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The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver
(Ruby Oliver #1)
by
Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she:
lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list),
lost her best friend (Kim),
lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket),
did something suspicious with a boy (#10),
did something advanced with a boy (#15),
had an argument with a boy (#14),
drank he ...more
lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list),
lost her best friend (Kim),
lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket),
did something suspicious with a boy (#10),
did something advanced with a boy (#15),
had an argument with a boy (#14),
drank he ...more
Paperback, 239 pages
Published
March 22nd 2005
by Delacorte Press
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Start your review of The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver, #1)

As seen on The Readventurer
I can't help it, I simply adore E. Lockhart's YA books. As far as girly, chick-lit books about relationships go, hers are the best. And this is coming from a person who isn't into chick-lit.
Just like in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart explores the challenges of being a teenage girl. In “The Boyfriend List” we learn about Ruby Oliver through her relationships with boys (not necessarily her boyfriends), how these relationship affect her life ...more
I can't help it, I simply adore E. Lockhart's YA books. As far as girly, chick-lit books about relationships go, hers are the best. And this is coming from a person who isn't into chick-lit.
Just like in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart explores the challenges of being a teenage girl. In “The Boyfriend List” we learn about Ruby Oliver through her relationships with boys (not necessarily her boyfriends), how these relationship affect her life ...more

Mar 30, 2012
Nataliya
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those who like books with REAL teenage characters
Recommended to Nataliya by:
Catie
Few things are worse than being 15 (examples: nuclear war and dental work without anesthesia).
As Stephen King said, "If you liked being a teenager, there’s something wrong with you." But Ruby puts on her Big Girl panties and DEALS WITH IT.


No catatonia or glorified semi-suicidality. Instead, she sees a therapist, like a responsible young adult.
Why is being a fifteen-year-old girl so traumatic, you ask? Some things that instantly come to mind: crippling insecurity and faltering self-esteem...more

May 20, 2011
Emily May
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Emily May by:
Tatiana
I remember being 12 years old and thinking I was pretty much awesomeness personified for reading books like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights when all the other kids were reading Roald Dahl. Since then I seem to be going backwards and reading all the books I should have read prior to my 16th birthday, like Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and also this one. And I love them! It just goes to show how a book doesn't have to be a couple of centuries old and a household name to be awesome.
I love ...more
I love ...more

Mar 29, 2012
Catie
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Catie by:
Cassi aka Snow White Haggard
I like this book so much for being a fun, frothy, escape about gossip and boys. But I LOVE this book for transcending all of those things. When I first read the title: The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver, I expected that this book would contain a few swoon-worthy boys and that our heroine Ruby would experience some drama-fueled teenage angst trying to decide which one to date. I even jokingly proclaimed myself “Team Noel” within minutes of the
...more

Apr 13, 2012
Regina
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Regina by:
Catie
I am not sure why, but this book took me completely by surprise. The reviews for this book rated it highly and I knew the narration was reported to be fantastic. But I still got my socks knocked off. This book hooked me from the beginning. What this book is about at its core is a young girl (sophomore in high school) navigating the social mine field of high school and trying to make sense of her female friendships and her relationships with boys.
The setting is perfect – a private school, a scho ...more
The setting is perfect – a private school, a scho ...more

I've had a good run with young adult/ high school based books lately, so my hopes were high for this one. Sadly they were dashed by girlish kissing fantasies and daisy filled daydreams. Okay, it wasn't exactly like that, but near enough compared my teenage years.
This certainly has a charm that will appeal to a lot of people; maybe those who aren't as jaded, sarcastic and generally inappropriate as I am. See, my biggest problem was being unable to relate to any of the characters. Granted it's bee ...more
This certainly has a charm that will appeal to a lot of people; maybe those who aren't as jaded, sarcastic and generally inappropriate as I am. See, my biggest problem was being unable to relate to any of the characters. Granted it's bee ...more

I'm not sure why it is so hard for me to articulate my E. Lockhart appreciation. It may be because every time I think of the Ruby Oliver books I pretty much do this:
Weeks later these books are still bringing a smile to my face. I loved the underlying themes of self-discovery and self-respect. E. Lockhart has this fantastic way of making universal experiences so poignantly personal. I adored Ruby. Her adventures will always have a special place in my book-lovin' heart. ...more

