The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams

Oct 23, 2011 Loni Aycock rated it really liked it

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 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 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! ...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-stars, contemporary, lovely-cover, i-ship-it, fluffy, books-set-in-asia

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ***DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK YET!***

I loved this book. It was wacky, funny, sweet, sad and full of friendship and family and of course, romance. Plus, it was set in 4 different continents, America, Europe, Asia and Australia. What more could a girl who dreams of traveling the world want??

Here are my separate reviews on the four spirited protagonists of TIKC:

Piper:

Piper is the drama queen of the group and a romantic and dreamer. Piper is rather pretentious and a tin ...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Rie Conley rated it really liked 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 literally. ...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Amber rated it really liked it

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

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 can get thro 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 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! ...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: with-reviews, teen-realistic-fiction, 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

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. ...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Britta rated it really liked 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 China, Izzy t ...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Kathy rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2012

It took me forever to get into this book. I just didn't care about the characters or the story line for the first half of the book. It took me a couple weeks to get through the first half because it just didn't hold my interest. Once I hit he half way point I finished up the second half really quickly.

Kissing for points is just not a concept that works for me and the whole premise just seemed shallow to me. The book did have some funny parts and by the time I got half way through I wanted to kn ...more

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Apr 05, 2021 nαомι αndιno rated it liked it

Four best friends sign up for a foreign exchange program for 10 weeks and decide to kiss as many boys as they can while they’re at it. It was originally really intriguing, I though I’d be reading about lots of French, Australian and Chinese boys but for the first 100 pages they were still in Texas and then the last 100 pages they were back in Texas… Also once they were finally abroad, everything started being so fast pace. At one point, the storyline skipped an entire chapter.

The kissing boys pa ...more

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Jul 24, 2017 malayna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 5-stars, to-read-again

MY OPINION: *****

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

I haven't been reading for a while because I was preparing for a mini-vacation so... Sorry for that.

ANYWAYS!

Let's talk about the book.

So this book features four girls, Piper, Mei, Cassidy, and Izzy, who live in Paris, Texas. It's far from the real Paris and the four girls just want to get away. When their school announces an international exchange program, the girls jump at the chance.

To make it more fun, Piper has an idea to make the trips ...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Bonnie (A Backwards Story) added it

Shelves: contemporary, 2012, blog-tour

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 made 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 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.
...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Angela M rated it liked it

Find more of my reviews at www.readingangel.com

The International Kissing Club was such a fun read. These four friends have such a fun adventure, kissing, finding love, and finding out who they really are. I really enjoyed that it would change POV's between the four girls and we got to experience each of their trips with them. It was like a little miniature vacation to four different locations all in one book.

Piper has been humiliated by her long-time enemy in a VERY public way, so when she finds Find more of my reviews at www.readingangel.com

The International Kissing Club was such a fun read. These four friends have such a fun adventure, kissing, finding love, and finding out who they really are. I really enjoyed that it would change POV's between the four girls and we got to experience each of their trips with them. It was like a little miniature vacation to four different locations all in one book.

Piper has been humiliated by her long-time enemy in a VERY public way, so when she finds out about the foreign exchange program it's like a life line she has to grab on it. She convinces her three best friends to take their own trips as well and they form a facebook group to keep in touch. It's not just any facebook group though, it's a kissing club, one where they get a point for each different boy they kiss. Piper starts it out with a bang in the beautiful city of Paris. Having fun with her new house sister and kissing beautiful boys, Piper is having the time of her life. That is until she meets Sebastian, who may just be the only boy she wants to kiss. I didn't like Piper for a while. I thought she was a little too shallow, and way too whiny, but she grew on me later on. The girl has had it really rough and she was just ready to let her hair down and have some fun.

Cassidy has been waiting her whole life to get out of this tiny town in Texas. She jumps on her chance to go to Australia. What she doesn't expect when she gets there is to be so homesick. She misses her friends and her mom and her normal life, that is, until she meets a hot surfer. Vacation Cassidy is ready to have some fun! What Cassidy doesn't want is to fall in love, but 8 weeks can sometimes be more than enough... Cassidy is probably my favorite of all four girls. She had such a real and honest voice. Every time I got to her part of the story I kept wishing it was longer and wanted more!

