This is a book I read as a teenager, I’ve now re read it as an adult and my opinion hasn’t really changed.
This is one of the only novels left where I have a real disliking for the protagonist. I have to remind myself tweens aren’t perfect, but yeesh. Scarlett is awful. Shallow, vain, unkind (mainly thoughts she keeps to herself) , judgemental and a bad friend. She’s the epitome of the mean girl at school we all secretly despised.
Anyhow, Scarlett is a girl who lives with her mum, and rather sexist, shallow pig of a Dad. She has unfortunately picked up a lot of her dad’s bad habits (see description above) however has a good influence in down-to-earth, nerdy Hattie.
Scarlett is quite lax at school, but then realises she wants to be invited to a special school dance, and has to up her game and obtain merit marks to have a chance of being selected. She’s also got her eye on the very boy she wants to ask…
Meanwhile, Scarlett’s mum is getting fed up with her husband trampling on her aspirations, wanting her to be happy as a housewife.
Overall, this was a nice, quick read, and I love Jean Ure books. But it’s not a top favourite due to how awful a couple of the characters are.
Hatty by contrast, while being a bit overbearing and bossy, is a lot better- and spoiler: she deserved to get Simon at the end, who turned out to be a lot better than the main love interest. Scarlett thinks her looks always put her above Hatty, and is disconcerted when that’s not quite the truth after all.
What I will say is that I never believed two fifteen year old boys would date two twelve year olds.
Personally, as Hatty, I’d have got fed up of Scarlett long ago, however she sees something good in her.
Scarlett’s mum is a good influence throughout, and I was rooting for her at the end to not come back to her husband.
3***