Weeks later these books are still bringing a smile to my face. I loved the underlying themes of self-discovery and self-respect. E. Lockhart has this fantastic way of making universal experiences so poignantly personal. I adored Ruby. Her adventures will always have a special place in my book-lovin' heart. ...more

Mar 28, 2012
Keertana
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
rainy-day-re-reads
I can sum up my entire experience reading The Boyfriend List in one word: cathartic. If you don't already have a shrink, you'll probably realize you need to get one after reading this book (or if you're broke like me, the Ruby Oliver books will do just fine). The Boyfriend List isn't your usual contemporary romance. I admit that halfway through the first chapter I declared myself Team Noel (still shipping those two after the book was over but more on that later) but really this book is all Team
...more

Jul 10, 2011
Stacia (the 2010 club)
rated it
liked it
Recommended to Stacia (the 2010 club) by:
Isamlq
Therapy - how people used to work through problems before Facebook existed. Nowadays people tend to talk about how much their life sucks on a social network until enough people pop in to console them. Ruby has a therapist, half the world has a Facebook, and I just have Goodreads.
This book made me feel a little bit disturbed about my own high school existence. The e ...more
Reviewing as therapy : Everything you absolutely didn't want to know about my life made available for you to read about in print.
This book made me feel a little bit disturbed about my own high school existence. The e ...more

I know, right? How improbable, but it was really, really good. And Ruby is hilarious. (Seriously, I kept laughing out loud like a mad Mr. Burns woman.)
...more


I read this for the first time in high school, and I remember being just as annoyed by her shitty friends and parents as I was this time around. It was a decent book, but I wanted to punch nearly everyone the entire time. My teenage years didn't look anything like Ruby's, and honestly, I'm glad. Even when I read this for the first time, I remember wanting to shake her and tell her to stop focusing on being one of the "popular kids".
I swear, if this baby I'm carrying right now acts anything like ...more
I swear, if this baby I'm carrying right now acts anything like ...more

Since The Boyfriend List is a book about lists (15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs, and Me, Ruby Oliver), I think I'm going to go out of the box and write my thoughts on the book in enumeration form, too. My personal sub-title: 5 Reasons I Liked It, 3 Reasons I Didn't, And A Recommendation.
5 Reasons I Liked It:
1. It dealt with high school reality and teen angst/problems, much in the same manner that Stargirl (by Jerry Spinelli) did. Personally, I never experienced ...more

(Note this is a review for the first 3 books. Yes I know that's a lazy cop-out but I've read too many books to properly review lately. Also I'm not really sure why I took away a star and I'm considering giving it back)
When I first met Ruby Oliver at the local library, I thought the books looked pretty darned girly. Also it sounded a little bit too boy-crazy. Sometimes I get frustrated with all those true-love YA stories. I want to scream THERES MORE TO LIFE THAN BOYS! Besides, who finds true lov ...more
When I first met Ruby Oliver at the local library, I thought the books looked pretty darned girly. Also it sounded a little bit too boy-crazy. Sometimes I get frustrated with all those true-love YA stories. I want to scream THERES MORE TO LIFE THAN BOYS! Besides, who finds true lov ...more

So there I was, my mom yelling at me, Heidi talking crap about me, weirded out by the Noel dynamic, Angelo probably mad at me, Jackson thinking I was cheating on him/getting over him too quickly/generally skanky - and you'd think things couldn't get worse, but ha! It's my life. Things can always get worse.
It's really too bad I wasn't much of a reader during most of my teens, because there have been times when I seriously could have used some Ruby Oliver in my ridiculously confusing teenage l ...more

Described to me as one of the best high school girl romantic shenanigans confessionals out there. I think this might actually be true – high school was just ten years ago for me in real time, even if it was much longer in soultime, and this book feels very familiar and authentic to me. It just had no aliens. Or ghosts, or demons, or telepaths – basically, no one had to save the world, so it didn’t kick up to awesome for me.
That, and the much more important thing. The shtick here is that our narr ...more
That, and the much more important thing. The shtick here is that our narr ...more

