Kiss Me, Creep

Style over substance seems to be the M.O. of "Kiss Me, Creep", a short and sweet novel that relies heavily on anecdotal humor and flashback sequences rather than much of an actual plot. Perky narrator Joy Wilder rather randomly reflects back on a series of events including her move away from Seattle, her first day at her new high school and subsequent run-in with infuriatingly adorable Richie Brennan, and her mother's relationship with Joy's young, brawny soon-to-be stepdad. The bulk of the narration, however, centers on a rather comical, if completely implausible, incident in which Richie and Joy are inadvertently marooned on a deserted island together and both finally realize that beneath their antagonism is a very thinly veiled and very strong attraction. After their rescue, the remainder of the plot, in which both Joy and Richie worry that the other was not really serious about their newfound romance, is boring, unnecessary filler. For the actual action that occurs in the novel, this one might have been better served as a short story or novella; there simply isn't enough plot to support an entire novel.

This book is fun and entertaining. Joy and Richie hate each other - and then fall in love. It is fast-paced and good. This author is using a pseudonym. She is Eileen Goudge, who is one of my favorite and most-admired authors. She now writes adult novels under her real name. "Garden of Lies" and its sequel "Thorns of Truth" are my favorites of her adult novels.

This is a very good young adult romance novel. On her first day in a new school, Joy, meets a boy named Richie. And it's hate at first sight. But, later they fall in love. This is one of my favorites, too bad it's so hard to find. I can really relate to Joy's problem.

Thus is a very nice book about two teens who fall in love. They hate each other at first, but quickly discover that appearances are not all there is to a person and that their first imperssions of each other were quite inaccurate.

Too bad this book is hard-to-find because it is a really good young-adult romance. It's hate at first site for Joy and Richie. They are complete opposites: she--short and blonde, he: tall and dark. From the first day that their paths cross, disaster strikes. Of course, these mini-disasters embarass and infuriate Joy while Richie can't get that conceited smirk off his face. When an unexpected event takes place, Joy and Richie find that they have more in common than they would like to admit. Can they stop fighting long enough to make up