Kate’s parents are having problems and in order to think things over, her mother has decided to pack up and head to Cape Cod for the summer, dragging Kate with her. Initially irritated to be torn from her best friend and summer plans in Utah, Kate begins to think that an East Coast vacation might just be perfect. Things never go quite as you’d expect and Kate soon finds herself with friend trouble and boy trouble of her own, to say nothing of trying to figure out what’s going on with her parents.
Girlfriend Material isn’t a particularly special book, it’s a pretty standard summer beach read with likeable if slightly one-dimensional characters. But it was cute, it was pretty clean (things don’t heat up beyond some kissing) and it featured a smart girl who doesn’t have to play dumb to get a guy. Also, Kate has some good old-fashioned teenage temper tantrums where she says really mean things to people, including her parents. Despite this, there are times when she confides in her mother when she has no one else to talk to. I appreciated the realistic take on how a teen-parent relationship can shift from tense to supportive.
Great for: While the writing isn’t high quality enough to lure most bookworms, they certainly won’t object to a main female character that is both extremely well read and not a loser in need of a makeover. Kate is just herself throughout and liked for it. Go Kate.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – There’s “fooling around” but it’s clear from the context that usually this means something pretty innocent. There is one male character who has supposedly slept with a lot of people, but jokes are made at his expense because of it. Our main characters do not make it beyond kissing that makes them see fireworks, there aren’t any groins pressing together or anything that makes the kissing any steamier than it needs to be. A trip to Provincetown reveals how naive Kate is; she needs to be told that is a town with a large gay population and doesn’t notice the transvestites they pass there.
Profanity –”ass,” “bitch,” “damn,” “Thank God,” “hell,” “screw you,” “pissed off” “sucks,” “slut,” “Christ,” “bitch,” “asshole,” “gay” is used one time as an insult. “retarded” is used twice to mean stupid. The book obviously would be better without the inclusion of those terms.
Death, Violence and Gore – Kate’s mother slaps her across the face once when Kate is being incredibly rude.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – There is a liquor store in town. Adults drink wine. In one scene Kate’s mom is tipsy. Sarah (a teenager) admits to having had too much champagne once. Kate compares a boy to a drug.
Frightening or Intense Things – Since Kate’s parents are having a hard time, they argue a lot and Kate feels like she’s in the middle of things.
