read.

Recommended to Liv. by: No one.

-from inside flap-

Katie Ellison is not a liar. It's just that telling the truth is so...tricky. She knows she shouldn't be making out with a drama club hottie behind her football-player boyfriend's back. She should probably admit that she can't stand eating quahogs (clams), especially since she's running for Quahog princess in her hometown's annual Quahog Festival. And it would be a relief to finally tell someone what really happened the night Tommy Sullivan is a freak was spray-painted on the n...more

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Jul 03, 2007 piraterie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read2007, chick-lit, young-adult

Confession time: I have this horrible Meg Cabot weakness. The moment a book of hers comes out, I rush to the store to buy it (this happened just today and also last week and, dude, she writes so many books). I do this even though there have been some books of hers in the past that I could not finish because I disliked them so much. Apparently the ones I loved work some sort of amnesia on me so that when a new Meg Cabot book comes out I go, "Meg Cabot! I love every book of hers! I must run to the...more

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Mar 19, 2008 Yushi Wang rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: advisory

This novel takes me into the mind of a teenage girl who has lied for the most of her life. Whenever Katie gets into trouble, she relies on lies to get her out of it. However, because of this, she can't keep up with all her lies anymore and they come back to haunt her. She is entangled in a web of her own lies and she struggles to find a way out and free herself.
I enjoyed some parts of the novel because it was like a mystery. Four years ago, something happened between Katie and Tommy but the aut...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Izandra Mascarenhas rated it 4 of 5 stars

ENG / PORT-BR

Yes, it's a teenager book, the story itself is kind of silly, and, yes, definitely, it's funny.
Basically, the story shows us Katie Ellison, a girl who curls up in her own lies. Not that she wanted to be a liar, but she just ends up being, by trying to please everyone, she loses her sense of who she really is, and get used to living with her own lies. That is until the arrival of Tommy ...
He used to be her best friend "behind the scenes", since he was a nerd antisocial. Only as the y...more ENG / PORT-BR

Yes, it's a teenager book, the story itself is kind of silly, and, yes, definitely, it's funny.
Basically, the story shows us Katie Ellison, a girl who curls up in her own lies. Not that she wanted to be a liar, but she just ends up being, by trying to please everyone, she loses her sense of who she really is, and get used to living with her own lies. That is until the arrival of Tommy ...
He used to be her best friend "behind the scenes", since he was a nerd antisocial. Only as the years passed and, believe me, he is completely different than all remember... Even to Katie.

The big problem is that Katie lied to about the departure of Tommy on the city years ago. And now must confront her own lies, of which Tommy seems to know all truths!

The "pants on fire" is almost literal; Katie can't keeps quiet! She dating two of the most desireble guys of the small town (without them knowing, of course), but not content with them. But rediscovering Tommy, she realizes she can finally get used to one boyfriend. The question is: he sees her in the same way? Undecided if he returned for revenge or not, we follow the antics of Katie and her lies in a light and fun way, just as the author Meg Cabot can write =)

-------------------------------------------------

Sim, é um livro "adolescente"; sim, a história em si é meio boba; e, sim, definitivamente, é engraçado.
Basicamente, a história nos mostra Katie Ellison , uma garota que se enrola em suas próprias mentiras. Não é que ela queria ser uma mentirosa, mas ela simplesmente acaba sendo; por querer agradar todo mundo, ela perde a noção de quem ela é de verdade, e acaba se acostumando em viver com suas próprias mentiras. Isso até a chegada de Tommy...
Ele costuma ser seu melhor amigo "por baixo dos panos", já que era um nerd antissocial. Só que os anos se passaram e, acredite, ele está completamente diferente do que todos lembravam... Inclusive Katie.

O grande problema é que Katie mentiu à respeito sobre a saída de Tommy da cidade, anos atrás. E agora deve enfrentar suas próprias mentiras, das quais Tommy parece saber todas as verdades!

O "Pegando fogo" é quase literal; Katie não pára quieto! Namora dois dos caras mais disputados da pequena cidade (sem que eles saibam, claro), mas não se contenta com eles. Mas reencontrando Tommy, ela percebe que pode finalmente se acostumar com um único namorado. A questão é: ele a vê da mesma forma? Indecisa se ele voltou por vingança ou não, acompanhamos as trapalhadas de Katie e suas mentiras de uma maneira leve e divertida, como só a autora Meg Cabot consegue escrever =)(less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Danica Prinsloo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-3, real-life-problems, school

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 4 Years ago Tommy Sullivan Exposed members of the football team (Quahog) as cheats and got runned out of the town. The words Tommy Sullivan is a freak glowing on the walls… but now he is back and Katie is sure it’s for revenge, revenge on her.

