Reviewed by Marissa
Book provided by NetGalley for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Underneath It All by Leslie Kelley

Okay, confession time. I never went to my senior prom. I was so anti-school by my senior year that I wanted nothing to do with anything so “déclassé”. Now that I’m *mumble* one, I sometimes wonder what it would have been like. Somehow, I’m sure I would have had a better time than Lauren, the heroine in this story. As the prom queen, she’s left standing alone on stage, in tears, without her prom king. Luckily there is a class reunion where the two reunite and Lauren finally finds out what happened to Seth, the AWOL boyfriend, on prom night.

This story was well told and had me in tears, both sad and happy. I felt so much for Lauren, first being jilted, then running through the anger and finally acceptance of what had happened on prom night. And, of course, her new emotions – happiness and love.

Can’t Get You Out of My Head by Janelle Denison

What can I say? I love me a good nerd. Even my boyfriends tend to the nerdish side. (I’m currently dating an accountant but he swears he doesn’t own a pocket protector. Rats!) Our nerdy hero, Will, is really no longer a nerd. He’s kind of like Bill Gates – he grew out of the nerdiness when he got rich. Ali is the cheerleader with a heart who always had a thing for Will but was afraid to let her fellow cheerleader and football player friends know. It was amusing to see how those fellow class mates grew and matured (or not) and makes me wonder about all those snotty cheerleaders and jocks from my own class.

The worst line in the entire book came from this story: “… but there was no denying she had a gorgeous rack.” Rack? Really? Now, Will is supposed to be the shy kid from high school, the computer nerd, the guy whose older sisters taught him to look at a woman’s eyes when he talked to her and not at her “rack”. The word “rack” just doesn’t ring true here. And I am the furthest thing from a feminist but come on. A little dignity here.

A Moment Like This by Julie Leto

My other favorite kind of man? The bad-boy in leather and torn-up jeans that comes roaring in on a Harley. I never seem to end up with these men but they are fuel for my fantasies. And Rip is definitely fantasy material. As his polar opposite, Erica reminds me of the character Muffy Tepperman in the TV show Square Pegs – a senior class president, she knows everyone and is quick to relate anything negative happening to the principal. Yep, really dating myself with that one.

It was wonderful to watch Erica change to her true self when she was with Rip. Even she knows when the mask goes up and down and, like most women I think, Erica desires the one man she can be herself with. I love the way these characters developed from high school to adulthood, changing and growing up but retaining the essence of who they are.

For all the stories in this book, I give a thumbs-up. Each story is heart-warming and shows how we never forget that high school love – even if it was only love from afar. Now, if only my high school crush would show up…