What A Boy Wants, by Nyrae Dawn

What A Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a cute, fun and sweet read about a self-described love 'em & leave 'em type, who passes out online advice as the "Hook-up Doctor," and his female (totally platonic) best friend. You'll never guess what happens! Ok, so maybe you might, Ms. "Smarty-pants I've read lots of YA know-it-all." But that doesn't prevent this from being a charming and endearing story of crazy first love, a fatuous boy and his self defeating antics. Narrator Bastian is full of bluff, bravado and bro-ness, and possessed of a surface self-assurance that is often mildly irritating. But like a hard candy with a surprise center, there's more to him than meets the eye, and certainly more than he's willing to admit. His girl friend Aspen is a little more tolerant of his shenanigans that I might be, but he does have his pluses, a major one of which is his tender and protective relationship with his single mom, whose repeated episodes of heartbreak are one of the reasons he's so skittish and commitment-phobic. This is a fun summer read, and just the antidote for some of the more intense and heart-wrenching reads that are, rightly, so popular lately. But just because it's a palate cleanser doesn't mean it's without its own subtle flavor and substance. That's what makes it such a good one!

View all my reviews