After Tommy left, 4 years back, Katie has been top of the class, became popular and is dating the hottest guy(s) in town. As she also puts it: Is the biggest lair in town!!!
Caught in a lip lock with Eric (Katie’s “other” boyfriend) by nobody else than Tommy...more

1 like · like · see review

May 26, 2012 Kristin Miranda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 7th-grade-4th-quarter

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just want to mention now that if I COULD, I would give this book 2.5 stars. But I can't. So since this book was just downright "ugh," I'm giving it 2 stars.

I am a, and I cannot stress this enough, HUGE fan of Meg Cabot. I loved all her books, but this one was different. I found it to be boring and just... BAD. The character of Katie was way too flat, and it was almost as if Katie had no sense of what was right and what was wrong. What I find to be downright awful is the fact that MEG CABOT wro...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Taylor (A Booky Wonderland) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been trying to broaden my horizons a bit recently, reading more contemporary, since before I used to just read stuff more along the totally unbelievable lines because I liked the idea of retreating to a different world and getting caught up in the drama instead of reality-ish stuff. And this book was pretty good and I was really excited to read this book. I think that Ms. Cabot is a great author and that this book was also great.

Katie throughout this thing tells lies and she's just okay wit...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Johanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: engl420

***ROMANCE***MEG CABOT***
I have to admit that I really enjoyed reading this book. It was ridiculously melodramatic and lovey dovey, and I was glad that I didn't have to feel guilty for reading such border-line nonsense.

This book is about Katie, one of the most popular girls in school, with the perfect boyfriend and the perfect best friend. She also has a second boyfriend, who is as equally as hot as her legitimate boyfriend, and just as good at making out. Her shallow life starts to change when...more ***ROMANCE***MEG CABOT***
I have to admit that I really enjoyed reading this book. It was ridiculously melodramatic and lovey dovey, and I was glad that I didn't have to feel guilty for reading such border-line nonsense.

This book is about Katie, one of the most popular girls in school, with the perfect boyfriend and the perfect best friend. She also has a second boyfriend, who is as equally as hot as her legitimate boyfriend, and just as good at making out. Her shallow life starts to change when Tommy Sullivan, a boy from the past, moves back to town, bringing loads of history and emotional baggage with him.

This book keep me reading for two reasons:
1.) Cabot kept the secrets about Tommy and Katie's pasts/relationship secret until the very end, dropping hints here and there throughout the entire novel as to what really happened back in 8th grade. I was annoyed/fascinated with the mystery, and I had to reading to find out what had happened.

2.) This book embodies one of the typical teenage-girl fantasies: having two boyfriends with whom to make out with but don't force you to go further, being part of the in-crowd, having a steady, well-paying job, good looks, and even better grades. At the same time, Katie also has thoughts and dreams, and might actually enjoy discussing those thoughts and dreams in between make out sessions. Girls may or may not envy Katie, but they will certainly envy her connection with Tommy Sullivan, which is basically all a girl could ever ask for in a guy (if you want to hear over and over and over again about how hot he is, start reading this book now!!!!)
.
Despite the suspense and the fantasy, I can't say that I will ever recommend this (dare I say) trash to any of my students. There is much better literature out there for young adults, with better writing and more complexity. I hope to challenge my students, and I don't think this book will do the trick. It is purely a "for fun" and a "What if?" book that I will secretly read, and possibly hand to certain reluctant female readers that I may have in my class, but that is as far as this book will go in my library.(less)

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Sep 01, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

this is one of the first few books i've read by meg cabot-back when meg cabots writing style didn't get on my nerves!
does anyone else notice how she always says 'i mean'?
anyway,i did like this book-i went out and bought it-but there are some things i didn't like about it.like how the girl was cheating on her boyfriend! i abs. hate cheaters.usually it's the guys in a book,so it was weird to read about a girl doing it.
also,and this is something i didn't realize then,but i now realize it after i've...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this a few years ago, but here's the basic 'tl;dr':
girl is going out with the most popular boy in her entire school, is a waitress at one of the most crowdest restaurants that apparently is loved by all, her brother is the most popular dude for his grade and oh, she likes photography. cliche aint it. but it doesn't stop there. she's cheating on her boyfriend, which i might add the whole town seems to adore because he's the lead football player or whatever sport, on some other guy who is j...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Libby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Rating: A

