Kissing Lessons, written by Sophie Jordan, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary: Hayden Vargas is just waiting to graduate. She lives in an unsafe environment and is counting the days until she can finish high school, move, get a job, and have her own place. She is gorgeous, confident and not concerned about what others think about her. Emmeline is envious of how Hayden seems to be a man magnet. Emmeline has never even kissed a boy; she is a high school junior. She thinks her big brother, Nolan, has a lot to do with her lack of fun in life. She has secretly had a crush on Beau for a while now. Nolan is hot, popular, smart, and in charge of his family after his dad died. He feels responsible for his sisters and does everything he can to protect them. Beau is Nolan’s friend and lives in the same poor neighborhood that Hayden lives in. He’s a player and has never committed to a girlfriend. Lots of high school drama is going on, but also some real issues dealing with friendships, living in poverty and not having a safe place to sleep. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book is told in alternating viewpoints in the different chapters. Hayden, Nolan, Emmeline and Beau are the different narrators. Hayden has a bad reputation and she tries not to care. But really the most she does with boys is kiss them. In return, she is labeled as a slut. Hayden supports herself with a job because her mom is an alcoholic and drug addict. Beau does the same things with girls, he kisses them, but he is just labeled as a player and it is fine. Nolan and Emmeline live in a more privileged part of town, but they have suffered their own losses when their dad died. Nolan has to be the man in the family and protect him mom and sisters. He has had a steady girlfriend for two years, but now he is questioning his feelings because Hayden has really stirred up his emotions. I would say they both judged each other, without really knowing each other and that is incorporated into the story. Emmeline hires Hayden to teach her how to be seductive because she thinks there is something wrong with her since no boys seem to be interested in her. This book is recommended for grades 10 and up and I agree with that. There is mostly kissing in the book and I would say that it is pretty realistic for older high school students. There is a scene where there is slightly more sexual activity (not sex) and a lot of the reviews have reacted negatively to it. But the characters are 17 & 18 and consent plays a big role in any intimate scenes. The book has also been criticized for an abrupt ending, but the future is uncertain for all the characters as they are about to graduate. They might not know what the next month brings. So it’s a happy-for-now ending and not a typical happily ever after. Which is fitting for 18-year-olds. They are still figuring out their lives. I really enjoyed the pace, the dialogue, the setting. I think that it would be fine for a high school library and I’m guessing it would be popular with fans of contemporary romance. I thought it was a great read and really enjoyed it.