THIS BOOK IS ADORABLE!!! Sure the title and cover art might be embarrassing for a 30-something to be seen reading in public, but so what! I was LOLing like crazy and people were looking at me like I was a nut.... I didn't care a bit because I was SO happy. I'm pretty good at hiding my emotions while reading, but I seriously could not hold in all the happiness this book was giving me.

Riley- Riley is my new book BFF. I found her so entertaining and hilarious and awesome. I loved the way she talked in her head, it was so funny and cute.

For example:

"I'll be there with bells on," I say for some reason, even though I normally steer clear of old-timey phrases. Ted! Why do you bring out the dorkiest in me?"

And the way she talked out loud:

"No problem, I can meet you by your locker," I say "Not that I know where your locker is. I mean, it's alphabetical, I sort of know. Not by heart, not the number, just in general, it's near Mrs. Bullard's room, I think, right, is it?"

HAHAHA! How can you not love diarrhea of the mouth like that?? It's endearing.

I loved going along with her as she figured out boys and relationships and what SHE really wanted.
It was also really nice to read about sex and it wasn't made out to be this HUGE big deal. Yeah sex is a major thing, but not everyone obsesses about the first time endlessly like it's made out to be in books and movies.

The only thing I didn't LOVE about this book was that Riley was a tad bit too music snobby for my liking. It almost felt like she was tabulating points- for or against guys based on their musical selections and knowledge. I love music, and I love when books feature music, but I don't like it when characters get all high on the music they like, like it's the only thing worth listening to. There's a lot out there that even Riley couldn't have heard, so calm down girl, just because you're in a band, it doesn't mean you have final say on all that is good music-wise. Get me?

Reid is also perfectly adorable. He's super nervous and hard on himself, and I love that we got to see (through his notebook writings) that he was the more romantic one of him and Riley. It was also nice to see a guy and a girl who could be friends and NOT cross that line into something more. Although.... part of me almost started wondering if they would be cute together.... but no it was so much better this way.

It's been a while since I read a book that made me smile so big and so many times. I honestly couldn't get enough of this cute, funny, awesome Contemporary. If you've read and liked Freshman Yeah and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin, then I would totally say go for this, they should be cousin companion books or something.

OVERALL: YES!!!! I loved this adorable, cute, squishy, fun Contemporary. It made me smile and laugh in public. That right there says something. I rec this to anyone who needs something light and happy in their lives. Riley could very well be your next book BFF... I know she's mine.

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This is not my usual choice read, but I needed to make sure it wasn't a little too romantic for middle school readers. This is a fun read with plenty of romance and realistic friend troubles. It's perfectly appropriate for middle schoolers who love romance stories, and music fans will like it too because the main character, Riley, is a dedicated drummer in a band with her friends, and bands are name-dropped all over the story. The cover of the book is pretty ridiculous, but in reality the story is a healthy, realistic look at friendship and romance with strong characters. ( )

If I’m going to read a romance story, I like a good dose of humor and strong characters like these ones. Riley plays drums for a rock band with her best friend and two guy friends, and is stunned when she discovers her best friend is secretly dating one of the guys. She is determined to find her own romance, and suddenly finds herself surrounded by possibilities. She juggles dealing with the band, her damaged friendship, and a few interesting guys in this funny and realistic story.

Really loved the fun, positive vibe from this.

Sixteen-year-olds Riley and Reid make a pact to pursue their respective crushes and document the experiences in a shared notebook they call "The Passenger Manifest." ( )