How to Meet Boys: A Hilarious Young Adult Romance of Forbidden Love, Summer Friendship, and First Heartbreak

by Catherine Clark

Find out what happens when you fall for your best friend's worst enemy in this timeless and hilarious story of a forbidden first love and forever friendship.

Lucy can't wait to spend the summer at the lake with her best friend, Mikayla. But when Jackson, the boy she's been avoiding ever since he rejected her, reappears in her life, Lucy wonders if this summer to remember is one she'd rather forget.

Mikayla's never had much luck talking to boys, but when she (literally) runs into the cutest guy she's ever seen, and sparks fly, she thinks things might be looking up...until she realizes the adorable stranger is the same boy who broke her best friend's heart.

As things begin to heat up between Mikayla and the one guy she should avoid, will Lucy be able to keep her cool or will the girls' perfect summer turn into one hot mess?

Catherine Clark, the author of beach-read favorites Maine Squeeze and Love and Other Things I'm Bad At, has once again crafted a hilarious and spot-on portrayal of what it's really like to be a teenager. Readers will love this irreverent coming-of-age story…and will be breathlessly turning the pages to find out what happens next.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Summer Reads, Chick Lit, Summer

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2014

About the author

I love reading books for children, young adults, new adults and all the old people after that.

I love writing for pretty much the same audiences.

Reviews

[aimee (aimeecanread) · Rating 1 out of 5]

After seeing negative review after negative review for this novel, I've already lowered my expectations and braced myself for what was to come. That being said, I still couldn't enjoy the novel at all. In fact, I basically rolled my eyes throughout the whole thing!

There are two main stories in this one: Mikayla's and Lucy's. I found both main characters to have sort of juvenile voices--I couldn't picture them being--how old are they again? 16? 17? Anyhow, the narration was a bit more middle grade-esque rather than YA. Let's admit that there aren't a lot of teen girls who "can't" talk to boys. Kids, sure. There's the whole cooties thing we've all experienced in grade school. Girls from an all-girls school? Acceptable. But Mikayla was your ordinary teen. Except that she "couldn't talk to boys."

"I was good at lots of things and confident about that. There was just one thing that made me feel completely inept, and that was talking to guys."

Oh my God, shut up and pull yourself together, girl!

"Jackson." Only my mouth was all tense because my jaw was clenched so it came out as "Shee-shaw."

What the fuck? Does Jackson sound ANYTHING AT ALL like Shee-shaw?

Now, another thing that bothered me a lot was how LONG it took the Mikayla to find out who Jackson was. (I'm not spoiling anything, right? It's in the synopsis.) This part of the story dragged on forever. The first thing I ask people when we meet is what their name is. Okay, they didn't meet in a normal circumstance, but why didn't she ask for his name during their second meeting? I would not want to bond or hang out with people if I didn't know who they were.

We also have a load of characters who were just THERE and hardly had any purpose. They were just props to make "spice up" the plot. There's Ava, the third wheel in their group. I felt like she was just thrown into the story for no reason at all, and even falls asleep while Lucy explains her problem! Lucy's mom doesn't do a much, aside from embarrassing Lucy. There's also Jackson's troubled brother who I thought would play a big role in the story but didn't do anything.

There were two romantic storylines as well. Jackson and Mikayla had this insta-love that was boring as hell. I didn't care about them at all and just wanted them to stop getting on my nerves. I liked Lucy and Gus a lot better. They got to know each other a bit, and had these cute little flirty moments that made me smile a bit.

"Boyfriend, girlfriend," Jackson said. "Me, you."

What are you, a dating robot?

"I had no "talk to cute boys" function. My model was lacking that. I needed an upgrade."

Ah, great. Both of you are robots. Don't you guys make a happy couple?

The writing style was okay not okay. Some things were a bit repetitive and were mentioned over and over. Oh wait, there was this: "Seriously?!?!" Yep. My eyes rolled, obviously. "?!?!" is not something I want to see in published novels. It comes of as unprofessional rather than realistic.

Friendship... WHAT FRIENDSHIP? When my friends and I have crushes on guys, even if they're at THE SAME TIME, we just laugh it off and joke about it. We don't ignore each other and pretend to be fine with it if we're not! Real friends don't let guys get in the way of their amazing friendships, okay?

How to Meet Boys was definitely not my type of book, and I'm not sure whose type it might be. Give it a shot and test it out at your own risk. Well, that turned out more rant-y than I expected. To be honest, this whole post was going to be a compilation of the book's idiotic quotes plus GIF reactions to them, but that wasn't enough to sum everything up.

[Katy · Rating 1 out of 5]

02.27.14 - After a several-month hiatus from reading, this wasn't the book to return to. :(

03.08.14 - Catherine Clark books have always been a hit-or-miss for me, and I can't say this was one of my favorites. The whole book just didn't sit well with me. I couldn't relate to any of the characters because I don't think Clark did a good job of showing their personalities, and the flow with it was just unsettling as I was reading.



My first complaint is I could never get a grasp of the characters' personalities. I'm told that Mikayla is the shy one who just can't talk to boys. But other than the first glimpse at the country club, she gets along with boys just fine. And she had no problems with Henry. And Lucy's character was just all over the place. Not to mention Ava, who I felt was just thrown in there as a mediator, but she had problems of her own.

