This is not your typical romance novel, a fact well advertised by the dust jacket. I should mention that the dust jacket on my copy (courtesy of the public library of course) had one of the main characters’ names wrong, which is a bit disheartening. I bet Hautman felt worse about it than I did.
Rather than walk you through the sweetness of getting to know you, along the path of falling in like, to the climax of reciprocated feelings, Hautman covers the everyday grind of high school life. How someone can manage to cross your path without incident until one day they become important. The insane surge of hormone charged energy that fuels certain interactions. The frustration and expensive phone bills of a long distance connection and of course, the fear of losing what you once had once the initial need/want calms down a bit.
I found it well written and interesting, but not what I wanted to read when I’m in the mood for a romance.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – While no onscreen sex occurs, the characters certainly think about it, discuss it and want it. There is kissing and groping. There’s talk of hooking up, boobs, a guy wears an Alien Sex Fiend shirt and one boy has read Penthouse.
Profanity– “crapped,” “bitch,” “sucks,” “screw,” “shut up,” “hell,” “jerk,” “moron,” “asshole,” “shit”
Death, Violence and Gore – A kid jokes about hearing voices that tell him to kill. June hates having to slap, kick or yell at her dates to keep them from going to far. Wes gets so angry and frustrated that he wishes he could strap an atomic bomb to himself. Wes frequently wants to hit or slap people when he gets angry. On one occasion he does and causes an injury. June’s aunt dies of cancer.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – There’s a big party that includes underage drinking, drunken behavior and smoking. Marijuana is mentioned. One guy likes to spike drinks with alcohol.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.
Gee whiz, I remember when the raciest book I read was SEVENTEEN by Booth Tarkington. Times have changed.