Ruby is back with a whole new set of problems. I'll never get tired of E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver. She is a senior now and seems to have this boyfriend thing under control. Or does she?
Ruby is pretty sure Noel is "the one." He treats her just the way she thinks a real boyfriend should. Why is she worried then? Well, that's how Ruby is. She still sees a therapist on a regular basis, although she isn't completely convinced that it's working. Things become even more confusing when dreamy Gideon begins paying attention to her. It's complicated by the fact that Noel is visiting his brother in New York and not communicating as much as a real boyfriend should. Should she be satisfied with a few really nifty poems he has sent, or should be expecting more?
At the same time Ruby is dealing with Noel and Gideon issues, her grandmother dies. She's sad and knows she will miss her father's mother, but her father is taking the death of his mother a bit too far. He sleeps on the couch, rarely changes his clothes, and stumbles around eating nothing but orange snack items. She is left to eat the meals her mother fixes that suddenly include every meat product known to man. Why can't her mother acknowledge the fact that Ruby is a vegetarian?
Home life continues to deteriorate when her mother decides she has had enough and heads off to some women's retreat with a friend. Ruby is left behind to muddle along with her depressed father. She must try to think about college preparations, hang on to her remaining friends, and figure out why Noel has changed since his return from New York.
E. Lockhart has a unique talent for capturing the angst of being a teenager while at the same time including laugh-out-loud humor that allows anxiety ridden teens to find the humor in their own situations. I certainly hope readers will be able to follow Ruby a bit further as she begins college and continues her adventures with family, friends, and boyfriends.
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