WHEN HARRY MET SALLY . . . for teens, from romantic comedy star Elizabeth Eulberg.
For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.
Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?
From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
PAGES: 288
(blurb and picture from NetGalley)
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The publisher gave me a copy of this book to read and review (from NetGalley). This has, in no way, altered my opinion of the book and what is written below is a 100% honest review.
I’ve read one of Eulberg’s other books (Prom and Prejudice) and I remember absolutely loving it. This novel was a bit hard for me to get into at first, but I really liked it by the end!
I feel like the best romantic relationships are the ones that begin with friendship. Macallan and Levi meet each other in middle school and they’re immediate friends. Bonded by a comedic TV show, they develop a strong relationship that is tested over the next couple of years. People think that they’re secretly dating because, hey, can girls and guys really just be friends?
MORAL RATING:
PG: Some kissing… oooohh-la-la!
THE GOOD AND THE BAD:
This was a fluffy, cute novel. Both characters were adorable and had good chemistry. Eulberg is really good with creating clever, quirky, lovable characters. Interactions between the two were believable and I loved reading about them! I almost laughed out loud when reading about how all of Macallan and Levi’s peers thought they were dating because there were definitely two people from my high school that were childhood friends and everyone thought that they were dating! Also, kudos to Elizabeth Eulberg for creating such a strong, honorable female heroine. She was a delight to read and I enjoyed her feisty spirit (that didn’t need no man – well, she wanted/needed Levi, but you get my point ok).
The reason that I really struggled to get into this novel was the fact that they seemed to be such mature characters in middle school. I initially believed that this whole novel was set in eighth grade. If I remember eighth grade correctly, no one actually had serious relationships. Plus, I felt like the writing was pretty shaky at first, but it definitely got better. I grew to love the dual narration and the little conversations at the end of each chapter that seemed to be in present tense. When I finally discovered that this novel was following the trajectory of their relationship through several years, I was way more interested in the story. It was adorable to watch them grow up and discover what their peers noticed all along: they were meant to be together.
I give this quirky read 3/5!
"I Think I'm Obsessed" 