Personal comments:
I love this book! I like the character development, and I do enjoy the descriptions. I'm a big fan of how all of Cabot's characters seem to have an actual understandable personality. They are as three dimensional as you or my in my opinion, and the depth helps the storyline.
The reason my rating lacks a + is only because I feel that there were a few things left unraveled after Katie's big confession that Cabot forgot to tie back up again.
I mean, what is up with Liam?...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Yola NY rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, punya, romance, teens, terjemahan

wow, kereeenn!!

haha, udah lama gak baca novel yg karakter ceweknya tipe "populer" gitu alias punya kecendrungan selingkuh.. hehe.. biasanya kan tipe anak baik2 gituuu..

nah si Katie Ellison ini, dia salah satu cwek populer di kotanya.. nah kotanya ini kebetulan junjung tinggi banget para tim Quahog (futbol) dan makanan quahog (tipe kerang).. si katie ini punya pacar atlit futbol tim quahog, notabene top gitu laah.. tapi katie jg gak bisa nahan bt gak mesra2an ama aktor drama yg cakep banget-tapi-...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Kristine Lopez rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kristine by: Yasmine

THE ENDING IS JUST SO SWEET! :DDD
<3 <3 <3
"LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!"
and i thought the title meant that the pants were on fire because they want or kept on doing the S word. BUT I thought wrong :D
SO anyway, as the story goes, this girl, Katie,was a photographer and a smart HOTTIE became all famous between the grades 8 and 9 because of SOMETHING that happened! WHAT COULD THAT SOMETHING BE? I DON'T KNOW (yeah, right.). CARE TO SAY WHAT IT IS? BUT MESSAGE IT TO ME SO THE OTHERS WON'T BE SPOI...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Ren (All By Myshelf) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pants on Fire was a really quick read. I finished it in a couple of hours. It was a fairly amusing book, but I found some of the characters hard to like and the plot to be a little cliche. The writing was excellent. The mystery of what happened four years ago unfolded at just the right pace to keep me interested throughout the entire book.
I found Katie incredibly difficult to like, or even tolerate. For one thing, she was a horrible liar, and she had a serious problem when it came to guys (which...more Pants on Fire was a really quick read. I finished it in a couple of hours. It was a fairly amusing book, but I found some of the characters hard to like and the plot to be a little cliche. The writing was excellent. The mystery of what happened four years ago unfolded at just the right pace to keep me interested throughout the entire book.
I found Katie incredibly difficult to like, or even tolerate. For one thing, she was a horrible liar, and she had a serious problem when it came to guys (which she admitted to. I can't count the number of times she said "What's wrong with me?" or "Something's wrong with me."). Her guy problem made her seem really pathetic. I also found it annoying how hard she tried to please everyone, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness and telling endless lies.
As for Katie's friends, they were as bad as her, but in different ways. There was Seth, her boyfriend, who hated Tommy Sullivan for something he did to his brother, even though it was the right thing to do. Sidney was just so shallow and snobby, and liked herself way too much.
My least favorite characters were definitely the football coach and Liam, Katie's brother. Liam really did drink the Kool-Aid when he joined the football team! The coach was horrible, the way he made it seem like non-Quahogs were inferior because they weren't on the stupid football team. The whole town was annoying in that way, giving the Quahogs special treatment and acting like anyone that said anything against the team was committing some kind of blasphemy. I mean, it was just football!
Tommy was one of the few decent characters (the other waitresses at the Gull 'N Gulp weren't bad either) because he didn't worship the Quahogs. I felt kind of bad because everyone hated him for doing the right thing. Books with that theme really irritate me.
All in all, this was an okay book. A little cliche, and very predictable, but not a waste of time. I recommend it to fans of chick-lit and anyone looking for a light read.(less)

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Jul 16, 2009 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-reads

Rating C-

Review This book was my first foray into the wet and wild world of Meg Cabot books and I enjoyed this light, fun summer read. Katie Ellison is a relatively self-aware 17-year-old girl who thinks about people and things for herself, rather than always just going along with the crowd. Not a bad character. Unfortunately, Meg Cabot might be a little too good at getting in the mind of teenage girls because Katie got on my nerves after a while. If she said that she was a liar one time, she sa...more Rating C-

Review This book was my first foray into the wet and wild world of Meg Cabot books and I enjoyed this light, fun summer read. Katie Ellison is a relatively self-aware 17-year-old girl who thinks about people and things for herself, rather than always just going along with the crowd. Not a bad character. Unfortunately, Meg Cabot might be a little too good at getting in the mind of teenage girls because Katie got on my nerves after a while. If she said that she was a liar one time, she said it a thousand times. Because that's what teenage girls do. They obsess. About themselves. Like the rest of us care about them as much as they care about themselves. She did the repetitive inner monologue about the lying, about the cheating (and the wondering if kissing someone else is technically cheating), about being boy-crazy, and about being crazy about particular boys. It got a little old. If Katie hadn't been such a good character otherwise, I think I might have given up on this gimmick.