Second, I couldn't tell if Clark was trying to make readers think that Lucy was possibly still interested in Jackson or not. Well, I guess she did because Ava and others had insisted that she still had feelings for him at the beginning? And Clark didn't spend quite enough time on Gus.

And I'm sorry, but it was annoying that Clark dragged out finding who HE was. I get that Mikayla didn't know his name after the accident, but I mean they spent time together during the second meeting, and she never once asked his name? Seems to me that once a girl is interested, she would try to see if she can run into him again or find out his name from others at the country club. Even if she happened to not catch it, she could have asked Henry after that second time, knowing that he knew HIM. But no, she had to wait until the third meeting.

I also felt other characters were just thrown into the book as easy-fixes. Like Jackson's troubled brother. Why go through the pain of setting up this huge problem, only to have a simple explanation of the rumor. Also, Lucy's hot-mess mother? Why not just make her a normal mother who came to visit. Clark set up this elaborate floozy woman, only to do nothing with that situation. And I thought Lucy's grandparents would have a larger role in this book.



No, I don't think Clark should have gone into more details about the individual situations because that would have dragged down the whole book. But there were just too many things that didn't sit well with me, and I know she went through a lot of trouble of coming up stories for these other characters, only to fall short on developing any of them.

I think I would have been more than happy to settle with a quick, fun read. In this case, this book was a lot more complicated than it could have been - which would have been fine if there was enough substance to make it so.

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy is looking forward to spending the summer with her best friend at the lake. Her only concern this summer is avoiding Jackson, the boy who rejected her… but when she arrives at her grandparents apple store she finds that he’s the other kid they hired for the summer. This is a recipe for disaster. Right?

When Mikayla, Lucy’s best friend has an almost accident on her bike, avoiding a car driven by a gorgeous stranger, she doesn’t realize the crap storm her connection with this boy will cause. Because… as you guessed it… it’s none other than Jackson.

If you’re looking for a summer romance, that’s not entirely what this story is about. I know… I know… HOW TO MEET BOYS… there truly aren’t that many boys. Instead ultimately what I found this story to be about was growing up, friendship and forgiveness. Lucy and Mikayla are the best of friends and it’s apparent the connection they have. The story itself is told in alternating points of view and while that helps in connecting with the characters a bit better, I found that I wasn’t really cheering for either one of these girls.

Lucy is a little bit overdramatic for me. While I understand her embarrassment once the entire story between her and Jackson is explained, I just felt it fell flat for me. Yes, I get the rumors were bad, but again it seemed too dramatic to be holding this much of a grudge that many years later. THEN where was Jackson in all of this. I mean they were friends before it happened, good friends and he’s just going to let the rumors run rampant with the excuse that they were going to different schools … It really didn’t endear me to him.

Mikayla wasn’t any better at making me a fan of her either. She came across as incredibly selfish and I get it… this is the first boy you have connected with but at what cost do you pursue it? A best friend? It seemed like she pushed Lucy out of her mind and continued to make excuses for herself in order to make her relationship with Jackson okay in her mind. For me, her realization was too little too late.

I also wasn’t really sure what impact Ava was supposed to have on this story other than to act as a mediator and the person to tell these girls to pull their heads out of their asses.

How to Meet Boys explores relationships, both between girls and the boys they find themselves liking. It’s definitely a light summer story with not a lot of substance to it. Definitely not a heavy read at all. If you’re looking for a quick summer read that’s fun and sweet, How to Meet Boys might be exactly what you need!

Thank you to Harpercollins and Edelweiss for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Glass]

15% DNF

Not for me. :(

[Rylee Bartel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response: I thought this book was really good. It had two main characters that kept going back and forth between chapters, but I understood everything. I also never wanted to put it down. It always left me thinking about what each character would do between chapters.

Plot Summary: In this book there were a few things that happened. Most of the things that happened dealt with meeting boys. Lucy couldn't wait to go to Bridgeport and visit her grandparents, but plans for her summer changed after she ran into Jackson. She had been avoiding him after he rejected her a few years ago. Mikayla on the other hand met a guy after literally running into him. She was on a bike ride and didn't stop for a stop sign and got hit by a vehicle, she was ok, but turns out the hottest and cutest boy in Bridgeport was driving and hit her and he felt so bad for hitting her, but she rejected his apologies. Mikayla said that she hated boys, but that changed because she fell in love with the guy that hit her with his car. About half way through the book the girls are very pleased with their summer in Bridgeport. But that all changes again after Mikayla finds out that the adorable boy she is in love with is the same boy that broke up with her best friend, and put Lucy through a tough situation. To find out if Mikayla’s love relationship will last sit down and read the book. Will Lucy loss her best friend over a boy or will the relationships be fine?

Characterization: This book has two main characters and they are: Mikayla and Lucy. Mikayla is Lucy’s best friend and they decided to travel for the summer. They traveled to Bridgeport to visit Lucy’s grandparents. Both girls have similar personalities, they both really like guys and when they meet one they want to learn more about them. They also both like to party and hang out with friends.

Recommendation: I recommend this book to teenage girls. The book is more about a girl's life than a boy"s, and it has quite a bit of drama in it. I give this book a five out of five stars. I hope there are more books in the series.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars, and a major MEH for this one.

