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I'm going to fully admit that "The Book of Luke" surprised me with how engaging it was. I honestly didn't put it down for several stretches because I think as far as teenage issues and life is concerned, Jenny O'Connell got it right. Everything from Emily's frustration with moving in the middle of her senior year, breaking up with her boyfriend, and feeling betrayed by her parents in measures to wanting to be a different person and the emotions that came across her growing attraction with Luke. I did get somewhat annoyed at the emphasis of Emily being a "nice girl" because it seemed a little telling considering everything Emily does in this book could be considered mean and blunt. We don't really have a balancing comparison of what her life was like before the nice girl thing was dropped. In fact, it seems like she'd been pretending more than being "nice" in some considerations, but there were others we could see Emily was trying to do the right thing - just not necessarily in a balanced light. In addition, there were several cliches I could point out in the dialogue and assumptions about guys/girls that made me side-eye the book a little. But I enjoyed what it offered, and it kept me reading. To summarize the plot briefly, Emily ends up moving from Chicago back to Boston to finish up her senior year after her Dad's company moves him there. But then on moving day, her Dad decides to stay behind, and Emily is less than thrilled, having to go with her mom and brother TJ back to where she used to live. Emily doesn't have a problem fitting back in, but sharing her guy problems inspires her, along with her friends, to write a manual on how guys should treat girls. And to prove that they work? Emily has to try out the suggestions with the popular, but supposedly ungrateful jerk Luke, who so happens to be a former boyfriend of one of Emily's friends. Emily swears that she won't get attached and thinks she has the upper hand, but if you see where this story's going, chances are you won't be surprised how the ball keeps rolling. But it's a sweet ride, and while there are times Emily and Luke can both be indulgent and self-centered, both of them are actually kind of cute together in other places, so it balanced out. The ending came across a bit quickly (probably more than realistically plausible), but for a light, quick offering, I'd likely read "The Book of Luke" again. Overall score: 3.5/5

2020-09-14 17:14