Cross My Heart

Potentially dissatisfying, yet strangely enjoyable, "Cross My Heart" breaks with convention, but retains a surprising level of realism. The novel centers on feisty teen, Meg Main-Character-Who-Apparently-Has-No-Last-Because-It's-Basically-Impossible-To-Work-It-Into-First-Person-Narration-In-Any-Even-Remotely-Non-Cheesy-Way, who secretly pines away for oblivious longtime chum Craig Markham. Craig, Meg, and their other two BFFs since kindergarten, Pati and Don, seem bizzarely possessive of each other, so drama erupts when Craig begins mysteriously being seen in the company of rich, gorgeous Cynthia Collier and Meg ends up inadvertently accepting a date with cute, comical biology classmate Mike Sanders. The plot meanders a bit, never quite seeming to settle on where it's going, even by the novel's unusual, yet fitting, conclusion. Humorous dialogue and vivid descriptions draw the reader in, despite a few moments of silly melodrama interspersed throughout the novel.