I thought this would be about Lucy confronting her nemesis from middle school and falling in love with him again. I thought they would have great chemistry, and I love the hate to love trope.

This book was nothing like what I thought it would be. I didn’t know going in that there were two narrators (Lucy and her best friend Mikayla) and it’s actually Mikayla who falls in (insta)love with Lucy’s former crush from middle school. I didn’t sense a connection between them at all.

The double narration did not work at all, because the two narrators sounded identical. And why was Ava there? What function did she serve? She went back and forth between the two of them attempting to meditate after the fight between the two girls.

The whole thing fell flat for me. The characters were one dimensional and juvenile. I wanted to like this one so much more than I ended up liking it.

[Celine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review can also be found at YA Midnight Reads

DNF around 52%

Ooh, boy. This book and I did not get along well. How to Meet Boys is the example of useless drama. This will not be a happy review, that's for sure.

The thing with How to Meet Boys is the following: there is no real conflict, but the characters are making it one. The big problem is that there's this girl, Lucy, who used to crush on a guy, Jackson. That was years ago, and he rejected her then. Ever since, Lucy's disliked Jackson and wants nothing to do with him. Then there's Mikayla, Lucy's best friend, who runs into this guy she immediately likes and crushes on. Big surprise: it's Jackson. Okay, so it could be a more fortunate situation, but still, what's the deal? Okay, so Lucy used to like him, but not anymore. But noooo, it's all a big drama and all of a sudden their "friendship feels different" and blahblahblah, this is me rolling my eyes.

I'm serious. Mikayla and Jackson kiss, Lucy sees them. First thing next morning, Mikayla tells Lucy what happened with Jackson. She's not secretive about it, she just tells Lucy. Then Lucy goes around saying stuff like this:

It's just... I really trusted her. With everything. [...] And now, I'm not sure that I can.

Dramatic much? No worries though, Lucy isn't the only overly dramatic character in this book. Mikayla is as well, though in a different way. This story is told in dual POV, and I just couldn't tell these two apart. I had to check a couple of times whose chapter I was reading again. They sounded exactly the same, even though we're told - told, not shown - that Mikayla is the shy one who can't talk when she's around boys. Well. I noticed none of that. Yes, in a couple of chapters she stammers a bit and has nothing interesting to say, but then after she's crushing on Jackson she's suddenly all flirty and not awkward at all anymore. Huh? Oh, but perhaps it has to do with this "connection" she feels with Jackson. Because they "just click", you know, even though they know nothing about each other. I mean, it's all just soo romantic, don't you think? Just look at this quote!

But if this wasn't love at first (and second and third) sight, what was it? Since the day Jackson had nearly run me off the road, this was how I felt around him.

One thing I'll say about Mikayla: she can do math. Indeed, she thinks this after having had a grand total of THREE encounters with Jackson. (Ironically, I keep mistyping his name as Kackson. FYI, "kak" in Dutch means "shit". Hah.) And then, completely out of nowhere, they kiss! Hooray!

NO. I'm unshipping this SO HARD. Mikayla and Jackson have less than zero chemistry. They have negative chemistry. They have had like two conversations by the time they're kissing. And those conversations were meaningless and boring. I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling the love here. Or should I say the instant love?

I was also really, really pissed off at the way Lucy saw Jackson. She constantly refers to that time she tried to kiss him and he didn't want her to. He said, 'Uh, don't." Okay, so he could have phrased it better, but I still see no problem with this. Yes, it must've been embarrassing, but if he didn't want to be with Lucy he had EVERY right to reject her. Hell, he has every right to reject her even when he does want her. But Lucy just keeps saying that he was so rude and how she hates him for that et cetera et cetera. I'm sorry, but NO. A world of no. If someone tries to kiss you and you don't want them to, you can reject them however the hell you want. You have NO obligation to that other person. You can say "uh, don't", you can say "Oh, I'm really sorry, but I don't feel that way about you" or you can say "get the HELL away from me" and it's all fine. This goes for both boys and girls. I'm just really not okay with the message this book seems to be sending out.

Another thing I had trouble with was the writing. It was ALL telling and zero showing. Right in the first chapter of the books we're introduced to the characters, and a little bit of information is told about each of them, and a little bit of information is told about their lives, and their summer, and how they came to be here for the summer, and where Lucy's going to work this summer, and that her grandparents are trying to get sued by Apple (don't ask), and wah wah wah. I don't care. SHOW me these things. SHOW me who these characters are. Alas, I'm afraid that the characters don't get fleshed out. Halfway through the book, I still knew next to nothing about them. Only what jobs they had and what their relationships were. Also, THIS:

Seriously?!?!

Yes, SERIOUSLY?!?! "?!?!" is NOT something I ever want to see in a book. Ever. It should be banned from all books, and I'm really surprised an editor didn't catch this. "?!?!" is just no. No no no no no.

This book. I just couldn't. Maybe it'll work out better for other people, but as it is, this book and I didn't "just click". I DNF'ed this around 52%.