Mei is the only Chinese girl in the small town of Paris, Texas. Having always been curious about her culture and her birth parents, she takes this opportunity to go to China. Stepping off the plane Mei immediately feels at home, but it isn't long before she realizes that she fits in even less her than she does in Texas. I really liked Mei, she is such a control freak (which I can totally relate to) yet still fun and a very good friend. She has a hard journey in China, but she takes it all like a trooper, she is one tough chick!

Izzy get left behind. The always looked over middle child, her parents don't have the money to send her on a trip, so she finds a summer job on a farm back home. Izzy is definitely one confused girl. She makes some bad choices that come back to haunt her in the end. Izzy probably my second favorite of the girls though. She's funny and always has a sarcastic come-back. I really enjoyed her part of the story.

International Kissing Club was a light-hearted read. It started out a little slow, but once they went on their separate trips it really took off and I was able to fly through the rest of it. I love that in between the chapters it would show little posting on the IKC facebook page, that was a very fun break-up to the chapters. Overall, I thought International Kissing Club was an enjoyable tale of love, and friendship, and what it takes to keep both going. ...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Heidi McLaughlin rated it liked 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 at the Cotton 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 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. ...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Anna rated it it was amazing

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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Aug 01, 2011 Andi (Andi's ABCs) rated it liked it · review of another edition

When I started this book I wasn’t really sure I was liking it all that much. The beginning was kind of slow and a little whinny. I knew I was only a short bit in but instead of giving up I decided to push through and I’m happy I did. As the book progressed and I got to know the main characters I grew to like them more. I started to learn their personalities and what they were really looking for I found myself eagerly anticipating their next adventure and what might be in store for all four.  The When I started this book I wasn’t really sure I was liking it all that much. The beginning was kind of slow and a little whinny. I knew I was only a short bit in but instead of giving up I decided to push through and I’m happy I did. As the book progressed and I got to know the main characters I grew to like them more. I started to learn their personalities and what they were really looking for I found myself eagerly anticipating their next adventure and what might be in store for all four.  The main premise is about four best friends that sign up for a foreign exchange program and decide to kiss as many boys as they can. Piper is the mastermind behind not only pitching the exchange program as well as creating the International Kissing Club, or the IKC as they call it. She wants out of Texas and fast after a series of humiliating events happen to her. She wants to run from one Paris to another and she enlists Cassidy, Mei and Izzy to join her. Cassidy is heading to Australia, Mei to China and Izzy wants to go to Costa Rica. Sadly, unfortunate events occur and Izzy is forced to stay home, but the other girls are off for an adventure on different continents and despite being homebound Izzy is in for an adventure of her own.  What International Kissing Club did best was was giving each girl a completely distinct personality. Piper is the girl desperate to be loved and accepted; Cassidy, the girl afraid of love; Mei, the girl looking to belong; and Izzy, the girl that wants to be seen. All distinguished traits that made each independently likable and their friendship as a whole work.

All in all, I loved reading about each girl’s ten week experience but (as one would expect) I enjoyed some more then others.

Piper 
I had my ups and downs with my feelings for Piper. I liked her a lot when she was in Paris, Texas. I could understand her and the fact that she was tired of being tortured and treated poorly by her mother. It helped me understand why she wanted to go to Paris, France. She was an artist and wanted to emerge herself in the culture. She needed to be on her own and spread her wings without being under the watchful eyes of her super critical mother and archenemy. Truth be told, I actually liked her when she was in Paris, France too. She was more free then she had ever been before; able to do the things she wanted without a watchful eye or feeling disdain.

I quite enjoyed her with Sebastian, the boy in Paris she unexpectedly fell for. She knew she was risking a broken heart and pain, but she was willing to take the chance. What I didn’t like about her was her selfishness. Everything was always about Piper without her ever opening her eyes and seeing other people were having problems too. She wasn’t the only one having a hard time or experiencing confusion. Everything was about Piper and she never gave a thought to her other friends and their struggles. Sure she had real problems, but if she just looked around and opened her eyes I think I could have liked her more then I did.

Mei
Mei was my least favorite by far. I could see where she was coming from. Adopted by her parents when she was 2 she was the only Chinese person in her small town and felt something missing. Wanting to know more about her roots she decided to go to China. Definitely reasonable, and not the crux of my problem with Mei. What I struggled with most was that she was a control freak and somewhat judgmental. She very rarely lived in the moment and I thought she looked down on her friends when they did. She wanted to belong, but she didn’t want to stand out.