But I didn't. I stuck around to the end which, although I saw it coming from a mile (aka, 235 pages) away, I enjoyed. Things wrap up tidily enough (of course) and the characters pretty much redeem themselves (of course). My only issue with the ending (much like I had an issue with the ending of Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys ) is that things wrap up tidily without us knowing how they tidied up. Katie gets in some heat from her parents, but they also support her, but we don't ever really see any of that--just a sentence or two about that. We get a good resolution between the primary/seriously main characters, but there were some pretty critical secondary characters that just disappeared and I would have liked for them to have stuck around.

Recommendation Fans of books about deep secrets getting revealed (in a not too heavy or depressing way) like Fake Boyfriend by Kate Brian, Two Way Street by Lauren Bernholdt, or Plan B by Jenny O'Connell would probably enjoy this book. (less)

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Jun 24, 2009 Alyanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Book Review: Pants on Fire
By: Meg Cabot
ISBN: 9780060880156

This book is pretty much about a girl named Katie who has a great life. She has a perfect boyfriend that all the girls want, she has friends with the 'in' crowd at her school and she is competing in the "Quahog Princess Pageant". On the other hand, Katie lies about almost everything and she just can't help it because it's her habit. She lies about cheating on her boyfriends when in fact, she is cheating on her boyfriend with the drama hot...more Book Review: Pants on Fire
By: Meg Cabot
ISBN: 9780060880156

This book is pretty much about a girl named Katie who has a great life. She has a perfect boyfriend that all the girls want, she has friends with the 'in' crowd at her school and she is competing in the "Quahog Princess Pageant". On the other hand, Katie lies about almost everything and she just can't help it because it's her habit. She lies about cheating on her boyfriends when in fact, she is cheating on her boyfriend with the drama hottie and is lying to her best friend about the boy she thinks came back to "ruin" her life. His name is Tommy Sullivan but he now is called "Tom". Tom used to be best friends with Katie back in 9th grade, but now she's a senior and they're not friends. Why? Because Tom has always been the type of person to do the right thing and told on the holy Quahog Football team when he caught them all cheating on their SAT's. Katie then ditched him because he was widely hated by the whole school. Tom then moved, now he's back. No different that he used to be yet now Katie is more attracted to him than ever. He's smart, athletic, and mature. She can't help but to fall madly in love with him. At the end, Katie then realizes the he and her were not meant for each other all along. She can read him like a book and she knows that having a boyfriend that all the other girls want isn't what she wants because she not like those other girls. She's Katie Ellington, the girl that now follows her heart.

I think that this book really explains all the things that teenage girls want, do and go through. Katie represents all the girls and the feeling that they feel. I can also related to Katie Ellington because at first, she wanted to be popular but afterwards, she realizes that popularity won't make you any happier. She also realized that she doesn't need to have somebody else's dream life, all she needs to do is live her own life, in a way that she wants to live it. In this book, Katie also shows a lot of self-respect, self-honesty, and self-consciousness. I liked this book because it's very realistic, the issues and the phases that teens go through are all described in this book and it makes it easy to make any type of connections.

I would recommend this book to anyone whos is having a hard time handling their teen years, also for anyone who likes drama with a touch of humor.(less)

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May 31, 2009 Thao Tran rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first Meg Cabot book that I read and it gave me so much fun. Meg was well-known for her sense of humor and this story was definitely a great proof. I was really surprised how she cracked me up simply with some words.

Katie's character was really interesting. I disliked her at first; she seemed too pretentious, boy-crazed and silly to me. Besides, the fact that Katie was a two-timer was sort of shocking (maybe because it came right after very few first chapters). She also hid a secret...more

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May 01, 2013 Marcia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Der erste Satz
"Oh mein Gott, was macht die denn bitte hier?", zischte Sidney Van der Hoff, als ich mich gerade mit einem Stapel Speisekarten in der Hand dem Tisch näherte, an dem sie mit ein paar anderen aus unserer Clique saß.

Meine Meinung
Ich bin wirklich ein bekennender Meg Cabot Fan, was die meisten von euch wahrscheinlich schon mitbekommen haben, als ich tatsächlich jedes einzelne Susannah Buch einzeln rezensiert habe, weil ich fand, dass die Bücher es einfach verdient haben eigenständige Re...more Der erste Satz
"Oh mein Gott, was macht die denn bitte hier?", zischte Sidney Van der Hoff, als ich mich gerade mit einem Stapel Speisekarten in der Hand dem Tisch näherte, an dem sie mit ein paar anderen aus unserer Clique saß.