~Thank you HarperTeen for sending me this copy~

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very boring

[Christine Alibutud · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's never easy for me to give a book a rating lower than 3 stars, but then some books you just can't help but do so. Sadly, I am rating this book 2 stars because it just wasn't doing it for me. To be honest, this book only piqued my interest because of the title (Yes, I am very fond of titles). After that, I read the synopsis, and I was like, "Hmm, why don't I give it a try?" .....and so I did.

I'll just give you a brief look on my journey with this book:

Learning about this book for the very first time:


After reading the title:


Started reading the book:


Then after awhile:


In the end:


Yes, I was disappointed with this one, especially since I've been very excited to start reading this. The story just felt too overly-dramatic and it was kind of loose in terms of its concept. I didn't feel any connection with the characters, as well. They were kind of irritating to me, and I didn't like how they communicated with each other.

This book just wasn't for me. Sigh, just when I thought I finally found a cure to my reading hiatus.

[Andreea · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://toallthebooksivelovedbefore.wo...

My review:

Well, I didn’t know anything about this book so I didn’t really know what to expect other than a summery romance novel.

And that’s exactly what I got, and nothing more. How To Meet Boys was just a contemporary that felt a little dull, with its one – dimensional characters and its rather predictable plot.

I didn’t really care about the protagonists, nor about what would happen to them because I just couldn’t connect with Mikayla and Lucy. I don’t know, I just found that they lacked depth and they didn’t really seem real to me.

Also, I couldn’t really connect with their problems since my best friend and I never had to deal with such a matter.

That’s why, sadly, I didn’t like this book at all and I don’t really have much to say about it.

How to Meet Boys wasn’t my cup of tea because I didn’t like the subject matter and because the characters were dull, and there wasn’t anything special about the plot.

Rating:

1.5 – 2 out of 5 stars

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response
How to Meet Boys was a decent romance. It was easy to stay interested in, but due to the fact that the chapters were split by character it was not the easiest to follow. The two couples in the novel were both very realistic, which allowed for jealousy and parts that could take a quick turn easily. Altogether, I do not have many negative things to say about this novel.
Plot Summary
How to Meet Boys is a novel that covers two girls and their love lifes. Both girls, Mikayla and Lucy, have not had the best relationships in the past causing there to be times of uncertainty. School had just gotten out and they are looking forward to a summer full of being independent. Lucy’s grandparents own an apple orchard and a store, along with a summer house. Mikayla and Lucy are allowed to stay in the summer house by themselves, but also allow another one of their friends, Ava, to join in on the party. Ava had quit an internship without her mother knowing because her boss tried to hook up with her . All three of the girls found jobs, but Mikayla and Lucy have some very interesting ones. Lucy ends up having to work with one of her old middle school crushes, Jackson. Jackson and Lucy have had an awkward past leading to the jealousy of Lucy over Mikayla and Jackson’s relationship. The relationship between them caused a fight with Mikayla and Lucy that lasted a majority of the novel. One day, Gus was having a bad apple problem at his catering job, causing for Lucy and Gus to meet. This later turns out to very good for both of them. Along with Lucy and Gus’s relationship comes a canoeing trip that has them on an island for a night. That night caused them to find some chemistry between each other. Overall, How to Meet Boys ended with Mikayla and Lucy both having very good relationships.
Recommendation
I would recommend this novel to anyone in eighth grade and up. I would say this because though it is a romance there are not any serious parts that someone in eighth grade could not handle. How to Meet Boys is not the easiest to follow due to the fact that the chapters are separated by character. So if you easily forget certain details, this is not the best type of book for you. Altogether, How to Meet Boys is a book that I would recommend to those who like a decent romance, even though it has parts that can get confusing.

[Ruby Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this one. Don't get me wrong, I do. I love the writing style, I love the characters, I love how relatable the book is. But it just wasn't my book. I feel as if I have been reading the same book over, and over, and over again with different characters, times, and authors, for the past few days. This book isn't original in my opinion. Not that I didn't like it! I did, and I really think that I will enjoy one of Mrs. Clark's other books, that is why I already have two on hold.

PARENT NOTE: There is nothing bad in this book! Great first romance novel.

AGE RECOMMENDATION: 1/10! See my profile to find out how I rate!

SWEARING:None at all.

ROMANCE: 100% clean.

VIOLENCE/ANYTHING THAT HAS BLOOD INVOLVED: Mikayla gets run into by a car, but only blood revealed, she is fine.

I hope you enjoy! Feel free to recommend books to me that you want to know about, and/or think I would enjoy! Have a nice read! -Ruby

[Sophia Gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great book and I really recommend you this this if you like books with romance. This book you go through the journey of love and friendship and enemies but you see it through different points of view. From Mikayla to Lucy’s and you see how they feel about different situations. This is a great book but I don’t like how it ends with Mikayla and Jackson talking about what will happened when summer is over and what will happen with their relationship when this happens because they live in different places and they are only together in the summer!?!? What will happen to them???

[Payton Pearl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not one of my favorites. It isn't all that interesting. It is about two girls who go on a vacation to their grandma's cabin, they get jobs and the main character realizes that the boy she has to work with is a boy that she tried kissing in the eighth grade but got turned down. She felt so embarrassed and didn't want to see him ever again. She had no clue how to create small talk with him and so it was like she had to meet him all over again because it had been three years since they lat saw each other.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: As contemporary reads go, this one disappointed me overall, for many reasons. The writing and characters did not live up to the fantastic cover.