Mei was at her best when she was with Guiran, the boy she met in China. He pulled her out of her comfort zone and made her try things and figure out that she already belonged, just not where she thought. She had a place and her place was better then some made up idea in her head.

  Izzy
Izzy was a tough one. She was the one that was left behind while her friends went on exotic trips. She had to deal with her same old family life – being invisible to her parents, tormented by her older brother and having no friends at school. She was lonely. Her ex-boyfriend used her and she was heartbroken. Because of this she made some terrible choices, but she also learned how to stand on her own two feet and not always be in the back ground. She made herself stand out more, which she quickly learned wasn’t always for the best. When more visible a person puts themselves out there and open themselves to being hurt regardless of circumstance. I guess in the long run I did like her just not some of the choices she made.

Cassidy 
Cassidy was by far my favorite. She had been the outsider her whole life. Her mom got pregnant with her at a young age and her father was a nonentity. She was the poor kid with the single mom. But unlike Piper, Cassidy didn’t whine and complain, she stood up for herself. She didn’t take crap from anyone. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to get away from it all. She was tired of the ridicule and the looks. She just wanted to be Cassidy. So she picked Australia because it was the farthest away. And honestly it was the best decision she could have made. All her life her mom had told her men were no good and couldn’t be trusted. She was basically terrified of love and wanted no part of it because she couldn’t trust it. Well Lucas, adorable Australian Lucas, made all of that change. Cassidy was finally able to be herself with him. Watching her slowly change from closed off to a girl falling in love endeared her to me and I found myself wanting more of her story the most.

In conclusion, although this book was a bit long and wordy at times it really was a cute read. I mean really how can you go wrong with four best friends that are dying to get out of their small town of Paris, Texas and find something different, find something that seemed to be missing from their lives? Each girl picks a location and for 10 weeks they have the experience of a lifetime. As in real life some experiences are good and some are bad and some are just plain confusing. I must admit that I was reminded of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and the movie Now and Then at times, but this book also had its own identity. Ivy Adams wrote the trials and tribulations of friendship and growing up really well. A fun, cute read for sure. ...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Jade Inks rated it really liked 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 have in common? They all live in tiny Paris, Texas and are best friends for life. All eagerly awaiting 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 have in common? They all live in tiny Paris, Texas and are best friends for life. All eagerly awaiting escape from a Hell called Paris. When opportunity arises all four best friends have the chance to go on a foreign exchange student program and part their separate ways for the first time… ever. That is when the International Kissing Club is born! They all create anonymous avatars and brag about all of their foreign kissing games- that is until Izzy cannot afford to go. Will this international quest to kiss foreign boys all around the world bring them closer? Or will it tear their friendships apart?
I had a hard time getting into this book. One main reason was the beginning felt rather cheesy-it took me a little bit to get past this and as soon as they started their great adventure I got really into it. Another thing that bugged me was Ivy Adams overused cliffhangers. I got a serious overdose of cliffhangers- then she would switch it and then I had to just expect that for the end of every single chapter.

She also every chapter changed points of views so if Piper had a cliffhanging crises then I would have to read three more chapters before I would even get to hear about this “crises” then when I got back to that point of view it wasn’t even a cliff hanger anymore it was just- “what is she up to now?” Oh YEAH- there was that cliffhanger that really made me mad- now that I think about it.

Also the plot was almost boringly predictable- but I really liked it because it was a standalone novel. I hardly ever find any of those its always- “trilogy” or “series”- no good story that leaves you satisfied. I really enjoyed this book- aside from the cheese. But- if you can handle a little cheese and (WARNING) INSTA-LOVE, then this book is good- if not- don’t bother.

I also love this cover- i t makes me think of journals and such- it is so rink-a-dink cute and scrapbooky- and I LOVE scrap booking. ...more

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Jun 01, 2014 Liralen rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, z-2015, reviewed, travel, ya

-Evil Villain is evil.

-Wish they'd gone off to their four corners of the world earlier, since that that made it a lot easier to keep track of who was who.

-~~Cece~~ Mei goes to China, ulterior motive being to find her birth parents. ~~Nicole~~ Piper goes to France and learns that when French boys kiss, it doesn't mean anything. I think I'm having déjà vu or something... Anyway, meanwhile Cassidy is in Australia with her Australian loverboy, who aims to be a kangaroo breeder—sorry, what? I'm wrong? Oh, yo -Evil Villain is evil.

