The Lonely Hearts Club

"Think for yourself 'cause I won't be there with you." -- George Harrison, 1965 You've just got to love the cover, which is a spoof of the Beatles' 1969 Abbey Road album cover. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but I think I did when I judged that this would be one I would like! It's a riot! Penny Lane, who shares her name with a 1967 Paul McCartney with the Beatles classic is so over boys. (Her two sisters are Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and Lovely Rita. I'm surprised one wasn't named Michelle). After a traumatic breakup with her former boyfriend Nate, she forms The Lonely Hearts Club minus Sgt. Pepper. She swears off high school boys as she feels they don't show proper respect for women. Other girls join her club in droves. Her school principal, who is a man naturally chafes at the club as do the male students. Penny Lane does have a change of lonely heart when she meets a boy with a Beatle haircut. Something in the way he moves, perhaps? "I left you far behind/The ruins of the life that you have in mind./And though you still can't see/I know your mind's made up/You're gonna cause more misery." George Harrison, 1965 from "Think For Yourself" Penny and her Hearts are in-your face and live by John Lennon's credo in "Instant Karma" about how Instant Karma's gonna get you, gonna knock you right in the face. She is somewhat Lennonesque with her in-your-face rebellion and delightfully zany wit. Like John Lennon, she and her fellow Hearts refuse to compromise their true voices and identity and swear off pretending to agree with someone just to win them over or pacify them. Any time somebody gives up their honest voice by pretending to be something they are not and by saying they agree with something they do not, they are stifling their identity. I hate that kind of toadying behavior and Penny and her Hearts wisely empower themselves to dodge that self-defeatist behavior. John Lennon's 1971 "Crippled Inside" is a good anti-toady song. At no time do the Hearts sacrifice their voices. That makes one think of John Lennon's greeting, "John here, speaking with his voice!" from the 1963 Beatles' Christmas album. What an empowering statement! The Hearts' theme song could be Paul McCartney's late 1977 hit, "I've Had Enough! (I can't put up with any more)." All Long & Winding Roads lead to the Beatles and that is what makes this book such a treat. "Although your mind's opaque, try thinking more if just for your own sake. The future still looks good and you've got time to rectify all the things that you should." -- George Harrison, 1965 from "Think For Yourself" The sheer genius of this book, with its empowering story, strong characters and WONDERFUL plethora of Beatle references will delight readers, whether they are Beatle fans or not. Beatle fans will especially enjoy this because not only will they "get" the Beatle references, they will love them! Penny is delightfully funny and she bravely shares some

It takes new-coming writer Elizabeth Eulberg no time at all to establish a lovable universe in her debut novel The Lonely Hearts Club. From the start, the reader falls in love with both her characters and her eloquent narrative tone. The novel begins with a very powerful hook, immediately drawing readers in to Penny's fascinating life. It begins in the middle of endings, of new beginnings, in the middle of a firmly established world that we very quickly get used to. It's amazing how fast paced this book is, fitting a lot of story into a limited amount of space. In this day, some novels just seem to take forever to start with the interesting plot material, so this was a welcome breath of fresh air. The novel is a catchy work, clearly demonstrating the uncomfortable dichotomy between boys and girls in the dating world. As cheesy as some of it is, the characters have a lot of life in them, with amazingly realistic interactions between them. The one word that keeps jumping to mind regarding this book is 'charming'. Everything about it is cutesy character development, from the writing to the cover. The ending follows the same adorable formula and does not disappoint readers. Fans of writers like Susane Colasanti will adore the seemingly simple and perfectly adorable cast of characters that make up this fantastic novel. Rating: 5/5

This book was a fun read. It is really about not losing yourself in others and about being true to yourself. I definately recommend it to anyone.

Penny Lane Bloom is sick of dating boys. All they do is cause her trouble and heartbreak. She vows to date no more for the next two years, until she graduates from high school. Penny decides to start a club: The Lonely Hearts Club (yep, like the Beatles). The club soon has multiple girls joining. These girls have also realized that they are changing themselves to get the guy, only to get hurt in return. Things change after an article in the school paper though, and Penny doesn't like how she is now known for having the "lonely heart." Besides, there is this one boy... This was an amazingly written debut novel. I loved every minute of reading, and I could not stop until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. The characters were fun and unique. The plot was totally original, which made the story even better. The Beatles references weren't over-done. It seemed like there were a lot of main characters, but that was okay, because the plot flowed nicely, and I got to know each character pretty well. Overall, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB was very enjoyable and extremely cute. It is a great book about the meaning of friends, especially while in a relationship. A great debut! Reviewed by: Ashley B

Penny Lane (yes, as in The Beatles song) is just sick of guys. After one particularly nasty break-up with her childhood friend Nate, she forms The Lonely Hearts Club and resolves never to date another high school guy. After all, all they do is jerk you around, treat you like dirt, make you change who you are, and cause you to abandon your true friends. What Penny doesn't expect is most of the girls at her school happily flocking to her new club...and people (namely, the principal and the guys) getting angry at her. And then of course, there is the tiny matter of a certain very nice, very cute boy that Penny can't seem to get off of her mind... The Lonely Hearts Club is a kick-butt, fun, and powerful read that isn't just about the romantic ups and downs of teen dating and swearing off guys, but about friendship and loyalty and never allowing a boyfriend to compromise who you are or make you give up your girlfriends. The many dating dynamics in the book are so, so true, which makes it an easy and enjoyable novel to get into, and Penny's witty voice will make you laugh and cringe with her at the same time, especially as the many girls share their dating woes (who knew guys could be so mean?). Penny's club is unconventional, but it is so fantastic to see how she turns her pain at rejection by guys into something positive and fun for the girls in her school, and it won't fail to entertain at the same time as despite her best intentions, Penny just can't stop liking guys. The Lonely Hearts Club is not about moping around; it's about boys, The Beatles, picking yourself back up again and coming out stronger, and being the better person (most of the time). It'll leave you downloading The Beatles' music and wanting to form your own Lonely Hearts Club. Thank you, Elizabeth Eulberg. Cover Comments: I love, love, love this cover! The Abbey Road spin-off is cute, and it's very fitting considering all of the many, many Beatles references. I also like how the tastes of each girl are as varied as the characters. The only thing I don't really care for is the font of the title. It's just too swirly for me, and since the rest of the cover has such a presence and attitude, it just doesn't fit. Other than that, this book really stands out!