Opening Sentence: “Is this it?”

The Review:

Lucy and Mikayla are moving back to Bridgeport for the Summer, and they are determined to break their shy shell while they’re there. But nothing is turning out as planned. Lucy’s working with her old friend Jackson, who dissed and spread rumors about her in 7th grade, plus Mikayla can’t seem to talk to boys without rambling or being extremely clumsy. When Mikayla falls for someone Lucy has called off-limits for, a fight begins. What will it take to fix the summer and their friendship?

To tell you the truth, I wasn’t impressed with this book — in the slightest. When I looked at the cover, I thought “aww! I bet this one is great!” (I tend to judge a book by its cover, oops) I was bitterly disappointed. Everything was basic about How to Meet Boys, and no matter how hard I tried to give it a chance, I wasn’t feeling it. I’ll explain why: the plot was extremely unoriginal, as were the characters, the plot, and the writing style. The writing style irritated me most. Is it amateur hour? It was so incredibly novist, and we got little insight on what the character was thinking. When we did, it was in simple sentences like “the guilt was crushing” or “I was worried.” Novels have to be very unique and fun to get me to enjoy them a lot, especially contemporary ones, since we can’t usually throw in a dragon or a couple of murders. To top it all off, the humor did not make me laugh. This book made me yawn and although the cover made it seem promising, I won’t ever open this one again.

This was told from two points of views, Mikayla and Lucy. I didn’t identify with either. They’re both bad with boys. Lucy never takes chances since Jackson blew her off, and Mikayla can only stutter when faced with a cute guy. I was on Lucy’s side most of the book because I honestly thought Mikayla was being an annoying brat. Once she accepted that she was not the one being wronged, and started to see Lucy’s side of the story as well as her own, I softened and started to like her better. Then we have the boys. Jackson, Mikayla’s love interest, I never started to like. From the start I hated him with a passion, for his unrealistic perfection when he was supposed to be the one who ditched Lucy. I had heard so much from Lucy’s POV about how he had bashed any chances for her to take risks, and trust boys, and then we are introduced to this amazing, hot guy? Lucy tried to kiss him, he said “um, no”, and rumors sprung up around school. When he apologizes (finally) I was still not satisfied. Lucy was, and even forgave him, which personally I thought was ridiculous — but what can you do? Gus, on the other hand, was sweet and a little dorky, making for an adorable romance. I also liked how he was different from the traditional love interest. Generally, we have the dark, mysterious one, or the funny, light one, always with blonde or brown or black hair. Gus has red hair, he’s a ginger! Yay! I loved this one piece of originality that strayed from the typical novel boy. It felt like a victory to me.

Altogether, I had expectations that were unfulfilled, and they weren’t all based on the cover. I wanted an exciting plot line, a unique romance, some humor. I laughed once in this whole novel and I’m a laugher, so I feel rather let down. The writing style was basic to the point that warranted an eye roll, and the characters were so-so. So much could have been resolved if everyone hadn’t been so stubborn, why can’t they open their mouths until the end? I have no doubt that this will please certain others, but I have high standards (being a book reviewer and all) and was not satisfied. If the plot interests you, go for it- maybe you’ll like it more than me.

Notable Scene:

It was just like Claire had said: he’d dated a hundred girls since that dumb incident with me. Summertime had barely begun, and here he was, hooking up with someone.

Then I looked closer. The girl was tall with long, wavy brown hair, and was wearing plaid shorts that showed off her long, toned legs.

Jackson? Kissing Mikayla?

Or should I say: Mikayla, kissing Jackson?

Seriously?!?!

FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of How to Meet Boys. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Chyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thoughts…

By the title I knew how this was going to end. From page 78 I began to dislike this book. Everything we all hate in cliche is written in print, every chapter gives you that predictable outcome, it felt like I was the author herself since I knew everything that was bound to happen and even the ending was all too simple. I guess I have high standards for contemporaries.

How to Meet Boys doesn't really present its title, it doesn't particularly focus on how they meet more like about friendships. It doesn't have much romance or drama because of the whole forgiveness crap. Mikayla and Lucy have been best friends for like 2-3 years or so plus Ava, but she's only a supporting character who doesn't show up much in the story. L and M have the perfect summer planned, they will be living in this charming little house for the summer and just have fun with their lives until Lucy finds out that she has to work along with Jackson, the boy who broke her heart and ruined her social status. Mikayla has it different, she ends up falling for this mystery guy (She doesn't even know his name yet, but she likes him already). She feels the connection with him and as it becomes even more real, Mikayla finds out that this boy is Lucy's old Jackson. The heartbreaker.

I wasn't particularly fond of Mikayla because of her stupidity in relationships and connections. She could not have been more of a child in love during the whole drama erupted. There wasn't much seriousness in this book because it was definitely quite an easy read. This was her first serious relationship and she practically threw away everything she had with Lucy just to be with a guy she just met for a week. Lucy felt betrayed after she found out and I think she took it maturely after Mikayla told her, but that kind of anger can't be fairly hidden too long.

Jackson and Lucy should have had a more intimate conversations about their past, and even when they did, it felt incomplete and hastened. I do like Jackson as a character in the book, but his role in the story shouldn't have been neglected. He didn't seem important at all.

