Fast fünfzehn

by Marilyn Sachs

Fourteen-year-old Imo can not stop daydreaming about boys until Adam, the gorgeous divorced man who is more than twice her age, moves into the apartment upstairs.

Genres: Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1987

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Imogen has a weird family who doesn't make a living. They (parents, and grandmother who lives in the apartment downstairs) live off the royalties of a relative's cookbook. Mom is on her second master's degree. I think all these elements are interesting and could have made the book unique. Instead, Imo just breaks down about how embarrassing her family is.

The whole falling for the single dad for whom she's babysitting has been done a lot, and it wasn't great here. Sachs had an opportunity to give this whole story a feminist bent, but she did not. Imo does tell Adam that his parade of women seem to be "birdbrains," but that's not so great either.

Ah well.

[Marna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently re-read this and wanted to punch that guy. Seriously, back off you sexist perv, she's a child. I am not sure someone who so pathologically blames everyone around him for everything can be fixed by a 'firecracker' type who will call him on his bullshit. He is just entirely too interested in Imogene. Seriously, it is not her responsibility to try and 'steer' him towards an adult relationship. Had no idea how creepy this book was when I was a kid!

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic '80s middle grade novel. It had all the things I liked about these books: light, character-driven, doesn't move too quickly, quirky. The main character is allowed to be "young" for her age (she's unsophisticated, she sits on her dad's lap when she's upset.) In a complete throwaway moment, she bravely catches a thief! The coolest thing she can wear is a sweater with a boat collar. Aaaaand the man who lives upstairs whom the MC has a crush on is a total perv who's grooming her. The writer knows it, the reader knows it, and luckily the MC figures it out. But it's presented as no big deal, of course she can keep on babysitting for his child. And that's what it was like in the '80s; you kids today don't know how good you have it.

Edit: this is the original tag line for the book which I stumbled across in the back of another Avon Flare novel: “Find out what can happen when a debonair divorce looking for a babysitter meets a girl looking for the perfect romance.” Gross!!

[Liz Rewolinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the Internet Archive site where I had a fun evening re-reading a few old favorite YA novels from the 80's!
Much like Baby Sister by this same author...this book did not age well (although it was better than the other) but an extra star for the teenage FMC's family. They were lovely and great supporting characters.

[Cassandra VanBoerdonk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a quick read but rather anti climatic

[Sue Ann]

Loved the books as a teen
Love the stories still
Great book about finding yourself in life as a young person

[Englesia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the ending. You have to read it to like it! I am speachless about this one, but not as speechless about the cover.