The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon--And Me, Ruby Oliver

i love how lockhart describes ruby , and how she writes rubys POV. it is realistic, funny, heart breaking and odd, which i have never read in another book. love, Love, LOVE it!

The Treasure Map of Boys begins with a quick recap of events, not getting in the way of the story, but serving as a nice reminder. Ruby is as quirky a narrator as always, and I loved her typical engaging thoughts. Although not that much happens plotwise, Ruby's snarky narration is just awesome enough to keep my interest. I'm proud of how much Ruby has developed over the series, into the self-assured girl we see in this book, reminding me of Meg Cabot's Mia Thermopolis and her endless quest for self-actualization. I felt that the book had a solid ending that would have worked even as an ending to the series. It really felt like a complete work, though, unlike many books found in series, where they sometimes feel incomplete as individual works of fiction. On a different note, I think it is important for readers to realize and keep in mind through the reading that this is a work of fluff fiction, and should not be taken seriously. Ruby overexaggerates a lot, is completely obsessed with boys, and when it comes to it, leads a pretty shallow existence. Don't go into these books looking for a heavy read, go into them for a bit of relaxation and unwinding, a distraction from the busy realities of life. It's a cutesy story about a girl and her day-to-day relatable adventures. Ruby is one of those characters that I know I would hate in real life, but reading it from her perspective, getting her outlook makes me like her. I don't love her, bt I see the reasons behind the actions and Ruby makes more sense as a person--as much sense as a fictional character can make. And isn't that what books are all about? A heightened sense of understanding about the world around us? Rating: 4.5/5

The Treasure Map of Boys is definitely my favorite book in this series. I felt that everything just came together in a perfect way. The characters developed so much more and Ruby's annoyingness completely disappeared but she still kept her unique voice. I loved how she worked through all of her problems and I just adored how the boys were portrayed in this one. As this is part of a series, I don't feel that there is much more for me to say. If you enjoyed the first two books, DEFINITELY pick this one up. It's so sweet. That said, for some reason, I thought this was the last book in the series but it's not! I'm not sure how I feel about that. For some reason, I just really loved where it left off and I'm afraid another book will mess up that perfection. But, I'm still pretty excited for it! Can't wait to see what happens!

What can I say? Ruby Oliver has dazzled me yet again. She is the voice of the female species, or at least, the better half of it. It seems dear Roo can never catch a break. Just when she has finally gotten a handle on her panic attacks, formed a new group of friends, and has begun an enjoyable internship at the city zoo, it's all turned on its feet. Roo gets fired Jackson sends her a frog laden with meaning Noel is flirting and sending her notes Gideon sits with his thigh touching hers Nora is ignoring her once again And Roo has just met Doctor Z's fungi footed boyfriend. Could things get any more complicated? The answer is yes, yes they can. The Treasure Chest of Boys does not disappoint. Filled with bake sale stand offs, emulsions of the kitchen variety, hair band therapy, goat correspondence, Operation Sophomore Love, bodyguard duty and more, we are once again transported into the quirky, neurotic mind of our beloved Ruby Oliver. I'm sad that it is coming to an end, but I am anxiously waiting to read about Roo's next and last adventure.

I didn't realize how much I missed Ruby Oliver until I started reading this third book in the series. I haven't read The Boyfriend List or The Boy Book in nearly a year, but as soon as I picked this one up, I was instantly sucked back into Ruby's crazy, "Ag" filled world. Ruby's strong voice and writing style are once again present in this book. Her footnotes, her notes at the beginning of the chapters, and uncommonly used words are all back and make Roo as entertaining as ever. The best part about Roo in this book is that she finally learns to grow. She still has her panic attacks, and freaks out over boys, but by the end, she really learns some lessons she needed to learn in order to make herself a better person. It got a little preachy when she went over all the things she had learned throughout the book, but it still showed that she is finally growing up. There was a bunch of little things happening in the book along the way, so there was a lot of build up to the events of the end, which was kind of annoying, but it's worth it. The ending events show Roo's development extremely well, and I was actually proud of Roo for a certain event. But I can't tell you what that is. ;) Fans of the first two books shouldn't be disappointed in the third installment, because The Treasure Map of Boys is absolutely spankin'.