It was never heavy and because of that I kept yawning my way through the book. How to Meet Boys is a more suitable read for children/ people who don't read. It will surely catch their eye and they might even swoon, but for a reader who has experience in contemporaries please avoid this book. I do find it readable, but it's not something I enjoyed. The book simply passed my TBR pile.

The writing style of author wasn't special or informational. She did not have much effort in writing her novel. Catherine Clark must be expecting children to read her book. The age group is 13 and above and I'm like this is for Grade 6 and below. LOL.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Catherine Clark has had a special place in my heart ever since I fell in love with her adorable YA romances way back in middle school. When I saw that she had recently published a new book, I couldn't be more excited. I've devoured pretty much everything she's written and couldn't wait to get into this one!

Lucy and Mikayla can't wait to spend the summer at the lake living in a cabin all by themselves. Lucy has been hired to work in her grandparent's apple shop, but the last thing she expects to find there is Jackson, the boy her grandparents have hired who also happens to be the boy who completely rejected and embarrassed her in 8th grade. Mikayla has never been able to talk to boys, but when she's literally almost run over by one, there's an instant connection and she can't stop thinking about him. Everything seems to be going perfect until Mikayla realizes her perfect match just so happens to be the one who had broken her best friend's heart.

How awesome does that synopsis sound? Too bad the actual book fell completely flat for me. The first problem? The main characters! The chapters switched between Lucy and Mikayla's points of view and both of them sounded like they were 12 years old instead of 17 years old. Lucy was so hung up on her rejection and acted so immature when she figured out that MIkayla was falling for Jackson. Then, Mikayla LITERALLY cannot talk to boys. As a 17-year-old, I think her inability to even speak to a male was way too over-exaggerated. Even when she is able to talk to Jackson, their relationship turns on way too fast and I was not feeling the connection at all. She was so into him, but it just felt really stiff and not as developed as the relationship should have been.

Not only did the main characters and romance fall flat for me, I also wasn't a fan of how their whole story was built up in general. Every person that came into their lives had some sort of quirk about them and then it was just kind of left at that. I feel like we really didn't get to know anyone, so I didn't really care about them at all. Ava's whole storyline was supposed to throw things for a loop, but it wasn't really that intriguing and its culmination just felt lackluster.

The entire time I was reading, if I wasn't annoyed with how juvenile Lucy and Mikayla sounded, I didn't find myself caring at all for any of the characters or the story. While Catherine Clark sure does know how to write an adorable, lovable romance, that definitely did not show up in How to Meet Boys.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
17-year-old Lucy and her best friend Mikayla are off to spend their summer in the small town where Lucy’s grandmother lives, working at her grandmother’s apple store, and maybe meeting boys.
Lucy is still hung up on Jackson – a boy she tried to kiss when she was 14, whilst Mikayla falls for a boy who nearly hits her with his car!
Can Lucy work with Jackson after the almost kiss? And who is the mysterious boy who nearly hit Mikayla but didn’t tell her his name?


This was an okay story, but I did find it a bit slow.

Lucy was an okay character, but I did think that she maybe overreacted and put too much emphasis on things at times. Everything was a little over dramatic, and while her previous encounter with Jackson was a little embarrassing, she may be made a bit more of it than she needed to. While she wasn’t pushy about it, I thought asking her grandmother about changing Jackson’s employment was a little harsh, and I was actually pleased when her grandmother told her to just get over it.

Mikayla was another okay character, but she could have been a bit more honest with Lucy. It wasn’t all that surprising that she felt a bit unsure about what to do about Jackson with the way Lucy was obviously still agonising over him, but at the same time she was risking her friendship with Lucy, which was a big deal considering that they were living together 200 miles away from home for the summer.

The storyline in this was okay, but I did find it a little predictable in places. Lucy’s mother was really annoying, and I would have been irritated with her too if I was Lucy. It did seem pretty obvious what was going to happen with regards to her mother’s wedding though.
There was romance in this, but other than Mikayla and Jackson’s first kiss I wasn’t really all that into it. If anything I got a bit bored with this book, and there just wasn’t enough there to really keep me entertained.
The ending was okay, but I thought it a little silly. Sure you can give us a happily ever after ending, but what the heck is going to happen at the end of the summer? It’s all very well them being all happy and lovey-dovey, but at the end of the summer they’ll be going back home – 200 miles away!
Overall; okay, but a bit dull,
6 out of 10.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's one of those cute, fun and simple, no-breezy brainer read from Harper. The one where you can relax and have some ice cold tea on the side, lounging on your porch on a good sunny day. How To Meet Boys is more of a friendship book than a teen romance.

Lucy and Mikayla have always planned this summer to be all fun and independent. But we all know our plans always don't come through. And Lucy is not one who is okay with changing plans.

Character-wise, I like Jackson (Mikayla's love interest). Not because he's good looking, but his character is the most honest of them all, and the one I can relate more with, even if he is a guy. I like a line he said, smthng about trust. That even if you have trust issues, but you should always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and if that person does something untrustworthy, then that's the time you should not trust that person.