Meine Meinung
Ich bin wirklich ein bekennender Meg Cabot Fan, was die meisten von euch wahrscheinlich schon mitbekommen haben, als ich tatsächlich jedes einzelne Susannah Buch einzeln rezensiert habe, weil ich fand, dass die Bücher es einfach verdient haben eigenständige Rezensionen zu bekommen. Spätestens bei der Reihe der Autorin war es völlig um mich geschehen, aber auch die Prinzessin Mia Reihe habe ich früher verschlungen und konnte die Bücher immer und immer wieder lesen. Ihr merkt schon, dass ich die Autorin wirklich sehr mag und ihre Bücher vergöttere und deswegen war es für mich klar, als ich gesehen habe, dass ein neues Buch von Meg veröffentlicht wird, dass ich es einfach lesen muss. Als ich es dann dank dem cbt Verlag hier zu Hause liegen hatte, konnte ich meine Finger gar nicht mehr davon lassen (das hört sich ja ein kleines bisschen pervers an *Kopfkino hör auf*) und wollte es am liebsten sofort anfangen, aber wie das so oft ist, hatte ich noch andere Bücher, die vorher unbedingt gelesen werden mussten und deswegen habe ich das Buch auch erst gestern angefangen. Ich hatte natürlich eine sehr hohe Erwartung an das Buch, weil ich nur geniale Bücher von Meg Cabot gewohnt bin...

Die Geschichte fand ich anfangs wirklich ziemlich interessant, weil ich noch nie eine Geschichte gelesen habe, in der die Protagonistin die ganze Zeit nur am Lügen ist und sich damit schützt und andere davor zu schützen versucht verletzt zu werden. Genauer geht es in der Geschichte um Katie, die mit ihren Eltern in dem wunderschönen, kleinen Küstenort Eastport/Conneticut, wo die Quahogs (Muschelsorte sowie Footballteam) wie Stars gefeiert werden. Katie ist hübsch und total beliebt und mit Seth, einem Quahog zusammen, aber das genügt ihr irgendwie nicht. Weswegen sie auch noch mit Eric aus der Theater-AG heimlich rumknutscht. Sie lügt eigentlich die ganze Zeit und kommt damit auch immer ziemlich gut durch. Bis Tom Sullivan wieder in die Stadt kommt, den sie eigentlich vergessen wollte, weil er damals etwas schlimmes getan hat, aber warum findet sie ihn dann so sexy und fühlt sich total super wenn er mit ihm zusammen ist. Ihr merkt wahrscheinlich schon, dass es ziemlich viel Drama in dieser Geschichte gibt und es gibt wirklich andauernd Drama, weil Katie eigentlich die ganze Zeit nur am Lügen ist und sich so ein Lügennetz spinnt, dass sie meistens gar nicht mehr weiß wem sie nun was für eine Lüge aufgetischt hat. Ich muss leider sagen, dass mir die Geschichte anfangs vom Thema her zwar sehr zugesagt hat sich dann aber so klischeehaft entwickelt hat, dass ich teilweise echt ein bisschen gelangweilt war. Ich finde, dass die Idee hinter der Geschichte wirklich was anderes ist, aber ich finde auch, dass man die Geschichte besser umsetzten könnte. Mir ist Katies ständige Lügerei nämlich nach 'ner Zeit richtig auf die Nerven gegangen und ich hätte sie am liebsten wach gerüttelt und ihr gezeigt, dass sie alle Menschen, die sie mag und liebt belügt und, dass sie wenn die Lügen herauskommen ihnen damit noch viel mehr weh tut. Trotzdem war die Geschichte ganz nett, aber halt nicht das was ich erwartet hatte oder mir gewünscht hatte, denn die Geschichte war zwar an einigen Stellen ganz lustig und süß, aber ich kenne halt sonst nur grandiose Geschichte der Autorin, die einen von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite umhauen. Ich fand, dass die Geschichte zwar eine wichtige Moral enthalten hat, die ja auch schon mit dem Titel verdeutlicht wird, aber die Geschichte hatte für mich keinen wirklichen Tiefgang und war einfach eher oberflächlich gehalten und da kenne ich sonst immer was ganz anderes von der Autorin. Ich war wirklich ziemlich enttäuscht von der Geschichte und finde es echt schade, dass aus der Geschichte nicht noch mehr herausgeholt wurde, weil die Idee selbst echt gut ist.

