Book Review: Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys) by Amy Spalding

Title:  Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys)

Author: Amy Spalding

Publisher: Poppy

Publication date: April, 2015

Hardcover: 320 Pages

How I got this book: I received this book as a galley from Poppy




Why I got this book: Sometimes I’m just looking for a fun read, and this book seemed like it would fit the bill pretty well.

Synopsis: 

After catching their bandmates in a compromising position, sixteen-year-old Los Angelenos Riley and Reid become painfully aware of the romance missing from their own lives. And so a pact is formed: they’ll both try to make something happen with their respective crushes and document the experiences in a shared notebook.

While Reid struggles with the moral dilemma of adopting a dog to win over someone’s heart, Riley tries to make progress with Ted Callahan, who she’s been obsessed with forever-His floppy hair! His undeniable intelligence! But suddenly cute guys are popping up everywhere. How did she never notice them before?! With their love lives going from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye, Riley and Reid realize the results of their pact may be more than they bargained for.

Review:

This was a pretty fun read.  But I want to emphasize that it was just that: fun.  There really wasn’t much substance here.  But it’s all about what you’re looking for out of a book.  I would recommend this as a short, uncomplicated read for a day at the beach.  It’s easy to put down and pick back up without forgetting where you left off in the story.

Overall, I thought that the plot was pretty well developed.  We have a teenage girl, Riley, who’s new to this whole, love thing.  Or sex, since that’s what she seems more interested in.  After walking in on her best friend and her bandmate going at it, she decides it’s finally time to get more experience.  This book is a log of her new experiences with several different guys.  I have to say that Riley is a pretty good protagonist.  She makes mistakes, she’s awkward, she can act pretty cringey at times.  But she is a teenager.  And that’s how a teenager might act when confronted with sparring emotions.

There was one part of the book that I thought was a let down.  This was the “log” between Riley and her best friend Reid at the beginning of each chapter, each a few pages long.  At first it was quirky and fun to read, but it just got more monotonous and boring as the book forged on.  It didn’t advance the plot so much as just take up space.  After getting about halfway through the book I just started skipping these few pages every chapter.

Overall, fun, quick read.  It’s definitely not for everybody, though.