Another one I like is Mikayla. Lucy and her had an almost falling out because the guy Mikayla likes turns out to be the guy Lucy has always hated (a really long story behind that, she liked him back in middlegrade and tried to kiss him but he declined and rumors started about her being in love with Jackson and trailing him like a puppy, which is not true). Anyway, I think I would have done what Mikayla did. When she first found out that Jackson is the Jackson in lucy's past, she tried to ignore her feelings to him and also avoding him. She didn't say anything to lucy bec she didnt want to hurt her. But anyway when the hormones wants something, they always get what they want so when Jackson and mikayla got together and Lucy found out about it, she acted like she was fine but she's not. Later on, her hiding her uneasiness about this new couple wedged between her and her bestfriend.

But you know the only solution here is to talk about the problem. Mikayla broke up woth Jackson without saying the teal reason and I think this made her the bigger person in this situation. It took a lot of guts and sacrifice but this sacrifice worked out in the end. That's why I'm the confrontation kind of girl because once there's a problem, I gear up all my guts and talk about the problem with the person. I don't like the feeling of confrontations but after it being reaolved, i feel lots better.

I think this book is a sensible read coated with a nice story. :)

[Cadyn Ehrenberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personal Response
I recently read 'How to Meet Boys' by Catherine Clark. This book is most likely the most cliche books I have ever read. It was predictable and very uninteresting. I did not enjoy this book one bit. I kept waiting until it got interesting; needless to say, it never did.

Plot Summary
The book begins with two girls, Lucy and Mikayla who are going away for the summer. They are going to Lucys' grandparents' hometown and living in a little cottage. They have big plans for the summer, going hiking, meeting cute boys, and throwing awesome parties. Lucy has a job at her grandparents store, 'The Apple Store' that actually sells apples, not technology. Mikayla needs to find a job. On the day that she goes to find a job, she gets hit by a car being driven by a really cute boy. They bond and get closer, and then Lucy realizes that the boy that Mikayla is crushing on is her childhood nightmare. Lucy and the boy, Jackson, have had a not-so-good past together. Lucy did not approve of Mikayla and Jackson being together. Lucy finds a man, Gus, who works at a food catering service right in town. They bond and get stuck on an island together overnight, the usual. The book ends with their 'awesome party' that they hoped for all summer long.

Characterization
The main person that grew throughout the book was probably Lucy, she started the book with her feelings being very sour towards Jackson, but she grew to accept that Mikayla and Jackson really cared about each other. She really opened up and explained her feelings to Mikayla, and she really grew as a person from that. No one else really developed during the book, Mikayla stayed the same, really, Jackson saw the story of Lucy and Jackson from both perspectives, which was very mature of him.

Recommendation
I would not recommend this book to anyone. It is not worth reading, in my opinion. It could be a middle school book for all I care. It is not good, or funny, or dramatic at all. I could have written this book better.

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review- How to Meet Boys by Catherine Clark


Lucy and Mikayla are spending the summer living together in a cabin owned by Lucy’s grandparents. They are excited to be on their own and determined to meet new people. They want to try and come out of their shells.
Lucy is shocked to learn she will be working with Jackson all summer at her grandparents’ apple store. Jackson humiliated and hurt her when they were in eighth grade and she hasn’t talked to him in three years. The awkwardness is so thick and Lucy is having a hard time getting past it. The summer is already starting off weird and not how Lucy planned.
Mikayla is working at the Bridgeport Beach Club this summer. She is excited to be making new friends. However, she has a couple encounters with a cute boy where he almost hits her with his car and playing volleyball. Of course she has to get hit in the face with the ball, not her best impressions. She decides she really likes this guy. When she finds out he is, it turns the summer into a drama filled, awkward time.
The girls had made plans to experience things they have never done before. Now with their friend Ava showing up to stay and Lucy’s mother popping in with wedding plans, the summer is going from bad to worse.

The storyline is a fun read for the typical YA reader. The plot is believable and the characters realistic. A summer full of plans and no parents sets the tone and invites the reader in. I like how the author tells the story from both views of the girls.
Lucy was the only thing about the book that I didn’t like. She was immature about situations and timid about others. She drove me crazy. I really wanted to shake her. However, she did come through in the end and redeem herself a bit. Overall it was a good story. I give it a 3 out of 5.

[Catastrophe Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

17 is too young to obsess over boys. Both girls are a bit shallow. But I dislike Mikayla a little bit more because she chose the dude over her bff. This was classic instalove. Girl meets boy, they have a few meaningless encounters then boom! They make out at a bonfire. Ugh... Seriously? I have never done this. The guy could be a maniac but who cares? As long as he's hot, right? Sheesh. Shallow female protagonist logic.

[Sierra Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

I really enjoyed the story. It was a cute young adult read. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. It was a very cute story about friendship and young romance.

I highly recommend this book and will be passing it along to my mom and sister to enjoy.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about friends, and the guys, and when those things are combined, well, things don't work out so well! Really enjoyed it!

[Libby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly, this book was not good. I saw this at the library, thought the title and cover were hilarious, read the first couple pages, and had to read it just for a good laugh.

And I did laugh while reading it, just not as much as the main characters -- I swear, they laughed all the freaking time, and it was rarely ever funny, which was awkward to read. There were a lot of "hey, remember this thing that happened? haha that was so funny!", which didn't translate as funny. Along that line, this book did way more telling than showing. Overall, the writing was atrocious; many times while reading it, I questioned how it even got published.