-Wish they'd gone off to their four corners of the world earlier, since that that made it a lot easier to keep track of who was who.

-~~Cece~~ Mei goes to China, ulterior motive being to find her birth parents. ~~Nicole~~ Piper goes to France and learns that when French boys kiss, it doesn't mean anything. I think I'm having déjà vu or something... Anyway, meanwhile Cassidy is in Australia with her Australian loverboy, who aims to be a kangaroo breeder—sorry, what? I'm wrong? Oh, you're right. That's far too stereotypical a pursuit for an Australian boy. Lucas actually wants to be a professional surfer. Not stereotypical at all. And Izzy, poor kid, is stuck at home with the aforementioned Evil Villain.

-Not a ton of substance. But that's not a surprise; I did read the title.

-Must stop trying to live vicariously through YA characters who go abroad, if for no other reason than that it never quite works as well as I'd hope. (The living vicariously, I mean, not the books themselves.)

-Wait. Can we get this logic straight, please? So you're going to start a Top Secret Facebook page so that no adult in your lives finds out that you're a teenage girl who wants to kiss boys. Okay. And then you're going to shove the page in the Evil Villain's face, over and over again...and assume that the Evil Villain won't use it to her advantage? Huh. And you said you want to get into MIT?

-Oh dear. I'm being all snark-happy again. I enjoyed it. Really I did. (Also, there was almost zero work to be done in my department yesterday, so it was very convenient to have a thick book on hand.)

-Love that it isn't all roses. That Izzy does manage to have a bit of fun (if not much) and Mei struggles (although the rationale there makes me go hmmm).

-Still waiting for the YA study-abroad book where the character goes somewhere unexpected, though. And where her experience isn't dominated by boys!boys!boys!

-Ooh. Can there be a sequel? One where the characters go to unexpected places, and their experiences aren't dominated by boys!boys!boys!? ...more

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Oct 01, 2016 Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2016

Find this review, plus more, on my blog: Booklikes OR Blogger

Basic Info

Format: Kindle.
Pages/Length: n/a
Genre: Young Adult; Chick Lit
Reason For Reading: Challenge

At A Glance

Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: Slight triangles.
Cliff Hanger: no
Triggers: n/a
Rating: 2 stars

Score Sheet
All out of ten

Cover: 7
Plot: 6
Characters: 4
World Building: 5
Flow: 7
Series Congruity: n/a
Writing: 6
Ending: 5

Total: 5

In Depth

Best Part: Pig kissing!
Worst Part: Paris girl.
Thoughts Had: I hate girls.

Conclusion

Contin ...more

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Apr 23, 2012 JeanBookNerd rated it liked it

Shelves: reviews

Ivy Adams’ (The pen name of authors Emily McKay, Tracy Deebs, and Shellee Roberts) The International Kissing Club is a story of four girls who desperately want to escape the life of small town USA, specifically Paris, Texas. Nothing special or exciting ever happens in their town except when things go bad…embarrassingly bad and one of the girls is always at the receiving end. When they learn of the new foreign exchange program at their school, they immediately go for it in hopes of finding more o ...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Rachel rated it it was amazing

If you liked The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares, Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty, or Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison, then you will love The International Kissing Club. This story is full of fun, witty, and strong female characters who live in Paris, Texas.

Four girls from a small town have decided to escape by becoming exchange students. Piper plans to head to Paris, Mei to China, Izzy to Costa Rica, and Cassidy to Australia. Each one has their o ...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Claire rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What it's about: A group of friends go on a separate exchange program with a pact and a club - a club to score points by kissing the most boys possible.

What I thought: This book was like a recent, re-vamped version of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Which I love. TIKC is quirky, fun and disastrous all at the same time. Four girls, in four different places, having four different experiences equals a lot of fun and even more trouble!