Die Charaktere haben mir in diesem Buch leider auch nicht ganz so gut gefallen, da die meisten sehr oberflächlich und eingebildet von dem Charakter her waren und mir manche mit ihrem Verhalten echt tierisch auf die Nerven gegangen sind und ich die meisten einfach in ihrem Weltbild wachrütteln wollte, weil sie auch ihre Welt so oberflächlich bewerten. Katie ist die Protagonistin der Geschichte. Sie ist in ihrem Abschlussjahr auf der Highschool und Jahrgangsbeste und arbeitet nebenbei in einem Restaurant, um sich eine professionelle Kamera kaufen zu können. In ihrer Freizeit fotografiert sie total viel. Sie ist total hübsch und beliebt, da sie gelernt hat sich so anzupassen, dass die Menschen sie mögen. Das hat sie aber vor allem dadurch erreicht,dass sie eigentlich so gut wie alle Menschen in ihrem Leben anlügt. Sie selbst sagt, dass sie krankhaft lügen muss, aber auch, dass sie das nur tut um die Menschen, die sie mag bzw. liebt nicht verletzten zu müssen. Aber ich habe ehrlich gesagt, dass sie nur lügt, weil sie ihr Leben so bequemer leben kann. Sie ist zusammen mit Seth, einem Quahog Footballspieler und das schon seit vier Jahren. Trotzdem wird einem schnell klar, dass sie ihn nicht lieben kann, weil sie ihn mit Eric, aus der Theater-AG betrügt. Katie war mir anfangs irgendwie noch sympathisch, weil ich eigentlich nur Mitleid mit ihr hatte, weil sie sich so zum Lügen gezwungen fühlt, aber dann habe ich gemerkt, dass sie einfach nur selbstsüchtig ist und dann wurde sie mir wirklich unsympathisch und ist mir ziemlich auf die Nerven gegangen,weil sie auch immer das Gefühl hat, dass sich die Welt nur um sie dreht. Außerdem ging mir diese ständige Lügerei so was von auf den Zwirn ! Ich wollte sie einfach nur wachrütteln, denn trotz allem habe ich gemerkt, dass hinter dieser Lügnerin, die alles dafür tut beliebt zu sein, ein Mädchen steckt, das eigentlich total unsicher ist und ein großes Herz hat und richtig liebenswert sein kann. Sie hat sich auch im Laufe der Geschichte entwickelt, aber ich konnte halt nicht vergessen wie sie mir die meiste Zeit über auf die Nerven gegangen ist. Zum Ende hin wurde sie mir wirklich wieder sympathisch, aber ich fand sie halt die meiste Zeit über ziemlich anstrengend, weswegen sie definitiv nicht eine meiner Lieblingscharaktere ist. Tom hat vor vier Jahren die Stadt verlassen, weil er etwas getan hat, dass ihm die meisten Menschen in Eastport nicht verzeihen können. Aber dieses Jahr kommt er wieder und er hat sich in den Jahren total verändert, denn jetzt sieht er aus wie ein junger Sexgott. Er stellt Katies komplette Welt auf den Kopf und öffnet ihr die Augen was ihr Weltbild und ihre Lügerei angeht, wofür ich ihn alleine schon knutschen könnte. Er war mir von Anfang an total sympathisch, weil er so aufrichtig ist und es einfach hinnimmt, dass die Leute ihn nicht in der Stadt haben wollen, er sich aber trotzdem nicht einschüchtern lässt. Ich finde einfach, dass er total nett ist und auch total liebenswert. Ich mochte einfach seine ehrliche Art, weil das mal eine schöne Abwechslung gegenüber Katie war. Ich mag ihn halt einfach total gerne und wär ohne ihn wahrscheinlich an dem Buch verzweifelt. Sidney ist Katies beste Freundin. Sie ist wunderschön und total beliebt, aber ich finde, dass sie sehr oberflächlich ist, auch wenn sie manchmal echt Anstalten macht ein richtig fürsorglicher und liebenswürdiger Mensch zu sein. Trotzdem habe ich oft genug bei ihr die Augen verdreht und mit dem Kopf geschüttelt, weil ich sie einfach nicht verstehen konnte. Trotzdem hat auch sie sich im Laufe des Buches zum Positiven verändert.

