If We Kiss

by Rachel Vail

Overview

Charlie Collins has never been kissed.

She’s never been in love, either. Charlie’s beautiful best friend, Tess, has kissed three boys and has loved each one of them. Then Charlie unexpectedly finds herself falling for Kevin, and she’s in a mess of trouble right away. For one thing, Tess is in love with Kevin. Even worse, his father seems to be dating Charlie’s mom, who suddenly can’t stop smiling. With no one to confide in, Charlie has to figure this one out for herself. But even as she tries to pull away from Kevin, she can’t stop wondering, What would happen if we kiss?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060569167
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/27/2011
Series:	If We Kiss , #1
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	426,465
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	HL640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Rachel Vail is the award-winning author of the critically acclaimed novels If We Kiss and Lucky, Gorgeous, and Brilliant (the Avery sisters trilogy) and more than a dozen other novels for young teens, including the Friendship Ring series. Rachel has also written many beloved picture books, including Piggy Bunny and Sometimes I'm Bombaloo, and two hit novels for elementary school kids, Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters; and Justin Case: Shells, Smells, and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doom. Rachel lives in New York City with her husband and their two sons.

Editorial Reviews

Vail proves that first love is anything but simple and sweet. Her razor-sharp wit will keep readers turning pages.” — Publishers Weekly

“Very appealing. Charlie is much funnier and more knowing than any ninth-grader on the planet.” — ALA Booklist

“Absolutely believable. Vail demonstrates her usual knack for getting to the heart of an emotional quandary.” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Amazing what one kiss can do.” — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Absolutely believable. Vail demonstrates her usual knack for getting to the heart of an emotional quandary.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Very appealing. Charlie is much funnier and more knowing than any ninth-grader on the planet.

ALA Booklist

Absolutely believable. Vail demonstrates her usual knack for getting to the heart of an emotional quandary.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Absolutely believable. Vail demonstrates her usual knack for getting to the heart of an emotional quandary.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

According to PW, "Vail proves that first love is anything but simple and sweet in this lively contemporary novel narrated by a high-school freshman." Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 7-9-High school freshman Charlie is ready for her first kiss. The big day arrives when Kevin Lazarus chooses her, taking her by the hand and leading her outside. Charlie, who before the kiss doesn't particularly like him, finds herself both intrigued and grossed out by the germs to which she's been exposed. She is not sure if it really happened and she tells no one, not even her best friend, Tess. Her confusion is further compounded when Tess sets her eyes on Kevin and wins his affections, her mother becomes romantically involved with Kevin's father, and Charlie becomes increasingly more obsessed with the teen. Over Christmas break, she and her mother go on a skiing vacation with the Lazarus family, and Mr. Lazarus and Charlie's mom become engaged. Charlie is once again kissed by Kevin; from here on the plot focuses on Charlie obsessing over kissing Kevin again and her feelings of guilt about her lack of honesty toward her best friend. Unfortunately, other conflicts in the story aren't as fully developed. However, Charlie tells her story in a fresh voice and begins to realize that there is a difference between being obsessed and truly caring about someone. While Charlie and Tess are typical teenagers navigating their way through high school angst, Kevin remains one-dimensional and readers learn little about him besides his habit of kissing girls. A light read for fans of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's "Alice" series (S & S).-Angela M. Boccuzzi-Reichert, Merton Williams' Middle School, Hilton, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Kisses take on a whole new dimension in this touching and tangled teen drama. High-school freshman Charlotte, "Charlie," doesn't fit in with the sports crowd or the brainy set and she's never been kissed. Although Charlie admits she's "ready to kiss someone," she is startled when the class Romeo, Kevin Lazarus, unexpectedly French kisses her at school, triggering a series of bewildering events. As she sorts through her own feelings for Kevin, Charlie discovers her best friend Tess has also fallen for him. To complicate matters further, Charlie's mother announces she has fallen in love with Kevin's divorced father. With a crush on her best friend's boyfriend-her future stepbrother-Charlie faces one moral dilemma after another, but she does it with humor and a certain charm. A confused Charlie ends up spending her freshman year trying to diagnose what's going on, what she really wants and who's kissing whom. Amazing what one kiss can do. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews