Confessions of a serial kisser

After watching her parents' marriage implode over the previous months, Evangeline feels cynical about love until she finds her mother's stash of romance and self-help books. Tired of lamenting her parents' relationship, she sets out to find new adventures, and a steamy novel, A Crimson Kiss, gives her a focus: she wants to experience a perfect crimson kiss of her own. Spontaneous smooches with fellow classmates are far from heart-stopping, though, and as stories of her serial-kissing exploits circulate, Evangeline faces hard realities, even as her parents' tentative reconciliation causes more confusion at home. The hot-pink cover and the hunt-for-romance plotline suggest chick lit, but Van Draanen moves beyond formula with her poignant view of a teen unmoored by parental separation. The boldness and naïveté with which Evangeline embarks on her kissing quest may strike some as implausible. Still, the well-drawn family and friendship dynamics, along with Evangeline's strong, entertaining first-person voice, will pull plenty of readers, who will root for their heroine as she begins to piece together a grounded, grown-up life.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2008 Booklist

Evangeline and her musician dad used to be close--but that was before he had an affair, and before she and her mom moved out. Cleaning, Evangeline finds her mother's stash of romance novels and begins dreaming of a "crimson kiss." Between the lure of the crimson kiss and a self-help book urging readers to live their fantasies, Evangeline, formerly a straight-A high school junior, starts kissing crushes and even strangers. She also starts to get a reputation. Van Draanen's (Flipped) plotting is straightforward, but the pacing is near perfect: readers realize, just when Evangeline does, that it is not a kiss she is after but actually "more the passion of it... to really, really care." The author also draws a solid parallel between Evangeline's inability to forgive her father and her best friend's unwillingness to forgive Evangeline after she kisses her friend's secret crush. Readers may not get all of Evangeline's references to old rock 'n' roll bands, but they will understand how the music connects her with her dad, and why she eventually wants to make her own sound. In the end, the playful title and premise are matched by tender and convincing storytelling. Ages 12-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 8-11-When 16-year-old Evangeline discovers her mother's secret stash of romance novels, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to one title: The Crimson Kiss. Although she dismisses the other books as trash, Evangeline is swept away by this story and dreams of finding a kiss as passionate as the one described in the novel. Inspired by a second book of her mother's-this one a self-help tome-the teen decides to take action: she will make her fantasy a reality. When her guerrilla kissing missions leave her with a dubious reputation and land her on the wrong side of her best friend, she starts to reevaluate her search. With a quick pace enforced by short, episodic chapters that conclude with mild hyperbole or romantic suspense, Van Draanen's novel is compulsively readable. While Evangeline's determination to receive the perfect kiss seems a little over-the-top, her growing realization that her behavior is a reaction to her parents' recent separation and their attempt at reconciliation tempers this aspect of the tale. The novel doesn't end on a typical romance-novel note; instead, Evangeline finds a nonromantic outlet for her passion and begins to rethink her goals.-Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Following her parents' messy breakup, Evangeline reads one of her mom's romance novels and decides she wants a passionate "crimson kiss." She kisses lots of boys, but gets into trouble when she smooches her best friend's crush. Though dubiously realistic, this entertaining book features short, breezy chapters and a refreshing ending: the newly self-confident Evangeline ends up happily independent. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Is it possible to go on a kissing spree and emerge with your heart--and reputation--intact? Van Draanen's (Flipped, 2001, etc.) latest explores a number of issues revolving around sexuality, but fails to deliver fully. Evangeline is still reeling from her father's infidelity and the subsequent divorce. She's spent months focused on school, but when she finds her mom's romance-novel stash she decides to live it up and search out a perfect "crimson kiss." Hijinks ensue, all narrated in an appealing first-person voice, but it seems girls can't be sexual precipitators even in this enlightened age, and soon Evangeline's name appears in the Boys' Room. Plus, she's lost her best friend after unknowingly kissing her crush. On top of everything, Evangeline's mother seems to be reconciling with her cheating father, leaving Evangeline, and her anger, out in the cold. Ultimately, Evangeline finds love--with a guitar. A complex but not entirely satisfying examination of female empowerment and growing up, it's a good introduction for younger teens just starting to grapple with these weighty issues. (Fiction. 12-16) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

After watching her parents' marriage "implode" over the previous months, Evangeline feels cynical about love until she finds her mother's stash of romance and self-help books. Tired of lamenting her parents' relationship, she sets out to find new adventures, and a steamy novel, A Crimson Kiss, gives her a focus: she wants to experience a perfect "crimson kiss" of her own. Spontaneous smooches with fellow classmates are far from heart-stopping, though, and as stories of her "serial-kissing" exploits circulate, Evangeline faces hard realities, even as her parents' tentative reconciliation causes more confusion at home. The hot-pink cover and the hunt-for-romance plotline suggest chick lit, but Van Draanen moves beyond formula with her poignant view of a teen unmoored by parental separation. The boldness and naïveté with which Evangeline embarks on her kissing quest may strike some as implausible. Still, the well-drawn family and friendship dynamics, along with Evangeline's strong, entertaining first-person voice, will pull plenty of readers, who will root for their heroine as she begins to piece together a grounded, grown-up life. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.

Evangeline and her musician dad used to be close—but that was before he had an affair, and before she and her mom moved out. Cleaning, Evangeline finds her mother's stash of romance novels and begins dreaming of a "crimson kiss." Between the lure of the crimson kiss and a self-help book urging readers to live their fantasies, Evangeline, formerly a straight-A high school junior, starts kissing crushes and even strangers. She also starts to get a reputation. Van Draanen's (Flipped ) plotting is straightforward, but the pacing is near perfect: readers realize, just when Evangeline does, that it is not a kiss she is after but actually "more the passion of it... to really, really care." The author also draws a solid parallel between Evangeline's inability to forgive her father and her best friend's unwillingness to forgive Evangeline after she kisses her friend's secret crush. Readers may not get all of Evangeline's references to old rock 'n' roll bands, but they will understand how the music connects her with her dad, and why she eventually wants to make her own sound. In the end, the playful title and premise are matched by tender and convincing storytelling. Ages 12–up. (May)

Gr 8–11— When 16-year-old Evangeline discovers her mother's secret stash of romance novels, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to one title: The Crimson Kiss . Although she dismisses the other books as trash, Evangeline is swept away by this story and dreams of finding a kiss as passionate as the one described in the novel. Inspired by a second book of her mother's—this one a self-help tome—the teen decides to take action: she will make her fantasy a reality. When her guerrilla kissing missions leave her with a dubious reputation and land her on the wrong side of her best friend, she starts to reevaluate her search. With a quick pace enforced by short, episodic chapters that conclude with mild hyperbole or romantic suspense, Van Draanen's novel is compulsively readable. While Evangeline's determination to receive the perfect kiss seems a little over-the-top, her growing realization that her behavior is a reaction to her parents' recent separation and their attempt at reconciliation tempers this aspect of the tale. The novel doesn't end on a typical romance-novel note; instead, Evangeline finds a nonromantic outlet for her passion and begins to rethink her goals.—Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, Boston