Der Schreibstil ist wirklich sehr schön zu lesen gewesen. Das Buch ist aus der personalen Ich-Perspektive Katies geschrieben, so dass man ihre inneren Konflikte gut mitbekommen hat und ihr Verhalten wenigstens ein bisschen besser verstehen konnte, denn sonst wär sie wahrscheinlich für mich ein Buch mit sieben Siegeln gewesen wär. Der Schreibstil war wirklich sehr angenehm zu lesen und das Buch ist wirklich jugendlich geschrieben. Aber nicht irgendwie übertrieben jugendlich mit vielen Schimpfworten oder so, aber das hätte auch überhaupt nicht gepasst, da Katie ja wirklich sehr intelligent ist und sich meistens auch gewählt ausdrückt. Am Schreibstil habe ich mal ausnahmsweise nichts zu meckern, weil er mir wirklich gut gefallen hat und der so gut war wie ich ihn von Meg Cabot kannte.

Der Titel gefällt mir relativ gut. Nur relativ gut, weil ich ihn jetzt stilistisch nicht besonders schön finde. Aber er passt wirklich gut zu der Geschichte und das ist ja wohl die Hauptsache. Außerdem finde ich, dass er sehr neugierig auf die Geschichte. Vor allem vermittelt der Titel aber die Moral der Geschichte, denn es ist wirklich so, dass man einem nicht glaubt wenn man einmal richtig gelogen oder fremd geküsst hat. Alles in einem ein passender Titel, der den Inhalt der Geschichte gut wiedergibt, aber vielleicht stilistisch nicht ganz so schön ist.

Das Cover gefällt mir richtig gut, weil ich das Mädchen auf dem Cover richtig gut gewählt finde, weil ich mir Katie wirklich so vorgestellt habe. Ich finde es auch sehr interessant, dass sie zwinkert, da sie öfter mal irgendwelchen Jungs vor allem Eric in der Geschichte zu zwinkert. Ich finde das Cover im allgemeinen einfach sehr schön, weil es so verspielt mädchenhaft ist, mit dem rosa und den Herzchen und dabei trotzdem irgendwie schlicht gehalten wurde und nichts von der Geschichte verrät.

Mein Fazit
"Wer heimlich küsst, dem glaubt man nicht" von Meg Cabot ist für mich leider eher enttäuschend gewesen, da mich die Geschichte überhaupt nicht mitgenommen hat und ich fand, dass man noch viel mehr aus ihr hätte machen können und mir die Protagonistin und die meisten anderen Charaktere auf die Nerven gegangen sind und ich sie meistens einfach wachrütteln wollte. Trotzdem muss ich sagen, dass der Schreibstil wirklich sehr angenehm war und der Titel und das Cover wirklich passend gewählt waren. Alles in einem muss ich leider sagen, dass ich wesentlich besseres von Meg Cabot gewohnt und ich echt enttäuscht von dem Buch bin.(less)

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Aug 23, 2012 Kyra rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Meg Cabot's books. They are fresh, funny and heart-warming, with cute characters, an entertaining plot and sparkly, humorous writing, however, in this book, that was not the case. When I opened the book I instantly expected to be introduced to a loveable, three-dimensional main character, funny, witty remarks and soon after, little twists in the plot, I am very sad to announce that this book was nothing like her previous novels and was amajordisappointment to read.

When we are first introd...more I love Meg Cabot's books. They are fresh, funny and heart-warming, with cute characters, an entertaining plot and sparkly, humorous writing, however, in this book, that was not the case. When I opened the book I instantly expected to be introduced to a loveable, three-dimensional main character, funny, witty remarks and soon after, little twists in the plot, I am very sad to announce that this book was nothing like her previous novels and was a major disappointment to read.

When we are first introduced to Katie, I instantly disliked her, she was selfish, she cheated on her boyfriend, she was a liar, she thought the world of herself...need I say more why I detested Katie? I could not believe how she had one of the nicest, most respectable boys as a boyfriend and claimed she loved him, yet any time she had free of Seth she was "macking" with her other, private boyfriend, Eric. And what also annoyed me was that she didn't even have the slightest bit of guilt when she was cheating on her boyfriend. How shallow is that?! Also, I thought that when you have a boyfriend, you're supposed to talk to them, be best friends with them, not CONSTANTLY wanting to have your tongue in his mouth! Which was exactly what Katie did! Whenever there was a scene with Katie and Seth/Eric and EVEN Tommy, what did she do? Kiss them, not even because she loved them, but because she just wanted to make out with them, all the time. And not only all she did in this book was kiss, but all she thought about was kissing, I swear, it's a wonder I'm not bald by now, since every time she said kissing or macking or making out, I would pull my hair out in frustration. She seriously needs a life.

