Girlfriend Material

Girlfriend Material

By: Melissa Kantor

If Kate were Lady Brett Ashley, the devastating heroine of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, she'd spend her summers careering around the Riviera in her coupe, breaking hearts by the dozen--because why not? In reality, Kate's never even had a boyfriend, and she'll be spending the summer abetting her mom's lame ploy to make her dad jealous: running off to Cape Cod and crashing at the seaside home of her wealthy friends, the Cooper-Melnicks. To add to the shame, the Cooper-Melnicks' gorgeous daughter Sarah is a bit like Lady Brett, and she seems less than thrilled to hang out with her new houseguest. Any dreams Kate once had of a perfect summer are ruined.

That is, until Sarah's cute, witty friend Adam starts drawing Kate into the fold--and seems intrigued. With Adam around, Kate feels like she just might have a bit of heartbreaker potential after all. But when a breezy summer romance quickly grows more complicated can Kate keep pretending her relationship with Adam is just a carefree fling? Or will she take the risk and tell him her real feelings? Suddenly Kate is asking herself a question she never thought she'd stoop to: Is she girlfriend material?

summary from book

My Rating: 3/5

Girlfriend Material, as I had assumed, is a fun and entertaining novel that takes place in Cape Cod during the summer. It is infused predominately with romance although there is much more going on as well including family problems where Kate is concerned and also a little side drama with Sarah, the used to be (at one point and time) childhood friend who no longer wants anything to do with Kate. That being said, Adam (the love interest) is the main focus of this book.

I did not go into reading this novel with any form of expectations which I find is a very liberating feeling. It's great to just pick up a book on a whim and enjoy it page by page for exactly what it is and what it has to offer. Expectations can usually hinder a reader and on multiple occasions, I've gotten far too carried away with them and have wound up disappointed. With Girlfriend Material, I just took it page by page and found myself very entertained and very much enjoying the story as it unfolded.

The whole situation with Adam was an interesting one although for me, it got even more interesting about halfway through the book when a little twist was added to create some necessary drama. Kate has never had a boyfriend before and one of the aspects I enjoyed most about Kate was her inner dialogue. She was constantly second guessing herself and her actions when it came to Adam. Not only could I relate but these moments of worry and anxiety were also quite funny as Kate is a good humored character.

I was originally going to write in this review how I wanted more from the ending as well as more from the situation revolving around Sarah and the family issues found within this book until I realized that everything unfolded the way it was meant to. Girlfriend Material is not a book meant to address huge life changing moments where the main character comes to a sudden realization about themselves and those around them etc. It is a fun, light book meant to entertain which it does, fully. Thinking back now, I am completely satisfied by the way in which Melissa Kantor chose to end this book.

Overall: If you're looking for an amusing book to accompany you in the upcoming summer weather (if not already summer weather) then this is the book for you. It's a quick read that will keep you smiling as well as entertained.