Play Me

Eddy Rochester is a movie fanatic and a wannabe famous filmmaker. When his hit online show, "Riot Grrl 16," is in an MTV contest to be on a reality show called The Producers, Eddy and his team have a lot of work to do. "Riot Grrl 16" is about Eddy and all the girls that love him. All of the girls except Lucinda Dulko, who isn't as easily charmed by Eddy. With Lucinda being so unattainable and independent, Eddy couldn't be more attracted. PLAY ME takes you through the stress of "Riot Grrl 16," Eddy's relationship with his actress mother, and his countless female friends. PLAY ME is very realistic. You quickly become engrossed in the story because of its believability. You get a great understanding of Eddy and his friends. I love Eddy's sarcasm and how he and his friends talk about movies. You really feel like you're in the conversation. Laura Ruby writes from a male perspective just as well as she writes from a female one. Eddy is the perfect male protagonist. The book has a great plot and great characters, and is a book that you will instantly become connected with and be entertained by to the very end! Reviewed by: Tempestt (temppatt)

I'm sure you've all seen reviews of this book on other blogs. Eddy isn't really a player--he's more like a normal teenage guy. Play Me was very realistic, witty, and funny. The fact the Eddy wants to be a film maker makes the book much more interesting.The fact that Eddy and his friends know a lot about movies showed that Ruby has a big interest in films, and it really translated into the novel. Laura Ruby proves that no only can she write from a female's perspective but also from a male's and is excellent at it. Play Me was different from other YA books because the ending was realistic--not a happily ever after one. Eddy's character was just amazing--as the other character's--and felt as if he attended my school. The plot line was just great and I definitely recommend this book to anyone. Play Me was nothing short of excellent and is a book that any teen can relate to. -Carol www.bookluver-carol.blogspot.com

Eddy likes girls and sex, and doesn't understand why they so often think it's more than sex. He's a jerk and a bit of a slut, but his complete obliviousness to the hurt he causes makes him somehow harder to hate. You want to hate him sometimes because he's just too confident and so thoughtless, but he loves his little half-brother (who might be his full brother) and his parrot Tippi Hedren, who quotes Hitchcock. He likes to drive and make movies with his friends Rory and Joe. They're currently in an MTV contest to be on a reality show called The Producers. Eddy's life is their show, Riot Grrl 16. Then Lucinda Dulko walks back into his life. He falls quickly and ignores the other problems in his life. Like I said, Eddy is thoughtless. He believes Riot Grrl 16 will win the contest and makes no contingency plans. He ignores his dad and other dad's advice because he believes he knows best. He pays no attention to Joe, who has begun to explore religion. (PLAY ME briefly mentions the events of GOOD GIRLS, but no knowledge of that novel is necessary to this one. It is, however, a good read.) I like Laura Ruby and I liked Edward Rochester. PLAY ME was less likeable. There are high points, many of them, but they're followed by dull stretches. The different storylines seem episodic, and some move quickly while others drag. The scene where Lucinda gives Eddy a new tennis racket was vivid, tense, and foreshadowed their break-up. The scene where Eddy and the others met with MTV execs felt like a generic naïve kids meet Hollywood types and couldn't end fast enough. It's painful to see Eddy come apart, because even though he deserves it and will probably be better for it, the book does rest almost entirely on his voice. To see him lose his confidence and cool is painful. But it all comes to a hopeful ending, one that could be happy if Eddy takes the chances he's been given. Besides liking Eddy, I also liked his relationships with his family and with Gina. Meatball, his little brother, is weird without being overly precious and he makes me think of Harold from Harold and Maude, which is always a plus. Eddy and Gina's relationship is subtle, and Ruby manages to convey quite a bit considering Eddy's lack of anything resembling a clue, and their very real relationship is a nice contrast to Eddy's fairy tale relationship with Lucinda. It's also fun to play spot-the-cultural-reference. Sometimes Ruby uses something's real name, other times she changes it (probably for copyright purposes). However, there's more than enough material to keep a movie fan happy. I'm glad my ex-roommate was a TCM addict. I know my Hitchcock well enough to understand the references, Vertigo being the only somewhat important one. (By the way, don't try to watch Vertigo and do something else at the same time. You'll have no clue what's going on within five minutes.) PLAY ME will entertain those familiar or unfamiliar with GOOD GIRLS. Ruby writes wonderful young adult and middle grade nov

Eddy Rochester is a movie fanatic, a wannabe famous filmmaker, and a player. He's figured he's pretty much on the fast track to success with his popular online video series Riot Grrl 16. It's all about him, and the girls love him - at least most of them do. But Lucinda Dulko is different; she's not as easily charmed as Eddy's other conquests. Play Me followes Eddy through his ups and downs with Riot Grrl 16, his relationship with his actress mother, and his various female friends. Eddy has to realize that maybe he's not guaranteed instant success, and that maybe there are other people in the picture besides him. Laura Ruby weaves and incredibly realistic story in Play Me. Eddy's character is developed so well that I totally felt I could see through his eyes into his life. There's something so believable about Eddy's story that made me want to keep reading. The plot isn't too exciting, but reading this book was such a great experience because I could really feel Eddy's emotions. There aren't many books that I've read that have such a real and honest male protagonist like Eddy. Play Me was a beautifully written and extremely honest story anyone can relate to. If you're looking for a realistic story to read, Play Me should be your first choice. Fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Catherine Ryan Hyde will also enjoy Laura Ruby's latest novel.

Eddy cares about two things--filmmaking, and his family. Not the slew of girls he's had by his side and lusting after him over the years. To him, they're just looking for a good time, and not anything substantial. But then the unattainable, fierce, and independent Lucinda Dulko comes along and sweeps him off his feet. Suddenly years or meaningless relationships appear to be wasted time. Eddy and Lucinda have something real, something far more important than anything Eddy has ever experienced before. Or so he thought. Written with wry humor, startling honesty, great emotion and a good dose of irony, Play Me is one knockout of a read. It's not often that female authors dare to tell the story from a male perspective, but Ruby not only accomplishes this, she excels at it. Her talent is not only obvious in the way that she crafts Eddy and his friends' personalities and tendencies, but also in her ability to pull together the multitudes of details, no matter how big or small, to create a singular story. Play Me is a hard and pragmatic look at teen life today, free of euphemisms, fairy tale crafted happy endings, and plotlines that condescend to the reality of being a teen. The result is a read that any teen can feel an immediate connection with.