California Girl (Sweet Dreams)

"California Girl" is nearly a Sweet Dreams anomaly; interesting, sweet, humorous, and, most shocking of all, actually romantic, this novel offers something for everyone. Narrator Jennie Webster's caustic humor drives the story, as she relates her experiences as an Olympic-caliber swimmer uprooted from her California home when her coach moves to Texas to open a new swim club and Jennie follows him to continue her training. Largely shunned by her new classmates, Jennie forges a friendship with reclusive Mark Waverly, a bitter, artistic ex-jock whose football dreams were cut short by a terrible accident that left him partially crippled. The usual, melodramatic romantic travails are tempered by Jennie's continued dedication to her swimming and her growing anticipation of the upcoming Nationals. Sprinkled with spirited swimming action and driven by real emotional connections, this novel will have you looking at all the duds in the Sweet Dreams series and saying, "I wish they all could be California Girls!"

"California Girl" is one of the "Sweet Dreams" teen romance series, popular in the late 1970s/early 1980s. There are a handful of these books (and books in the "First Love from Silhouette" series) that really stood out, and this is one of them. Jennie, an aspiring Olympic swimmer, moves with her family from California to Texas to follow her swim coach. Not only does she have to adjust to the football-obsessed Texans, her swimming is not going well and her mother is becoming increasingly obsessed with Jennie's swimming career. Jennie is also falling for Mark, a former high school football star who suffered a career-ending injury. But she's unsure whether Mark would be interested in her if he could still play football.The reason this book stands out is that it's not just about dating and boys and clothes. Jennie has a real interest, and the author knows enough about competitive swimming to make the details authentic and interesting to the reader. You'll definitely find yourself cheering for the very likeable Jennie!