A review by erinnbatykefer
The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver by E. Lockhart

3.0

To me, E. Lockhart’s books are the best of Teen Chick Lit– they are realistic without taking themselves too seriously, they are funny without sacrificing wit and without blithely avoiding the difficult problems that come with learning who you are, who you love, and what’s important to you, as some chick lit does. Over the course of these four novels, Ruby suffers a major falling out with friends, goes to therapy because she starts having panic attacks, gets a job at the zoo, sees lots of films, consumes too much chocolate cake and too many spearmint jelly candies, fights with her truly nutty parents, falls into and out of love, and figures out who her real friends are. She’s smart, she’s funny, and she’s confused, just like any other teen.

I love that these novels (and the rest of Lockhart’s work) tell a good story, but also explore broader themes, like self-empowerment, self-discovery, and social power. They can be read on many levels– for the nutty hijinks and snappy dialogue, and for a nuanced look at complicated people who run up against social confines and have to figure out what to do next.