Isabelle's Boyfriend

While walking her mother's dog, Taryn Greenleaf meets John Epplin, known as Epp. Epp is handsome, athletic, and anything a girl could ask for. The only problem, however, is that Epp already has a girlfriend, Isabelle. Taryn and Isabelle have known each other since kindergarten, but they are not exactly friends. Taryn and her best friend, Lila, decide that Taryn should do whatever it takes to become close to Epp. Suddenly, Taryn is hanging out Isabelle, Epp, and a completely different crowd, and Lila is not quite sure this is what she wanted. One thing, although, has not changed: Epp is still Isabelle's boyfriend... Before I began reading Isabelle's Boyfriend, I pretty much knew the novel would be sugary fluff. Sugary fluff is not necessarily a bad thing, and in correct dosage, fluff can actually be quite good. Looking back, Isabelle's Boyfriend did not have the perfect amount of fluff, but it came pretty darn close. In the novel, Taryn tries to get something nearly every girl has wanted: someone else's boyfriend. While obviously this is a big disaster waiting to happen, Taryn's actions did not leave me cringing the way I thought they would. Instead, Caroline Hickey writes them in an endearing way, and readers will feel for Taryn. I also liked that Hickey focused on the pet dog. On the top of my head, I can not even think of another YA novel that plays so much focus on a pet. This will be a pleasant surprise for YA readers sick of the "normal" YA family. Overall, however, I thought the characters were underdeveloped. I wish that Hickey would have focused more on the changing friendship between Taryn and Lila. That whole situation seemed not only underdeveloped, but also slightly rushed. I also would have liked to see more depth to Isabelle and Epp. Isabelle is the jealous girlfriend, and Epp is the flirty boyfriend. They seemed too typical. Isabelle's Boyfriend is perfect for anyone looking for something sweet in their YA diet.

My Thoughts: This book really surprised me! First we meet Taryn who is pretty normal girl. She goes to school, she comes home and walks the dog, she does her homework, she spends time with her mom. You get the point, pretty normal. She occasionally has a crush on a boy. Than she meets Epp on a street corner one snowy day while walking her dog. He is on the way to his super hot girlfriends house who Taryn knows as a "snotty" girl. Taryn really likes Epp, so much to the point that she becomes friends with Taryn just to get to know him. She than makes up a fake newspaper story to interview him and spend time with him. I won't go into much else or else I will be giving away the whole rest of the story. I will just say this, I'm a total sap and I always want the girl to get the guy! Yeah its not cool to go after someone else's boyfriend but should that said girl get the other girl's boyfriend or not? Should it happen, or shouldn't it?? Should the guy go after the girl who is not his girlfriend? Or should he stick to who he's already with? The ending of this took me by surprise! It was surprisingly fresh and left me thinking what the heck just happened, and my bottom lip almost hitting the floor!!! I totally saw a different ending coming! With that, you should read the book yourself!!!! Its cute and a funny book! Overall: A short and funny and good book. Simple as that. A must read for anyone whose had a crush on someone else's boyfriend! Cover: The cover is cute. At first glance I seriously thought it was Epp and Taryn on the cover, but it is not, it is Epp and Isabelle.

Taryn Greenleaf just wants to change into warmer clothing before walking their dog, Camille, after school. But Camille is impatient, so Taryn, dressed in her school uniform, heads out for their daily walk. It's snowing and it's cold. During the walk, Taryn stops to let snowflakes fall on her tongue. She glances up and encounters an absolutely gorgeous guy walking towards her. And he stops!! And of all things for this boy to talk about, it's Camille. He introduces himself as John "Epp" Epplin. Taryn's never seen him around before, and she soon learns the harsh truth. He's in the area to take care of his girlfriend's dog while her family is off skiing. And his girlfriend is none other than Isabelle Graham from school. Isabelle is everything Taryn isn't, and thus goes all of Taryn's hopes of anything happening with Epp. Taryn tells her friend, Lila, all about meeting Epp. He's everything that Taryn's ever wanted. Lila doesn't think a little thing like Isabelle being his girlfriend should deter Taryn. So the two of them start to brainstorm on ways for Taryn to run into Epp again. Since he goes to St. Ivan's, the boy's school, it's not like they will see each other in the hallways. They stumble across his name on the driver's education class sign in sheet, and things start to look up. But then Isabelle returns home. Isabelle and Taryn aren't NOT friends, but they haven't hung out together since they were much younger. When Isabelle finds out Taryn has met Epp, all of a sudden, Isabelle is talking to Taryn and inviting her to hang out with them. Lila warns Taryn to be careful, and watches as Taryn does things to hurt their friendship. When Isabelle and Epp set Taryn up with their friend Pete, things get even more complicated. Taryn realizes she's using Pete to get what she wants, but she can't seem to stop the snowball effect of her actions. Ms. Hickey slowly builds the story to the point where the reader knows something is going to happen. And usually, in most cases, that something generally is bad. It takes a revelation from the most unlikely source to bring everything to a head and make Taryn realize how awful she's been behaving. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

I'm a media specialist and I just received a copy for my school. It's nice to be able to recommend a book about teens with everyday problems - first dates, best friends, annoying mothers, etc. The main character's upbeat tone and sense of humor make it a relatable and solid read.