Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

When your best friend is a blonde California goddess, being second best comes naturally. Chloe and Bridget share a friendship that most of Chloe's friends feel is one-sided and only in Bridget's best interest. But Chloe is always quick to defend Bridget and explain that Bridget has been there for her through all the worst times.

But playing second fiddle finally hits home when Alex walks through the door of Gino's, the pizza parlor and pool bar that Chloe feels is her second home. What's more, Alex comes over to Chloe, not Bridget, and starts talking to her. For once, Chloe feels like maybe there is something she can have that Bridget can't get.

But that idea quickly fades. And battle lines are drawn when Bridget tells Chloe that she can never have something that should belong to her. Chloe can't believe the way Bridget is behaving, and can't imagine that after all their years of friendship, a boy would come between them.

But Alex is a player and seems to know exactly how to manipulate both girls and still come out on top.

With the support of her other friends, Chloe comes to realize she doesn't have to be second best and can have exactly what she wants. Is it Alex after all? Or is it someone else that was always right in front her?

Ms. Perez writes a sweet novel of first love, with a pool hall as the background of the story. Besides first love, Chloe is dealing with separated parents and an impending pool tournament. Chloe has always been good at pool, and now a tournament at Gino's worth $2000 is a prize that she's determined to win. The story is light and moves quickly enough that it can be read in one sitting. The reader is rooting for Chloe the entire time, hoping she can see that just because you've known someone for a long time, it doesn't mean that you necessarily know them anymore. ( )