The plot was terrible, I literally feel like I've read nothing but Katie making out in this book. There were no major twists, there was no heart-gripping, heart-warming or heart-wrenching moments, throughout this book all I was hoping for was that something interesting would happen or that dear Katie would finally learn a lesson. I kept saying just one more chapter, I'm sure something good will happen in one more chapter, but you know what? I've finished the book and nothing good happened in the twenty-one chapters that I read. I could see the
author was trying to make this a good story, but it fell flat with me. The characters were either too perfect or too messed up, they were as flat as cardboard, the plot was
uninteresting and the writing was too simple. Katie continuously repeated the same sentences over and over, most of them being: "I kept looking at his lips, I so badly wanted to kiss him" and "What is wrong with me?" and "I should hate Tommy Sullivan, but I don't, I love him", there were others but those were probably the most commonly used sentences that were said practically every page. Every time she said that I banged the book against my head, wishing she would stop repeating herself.

The ending of this book, the author made a big deal out of Katie telling the truth at a public event and where she was supposed to learn a lesson. She didn't. After that moment I still couldn't believe that she hadn't had sense knocked into her. She was still the same old selfish, irritating Katie and you know what REALLY made me cry out in disbelief? Is that she thinks loving a guy is because you only want to kiss that one guy, not any other!!! I was shocked! After the "lesson" that she learnt, all she could still do with a guy was kiss him. At that point I gave up, but luckily it was the end of the story.

I was expecting a stunning, heart-warming novel written by the talented, highly-acclaimed author of The Princess Diaries, but instead I was left majorly disappointed by Tommy Sullivan Is A Freak. The plot left me uninterested and bored, the characters made me grit my teeth in frustration and the overly used, trying-to-be-a-teenager sentences just got on my nerves. Megan is a fantastic author but this book didn't cast the same magical spell over me as with her other books. If you enjoy chick-lit and teenage romances you might enjoy this, but if you don't I wouldn't try reading it.
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Jul 24, 2012 Christy Zakarias rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm a big fan of Meg Cabot -frequently referred to as the "queen of teen-lit"-, and has been for a very long time now.
However, I don't think "Pants on Fire" is her best piece of work.
I like her writing style, it's approachable and realistic to teenagers. The plot of this book is also heart-warming and meaningful towards the end.

Nevertheless, I believe that the story line - as how it is in the book - is way too cliche.
We are all familiar to a story line about a teenage girl yearning for a high...more

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May 03, 2010 Casedy Clennon rated it 5 of 5 stars

hot

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Mar 15, 2009 Janice (Janicu) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Katie Ellison lives in Connecticut in the seaside town of Eastport. Everyone there is crazy about Quahogs. That's both the bivalve and the high school football team. Secretly Katie hates the tast of quahog, and she doesn't think that football is that great either, but because she wants to keep people happy, she never voices this opinion. She's a well practiced liar and just tells people what she thinks they want to hear. Naturally she's very popular. This year she's running for Quohog Princess,...more

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Apr 19, 2010 Maddie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love Meg Cabot's books, but this one was so cliché. Girl cheating on her boyfriend, doesn't like them, girl meets another boy, they fall in love. However, Meg Cabot's quirky writing skills kept me reading throughout the whole story. While the plot wasn't fantastic, she always has ways to make a reader laugh.

The whole book was just predictable, no surprises. I didn't relate to the main character at all. Every boy who shows the slightest interest in her, she has to go up and make out with them....more

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Jul 28, 2009 Elisse rated it 3 of 5 stars

Meg Cabot is the only writer of chick-lit that I can stomach. She writes chick-lit with a plot. Pants on Fire, is, like any Meg Cabot book, not a classic but extremely fun to read. Plus, many kissing scenes in this book. Eeexcellent. Perhaps too many descriptions of hotness for some, prompting eye-rolling. However, I prefer to read them, stare out the window for several moments, and sigh dreamily. Meg Cabot certainly knows how to get me with hotness descriptions, although I prefer Cooper Cartwri...more

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May 07, 2011 Krista Basilio rated it 2 of 5 stars

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Meg Cabot Fan Club: Pants on Fire or Tommy Sullivan?	1	4	Mar 29, 2013 12:19pm
Meg Cabot Fan Club: Pants on Fire	1	1	Mar 29, 2013 12:13pm
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About Meg Cabot

Librarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flun...more Librarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.

Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
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More about Meg Cabot...

Books by Meg Cabot

The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries, #1)

All-American Girl (All-American Girl, #1)

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Trivia About Tommy Sullivan is...

3 trivia questions
2 quizzes

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Quotes from Pants on Fire

“But I let it slide, because, hello, hot guy.” — 77 people liked it

“I'm a liar. And I can't stop thinking about boys.” — 44 people liked it

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