The characters were wonderfully written, each with their own i ...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Jeff Raymond rated it did not like it

Shelves: books-i-own, arcs-manuscripts, 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 enjoy fluffy teen books like this norm ...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Jennifer rated it it was ok

Four friends decide to become exchange students and keep a FaceBook page rating boys they've kissed abroad (well, until one of the friends discovers she can't leave town). Perhaps if I were 13ish, I would really enjoy this novel - the idea of being allowed to travel abroad, the idea that multiple boys would want to kiss me, the idea of having a secret identity on an exclusive social media site, and the idea of exacting revenge on Germaine (b/c we've all had a Germaine in our lives, unless you WE ...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Zoë rated it liked it

Although it wasn't my favorite book, I thought it was a great novel to start my summer off with.
I immediately picked up this book at the library after reading the back cover, because teenage girls living in foreign countries with cute boys? Sign me up, please! However, more of the book was set in the small hometown of Paris, Texas instead of the foreign countries like I was hoping and expecting. All in all, I thought this book was a happy surprise that I picked up in the library! ...more

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Dec 19, 2013 Martha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, contemporary, young-adult, light-and-fun

4.5 stars

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May 09, 2021 Brooke Hafling rated it did not like it

Shelves: own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Why did this book that is surely written for middle school girls take me a week shy of five months to finish? Well, I hated it. I hated every single moment of it, but, like I always do, endured. I persevered, and in the end I have 12 pages of notes of many of the things in the book that I either felt was important to the plot, and thus is a note for me to remember what has happened, or something that simply angered me about the book, and thus is a note for this review.
So let us begin...
My notes Why did this book that is surely written for middle school girls take me a week shy of five months to finish? Well, I hated it. I hated every single moment of it, but, like I always do, endured. I persevered, and in the end I have 12 pages of notes of many of the things in the book that I either felt was important to the plot, and thus is a note for me to remember what has happened, or something that simply angered me about the book, and thus is a note for this review.
So let us begin...
My notes begin with a little bit about how long the book is, the title, when I started, and something I have never done before- my "first impression". Which, by the way, reads "I hate the cover. I know I'm going to hate this book."* So we are clearly off to a booming start.

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams

I have never used one of these links before, and also do not know how to insert a picture to this review, so I hope you all can see an image of the cover of the book, if not I know it's nearby somewhere. Google knows what it is as well.
Anyway, it is bright purple, with various brightly-colored squares that have strange photos of various teens either in different poses or holding objects that are meant to demonstrate something about the character they are representing. The first in the top left is meant to be Cassidy, she's blonde with a side braid, and sort-of kissing the air to the right of her. There is also a kiss mark in the empty space to her right. From her photo she is wearing a strange tank top or a dress with that size strap. From the book, I know Cassidy to initially be a loud, harsh, and think-with-her-fists kind of a girl, who is from a broken family- yearning for her father's approval. However, she lives with her mother/close friend, and her life is very poor as such. So she is hoping to earn a basketball scholarship for school.
Next, on the top right is meant to be Piper she is pictured with short brown hair and is smiling and half-turned at the camera; as if, someone had saw her in front of them, yelled her name, she turned around, and right as she was turning around they snapped the photo. It's very light, not as posed as "Cassidy"'s felt. In the book, Piper can't find anywhere she fits in, has a troubled home life, and is heavily bullied at school- particularly by this girl named Germaine. She just wants to break away, and she loves art, fashion, and drama. She is very much the drama queen of the four girls. Cassidy and Piper have been friends since Kindergarten, the rest of the girls came in later.
The next photo is on the bottom left, and is of a young Asian girl, her head is tilted slightly back and to the left. She is smiling but her eye's are open, which gives this thing a very posed feel. In the upper right corner of her photo is "XOXO". In the book Mei is originally seen as a very smart girl, never made a bad grade in her life, she is the perfect daughter. Her parents, who adopted her when she was around 2 years old from China, love her very much and she loves them equally and would never dream of disobeying them or their wishes.
The last photo is of a girl with short brown hair (blonde highlights?) holding a flower directly in front of her- but way below her nose, more in front of her chin, so it's not like she is smelling the flowers. Her eyes are delicately closed and she is smiling. This is meant to be Izzy, who, in the book, is a very green/earth girl. She is all about reducing her carbon foot print and cleaning up the planet. She is also the only girl who can not afford to attend the international trip, because she too has a troubled home life.

