One of the Guys by Lisa AldinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book! As a parent, I really appreciated the fact that someone was able to write a book for tweens/teens like this and still keep it clean. There are so many books out now that are not even allowed in our house because even though they are promoted for kids, they're written for adults. This book is not like that and it was so refreshing to be able to tell my daughter, "hey, this is a good book".
Toni Valentine seems to me almost like a lost little girl for the first part of the book. She's heartbroken and missing her father and is determined not to like her step-father because I think she may feel like she's betraying her dead father. She's been 'one of the guys' for as long as she can remember and then suddenly everything is changing. They're all growing up and she is scared they a growing apart. After being sent to an all-girls school, Toni's last ditch effort to keep her group of guys together is to start a business renting them out to girls from school who are in need of dates with good, decent guys.
With the help of Toni's new friend Emma, Toni discovers that growing up isn't necessarily a bad thing and that giving new people a chance in her life might just do her more good than bad. Throw in the complicated relationship between her and her best friend, Loch and you pretty much feel like you're right back in those high school days trying to figure out who you are and how you feel.
I loved the realness of this book and being able to really connect with the characters because I've been 'one of the guys' before. But even more than that, I recognize that fear of growing up. The fear of the unknown after high school came right back to me while reading this book. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone who wants to experience that fear of growing up mixed with the excitement of first love. Great read!
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