Saturday, December 19, 2009

SETH BAUMGARTNER'S LOVE MANIFESTO by Eric Luper



Seth's summer vacation seems to be starting off rather nicely - lunch with his girlfriend at Applebee's. Unfortunately, lunch ends with Veronica breaking up with him, and to make matters worse, Seth sees his dad having what looks like a rather intimate lunch with a woman who is most definitely not his mother.

Eric Luper's latest novel, SETH BAUMGARTNER'S LOVE MANIFESTO, is filled with one great scene after another. If you are looking for a book that includes the frustration of teen romance, irritating parents, some podcasting humor complete with some great song suggestions, with a little bit of golf thrown in for good measure, then pick up a copy of this one when it comes out in June of 2010.
Seth uses his breakup with Veronica as inspiration to begin his Love Manifesto podcast. It starts out as a listing of the reasons he loves his ex-girlfriend but quickly includes all sorts of interesting stuff. He is surprised at the internet following he is able to generate, and he finds his broadcasts are an ideal stress-reliever. He'll just have to wait and see if it ends up winning Veronica back.
In the meantime, he is starting his fourth summer job. After several unfortunate terminations, he has lucked out and been hired to work in the golf club pro-shop. It's not a bad gig and will hopefully allow him easier access to the golf course to practice for the annual father/son tournament. Although, since seeing his father that day at lunch with another woman, just the thought of being in the same room with him is almost more than he can tolerate.

Thanks to his good friend Dimitri, the sudden attention of Dimitri's younger sister Audrey, and the time he spends working in his makeshift studio on his podcasts, Seth is able to find ways to improve on his summer's lousy start.
SETH BAUMGARTNER'S LOVE MANIFESTO is laugh-out-loud funny. Readers will find it easy to root for Seth as he struggles to recapture love and deal with his frustrating and mysterious father. Seth's mishaps make for many unexpected twists and turns that will take readers right up to the surprise ending. Be sure to watch for this one next year.









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