I first came across E.Lockhart with We Were Liars which, to be honest, I preferred on the second read. I then read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks which was fab and I decided that this is probably a writer for me. I like how she explores relationships and the inner workings of a teenage mind.
Although this book was just as clever, I really didn't like Ruby. She is one of those popular (but not 'most' popular) girls at school who is completely oblivious to others, and their feelin ...more
Although this book was just as clever, I really didn't like Ruby. She is one of those popular (but not 'most' popular) girls at school who is completely oblivious to others, and their feelin ...more

The Ruby Oliver books are like the American equivalent of the Georgia Nicholson books in the UK. The girls are just as obsessed with boys and relationships and drama, with the same type of humour and style. It's not really my thing, because the characters feel so immature and I was never that kind of 15 year old, so I don't think I'll finish the series.
...more

My very own soundtrack for this book:
Crystal Fighters - You & I
The Lumineers - Charlie Boy
The Lumineers - Flowers in Her Hair
This, the Silent War - We Are Broken
Vance Joy - Riptide
MSMR - Bones
Banks - Waiting Game
Sometimes I get this urge to write stuff down.
Mundane day-to-day thoughts, to-do lists, to-read lists, to-buy lists, to-cook lists, to-gift lists, etc. (Clearly, I have a List Writing Addiction, or too much time on my hands.)
I’ve probably created and destroyed and revised a dozen or ...more

Feb 14, 2018
Jasprit
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jasprit by:
Emily May
This book was such a refreshing read, I'd gone into it thinking that it'd be a sort of young read for me, but I'm glad that this wasn't the case for me at all. It did take me some time getting used to Ruby and what was going on in her life, but once I got into The Boyfriend List I absolutely adored Ruby. She was such refreshing character, her voice and everything that she was going through just spoke volumes for me. What she had to go through was truly awful, the turn of events and how people tu
...more

Sep 02, 2018
Sophie (BlameChocolate) *on hiatus*
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
romance,
teenage-life
This was actually a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be!
For starters, it was a really quick and easy read. The only reason it took me longer to finish it was because I had a busy weekend and didn't really have the time to sit down and pick it up most of the time - otherwise, I'd be done with it in under three hours, tops.
Secondly, it was such a light and funny story. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, though, more like a "smiling throughout" and "the occasional chuckle" kind of funny, wh ...more
For starters, it was a really quick and easy read. The only reason it took me longer to finish it was because I had a busy weekend and didn't really have the time to sit down and pick it up most of the time - otherwise, I'd be done with it in under three hours, tops.
Secondly, it was such a light and funny story. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, though, more like a "smiling throughout" and "the occasional chuckle" kind of funny, wh ...more

Dec 09, 2012
Christina (A Reader of Fictions)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
on-my-shelves,
owned-print-copy
When I started reading this, I added it on Goodreads and sort of scrolled through reviews, not reading them but eyeing the ratings. For most books, my friends reach a sort of general consensus; with The Boyfriend List, the ratings varied from one star to five. Thankfully, I fell on the higher end of the spectrum, a relief since I just bought the complete series in a fit of no will power.
The variety in opinions on this book makes perfect sense, though. How you feel about The Boyfriend List will l ...more
The variety in opinions on this book makes perfect sense, though. How you feel about The Boyfriend List will l ...more

Initial reaction: I really liked this, and found many moments where I just wanted to give Ruby Oliver a big hug. She goes through a lot of ups and downs in her relationships in the course of the work, and I definitely felt the bumps in the road along with her. That's not to say that I thought this work was perfect. There were aspects of it that I couldn't completely throw myself into, and I think I may need a little while to think about how to best explain those. Still, I'm all for continuing th
...more

OK, I tried, I really did. I listened to the whole thing from the beginning to the end and I just didn't like it. I can see how others would like it, but for me I didn't. I just don't care for stories with boy crazy girls. It's just not the kind of books that I tend to like. You may ask, “if you don't like such stories, then why read this one in the first place?” Easy, I suspected I didn't and finishing this confirmed my suspicions. Also, because I can! “Hmm, OK then, so because of the subject y
...more