Onto the characters. All of them were flat, and most not well explained. One thing that struck me was that the main characters were my age, 17, yet the way their characters were written I felt like I was reading about a couple of pre-teens. And pretty much all of them were white with brown hair -- I can only remember one character that was specifically described with black hair, but everyone else either never had their hair color mentioned or had brown hair. Everyone was white, but I could have predicted that from a book like this. There was one gay guy, though, so kudos for that I guess.

The plot was mostly miscommunication, which just made for a frustrating read. Pretty much the entire time I was reading, I kept thinking, "If you guys got your heads out of your asses and talked to each other everything would be fine, but noooooo." And the romance in it was just plain gross (these were the times that I laughed the most). I mean, for one of the girls it's her first experience being in a relationship, and they're kissing all the time and sending texts like "I miss you, I need to be with you, I can't wait to see you," which essentially just tested my how well I could control myself from puking. To be fair, I've never been in a relationship myself, but I seriously doubt that's what they're like. (And if I was in a relationship like that, you can bet I'd end it pretty darn quick).

And one last thing that bugged me (this is kinda spoiler-y, so if you REALLY don't want to know, skip this paragraph. But I think it's something that is important, because this might really bother some people). So, the third friend of the main two girls comes to stay with them after she ditched her internship in Chicago, and later we find out it's because her male boss tried to "hook up" with her. She told her friends that she "gave him a piece of her mind" though, so it was all okay; her two friends laughed that off, and were like "I'm sure you did LOL!!!!" This really bothered me because sexual assault is not a matter to take lightly, yet this book did. Young girls: if an older man in a professional setting tries to "hook up" with you, DO NOT KEEP QUIET ABOUT IT. Tell an adult, call the police, etc. Make sure that he is correctly reprimanded for his actions, don't just "give him a piece of your mind."

All that being said, one fun thing about this book was that it took place in Minnesota, my home state, and there were lots of references that I could pick up on (cities, colleges, etc.) I did feel like there were maybe too many references, though, but that might have just been my frustration about the other parts of this book coming through.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*WARNING SPOILERS*
Personal Response: The book How to Meet Boys was a good book at the end of it. It was a little hard to get into but had a strong ending. It also has a lot of drama in it boy-wise, and I personally am not a big fan of that. All in all, this was a good book to read.

Plot Summary: How to Meet Boys is about a girl named Lucy who was asked to help her grandparents with their store. She asks her two best friends Ava and Mikayla but only Mikayla is able to come due to the fact that Ava got a job in Chicago. The only problem is that Lucy has to work with her ex-best friend Jackson, who she tried to kiss three years ago and got friend-zoned. Mikayla was biking one day when a car hit her… It was Jackson. Mikayla falls for him but is too afraid to tell Lucy, Jackson and Mikayla date in secret for a while until Mikayla tells Lucy. Lucy says that she is happy for them but completely blocks Mikayla out, Jackson is the one that tells Lucy that Mikayla did not mean to hurt her. In the end of the book Mikayla and Lucy and on good terms again and Lucy meets a guy named Gus.

Who do I Recommend This Book To?: I would recommend this book to anybody that likes a romance book. I would also recommend this book to anybody that likes reading about drama. One final group of people that I would recommend this book to is anybody who likes reading about the summertime.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

My book review:

When I first picked up this book I thought it was going to give funny tips on how to talk to boys. That wasn't the case for this book. This book was an okay book to read throughout the week. Although what I found very interesting was that their parents would let Lucy and Mikayla go so far away from home without a parent coming with them. Also, I find a little hard to believe that Mikayla would almost get run over by Jackson, the guy that Lucy has been trying to avoid for awhile, and would instantly feel a connection. I believe that Mikayla does in wrong deciding to keep it a secret from Lucy, her best friend, when instead she should be telling her to make sure their friendships stays the same rather than losing that friendship because of a guy or summer love. In my opinion, Lucy is over dramatic throughout the book. First, she feels like she is being tortured because she has to work with Jackson and her grandparents' store. Next, she makes a big deal about her mom coming to town. When her mom just wants to check up on her. Finally, she acts very disrespectful towards Mikayla because she is dating Jackson. To add, Mikayla isn't the best character either because she is very selfish, cocky, and clingy. Mikayla is selffish because she rather have a boyfriend than a bestfriend. The reason she seems cocky is that she wins a volleyball game and then starts to talk about how she always would win her games at her school. Finally, she seems clingy because when she finally realizes that Lucy is more important than Jackson, so she decides not to talk to him. Then, Mikayla starts getting upset because she can't text him, hug him, or kiss him. Overall, if I had to rate this book I would give it a 3 because it shows true love, but it also showed that friends should come first.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 53%

I should have stopped after the first few chapters. At least I gave it a good go, but at 53%, it's time to stop. It's boring and just drags. I feel no connection with any of the characters.

[Lilylovesbooks lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so cute I read it in one day it reminded me of a kasie west 📚

[Salima Charania · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought I didn't like it. As I started reading it, I found it a bit boring but as I kept reading, it got better and better and actually enjoyed the book.