I begin the rest of my notes by talking about how infuriating it is when an author is attempting to relate to their audience, of which they are clearly unmatched, and it comes of sort of cringy. In this book, this manifests on the very first page, the very first sentence isn't even a sentence.
The. Author. Chose. To. Try. This.
The execution was awful. I also noted that which ever of the three girls who are credited for this book wrote this chapter spent far too long talking about what was happening, and for a while I didn't know which of this three girls I was or what was happening because the scene setting throughout this book is terrible. The author(s) also stole a few tropes throughout the novel, the first being a literary trope made famous by John Green in his book The Fault In Our Stars :
The Famous "Okay? Okay".
I then note how confused I am, take some notes when I finally figure it out.
To make this review shorter, I am not including any of the notes I took about the contents of the book if it is not important to my perception of the book.
I think keeping notes, honestly, really was useful for this book because it was so all over the place that it was essential to keep the characters separated and to keep track of the 15 spins a chapter that would happen- especially at the end when the author realizes this has gone on long enough.

THE REST IS COMING
*edited for grammar ...more

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May 08, 2021 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed

Here is a summary of what the book is about. Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. And they've always agreed on one goal: to get out of tiny Paris, Texas, and see the world. The school's foreign exchange program seems like the perfect escape: Piper will go to the original Paris; Mei will go to China; Cassidy will go to Australia; and Izzy, unable to afford the program, will stay at home. To add spice to their semester away, and to stay connected to their best fr ...more

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May 21, 2017 Shea Ridder rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 06, 2019 Lindsay LeMieux rated it it was amazing

It was a great book and I loved it. I liked how it switched between the POV of each of the girls. Also, it was interesting to see the differences between the different continents they were on.

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Jul 23, 2012 Silver rated it really liked it

I hang out at the library A LOT. Before I got Sophie, I used to wait to get a ride in the library. I usually pick out sci-fi and fantasy novels along with the newest editions added to my library's young adult collection. Not that I don't indulge in Chick Lit, but my sister was the one who actually checked out this book and gave it to me to read. My first impression of the book was that it would have a Sisterhood of the Traveling pants feel, but the four sub-stories weren't balanced. With mulitip I hang out at the library A LOT. Before I got Sophie, I used to wait to get a ride in the library. I usually pick out sci-fi and fantasy novels along with the newest editions added to my library's young adult collection. Not that I don't indulge in Chick Lit, but my sister was the one who actually checked out this book and gave it to me to read. My first impression of the book was that it would have a Sisterhood of the Traveling pants feel, but the four sub-stories weren't balanced. With mulitiple POVs, you have to judge each individual story by itself.

Piper: From the picture on the front, you would have no idea that she's totally ADHD, boy crazy. She looks more down to earth and looks more likely to play in a band than to meet guys all the time. Of course in the world capitol of love, Piper gets the most kissing points and meets a variety of cute French guys (including her home-stay brother). I felt that Piper was very melodramatic character whose story overshadowed the other three. Although her parents are distant and she got caught up in the kissing scandal, she didn't have it nearly as bad as the other three in terms of search for identity and budding relationships. Piper's story was passable, nothing really stood out to me.

Cassidy : Of the four girls, I think Cassidy's story was the most emotional. I loved that even though she's down to earth and resilient, she has her flaws. Cassidy tries to make the best with what she has. I would totally want her to be my best friend because she's so level-headed (comes in handy when Piper needs to be reined in) and loyal (not afraid to give some ass-whooping to bullies). I think her romance in Australia allowed her to face her fears and by the end of the book, I felt really proud and happy for her.

Izzy: Poor Izzy! Because her parents invest so much in her brothers they forget about her and she can't go the rain forest (she loves the environment). The interaction between Piper and her was another important factor that took up most of the book. Izzy's vulnerability especially when her best friends weren't with her really got to me. Her story was a typical love-hate relationship with another boy from their hometown. I'm glad she got the guy in the end.

Mei: Mei's story really frustrated me. I felt none of the authors really put any effort into her story (trying not to be biased). Mei's story had the most potential as a searching for identity story. I felt that Mei's part in the story was insignificant and was done as an after thought. In the end, she gains absolutely nothing!! No guy, no identity found, no self-understanding. All she got was alienation from her birth land and overprotective actions by her nervous adopted parents. At most, China and her "romance" (by romance I mean more friend that bf) got her to loosen up and be adventurous. I'm so disappointed. If you go to the author's website and read her "bio" it's the shortest and least personal Q&A ever.

Overall: The shallowness and unbalance of this book ticked me off, but there are definitely some cute moments. I probably wouldn't read this book again myself. At most, borrow it from the library or a friend to read. ...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Lauren rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 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 embarrassment 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 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+ ...more

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