Aug 08, 2007
Carly
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
me?
Shelves:
alreadyread-childrensbooks
Before I write a detailed review, I think I should make it clear that I fell HARD for this book right from the first page. I am blindly and irregretably in love with it, and I think it's probably an irrational love, so everything I say about it should be taken with a grain of salt.
I have never fallen in love with a book before like I fell in love with this one, right from the beginning and never letting up, only growing more and more intense as time and pages went on. The book is like someone yo ...more
I have never fallen in love with a book before like I fell in love with this one, right from the beginning and never letting up, only growing more and more intense as time and pages went on. The book is like someone yo ...more

Why I Recommend Moving This UP On Your TBR:
· The narrative examined a lot of harmful topics in an enlightened way, for example girl-hate is explored, as is the word "slut", etc.
· This contains an abundance of thought-provoking topics.
· It provides education for readers about certain harmful social behaviors they might be engaging in that hurt others and themselves that they might not even realize.
· The story is well-crafted in that it's unpredictable and all of the chapters weave together well. ...more
· The narrative examined a lot of harmful topics in an enlightened way, for example girl-hate is explored, as is the word "slut", etc.
· This contains an abundance of thought-provoking topics.
· It provides education for readers about certain harmful social behaviors they might be engaging in that hurt others and themselves that they might not even realize.
· The story is well-crafted in that it's unpredictable and all of the chapters weave together well. ...more

E. Lockhart definitely delivered a heartfelt book with laugh out loud moments that captured my attention and sympathy from cover to cover.
The Boyfriend List has what it takes to have you falling for the main character Ruby “Roo” Oliver as her life at Tate Prep turns upside down when her boyfriend dumps her, she begins to suffer from anxiety attacks and ultimately becomes a patient of Dr. Z to deal with her angst. Well you think when she begins to seek counsel, her life will begin to get back on ...more
The Boyfriend List has what it takes to have you falling for the main character Ruby “Roo” Oliver as her life at Tate Prep turns upside down when her boyfriend dumps her, she begins to suffer from anxiety attacks and ultimately becomes a patient of Dr. Z to deal with her angst. Well you think when she begins to seek counsel, her life will begin to get back on ...more

I was afraid I wouldn't love this book as much the 2nd time--but it's possible I loved it more. I think this book makes my all-time top 20. If I weren't so sleepy, I could wax eloquently about all the qualities that make The Boyfriend List close to perfect; instead, I give you this excerpt, when Ruby Oliver goes on a movie date with a boy she barely knows:
"About a quarter into it, Cabbie put his arm around me and, seconds later, he dangled his right hand down over my shoulder and squeezed my boo ...more
"About a quarter into it, Cabbie put his arm around me and, seconds later, he dangled his right hand down over my shoulder and squeezed my boo ...more

So this is super awkward because The Boyfriend List has been on my TBR since 2016. Luckily for me, it just took my brain 5 years to finally prioritize the book. Oops?
I feel like today might be a 'meh' book day because the two books that I've finished so far had long boring moments that dragged me through the mud. At least I made it through.. I guess? It's just so weird because the beginning was pretty likable and I thought this was going to be a good book. Boy, was I completely wrong.
None of the ...more
I feel like today might be a 'meh' book day because the two books that I've finished so far had long boring moments that dragged me through the mud. At least I made it through.. I guess? It's just so weird because the beginning was pretty likable and I thought this was going to be a good book. Boy, was I completely wrong.
None of the ...more

May 14, 2020
Shreya Karnati
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bookish-blocks-may-2020
The book was okay but there was no real resolution at the end. I think the book would have been much better if in the end she makes up with at least some of her old friends or some of the guys. The book was also kinda boring at times, I feel like nothing really happened.
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
What's the Name o...: Young adult novel, girl falls for boy helping her father with plants[s] | 4 | 340 | Sep 03, 2015 10:23AM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...: The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver #1) by E. Lockhart - Starting April 18th 2015 | 23 | 20 | Apr 22, 2015 06:46PM | |
romance books: new romance book (2) | 1 | 3 | May 27, 2014 04:41PM | |
One Million Pages...:
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3 | 11 | Sep 04, 2013 06:59PM | |
books | 1 | 30 | Sep 16, 2011 06:33AM |
E. Lockhart is the author of Again Again, Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and several other novels.
website: www.emilylockhart.com
Instagram: elockhartbooks
Twitter: elockhart
...more
website: www.emilylockhart.com
Instagram: elockhartbooks
Twitter: elockhart
...more
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Ruby Oliver
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