Book Review: Never Been Kissed by Melody Carlson

Never Been Kissed by Melody Carlson
Publisher: Revell Books

Publish Date: January 1, 2011

Trade Paperback,  216 pages

Young Adult, Contemporary, Christian

My Review:
Never Been Kissed is a very interesting YA novel.  Like Anything But Normal that came out last year, it has a very important message to teenagers.  In fact it's one I haven't even thought about but will now make sure my boys understand what to do and what not to do when sending emails, facebook and text messages (if I ever get them cell phones, they are only 5 and 10 now).

While dealing with a powerful subject the book also feels real.  What girl who is about to turn 16 hasn't embellished a little bit about that first kiss if they haven't had it.  What girl is not trying to fit in with an "in-crowd" and what girl hasn't told lies to make herself seem better.  Poor Elise gets caught up in something over her head, but I like how Ms. Carlson showed just how she dealt with it, from making mistakes along the way to making apologies where necessary.

I enjoyed watching Elise grow as a character.  She starts the book as a typical teenager, not a care in the world besides fitting in and getting kissed, but she ends the book learning valuable lessons and going forth from there on with her life.  Ms. Carlson has a way with creating characters that feel real and feel like the every-girl and Elise is a great example of this.

Never Been Kissed is a quick read, but one that will stick with you for awhile.  I can see appeal in this book for people of all ages.  Great for teens, great for parents, great for all those in-between.  Never Been Kissed has a lesson for all of us in this information age and is packaged in a very entertaining way.

My rating: 4.25/5.0

About the Book:
New School = New Chance for That First Kiss Summer is ending, and for once that doesn't seem like such a bad thing to Elise. She's hoping that starting fresh at a new high school will turn her first-kiss prospects around. New guys, new friends, and a new lease on life.
What she wasn't counting on was all the new pressure--to hang with the right crowd, wear the right clothes, and date the right guy. Just when it seems she's on top of the world, everything comes crashing down. Could one bad choice derail her future?

About the Author (from Amazon.com):
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than 200 books, including Just Another Girl and Anything but Normal. She recently was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, Notes from a Spinning Planet series, and Finding Alice. Melody and her husband live in Oregon.

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**Available January 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group**

***I received this book from Revell Books for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  I do not receive money for my amazon links since I live in NC (something about some law), so they are up purely for my readers to have a place to check out the book.***